Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov is official.
Crawford, the 147-pound champion and pound-for-pound king, will move up in weight to challenge the WBA 154-pound belt holder on Aug. 3 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, it was formally announced Wednesday.
The main promoter is Riyadh Season, which will present its first event outside of Saudi Arabia.
“We are delighted that Riyadh Season will host its first overseas event in Los Angeles, and this fight in the United States is a special one to mark this moment,” said His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority.
“We want to give people around the world the opportunity to enjoy their own Riyadh Season experience, and that is exactly what we hope to achieve by holding this and future events around the world.”
Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) has already won world titles at 135, 140 and 147, which means he will try to win a major belt in the fourth division.
The 36-year-old fighter from Omaha, Nebraska, hasn’t fought since his sensational seventh-round stoppage of fellow pound-for-pound fighter Errol Spence Jr. in a 147-pound title unification bout last July 29. four welterweight belts at the moment.
“I can’t wait to get back in the ring in my fourth weight class and remind the world why I’m the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world,” said Crawford. “Israil Madrimov is a tremendous and entertaining fighter, but on August 3rd he will be my next victim. This is the Terence Crawford era.”
Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) won the vacant WBA title – which he opened when Jermell Charlo fought Canelo Alvarez and was designated “champion in recess” – by stopping Magomed Kurbanov in five rounds on March 8.
The California-based Uzbek is excited to face the best in the business.
“Terence Crawford is one of my favorite boxers and one of the best boxers in the world,” he said. “I am very excited to have this opportunity to make a statement, and I will, Inshallah.”
The undercard features several well-known fighters. Here is the schedule:
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Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz vs. Jose Valenzuela, junior middleweights (for Cruz’s WBA title)
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Andy Ruiz Jr. x Jarrell Miller, heavyweights
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David Morrell x Radivoje Kalajdzic, light heavyweight
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Andy Cruz x Antonio Moran, lightweight
Isaac Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs) is coming off his sensational eighth-round knockout of Rolando Romero to win his belt on March 30.
Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) is returning to the ring for the first time since September 2022, when the former champion knocked down Luis Ortiz three times and won by unanimous decision.
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