[autotag]Terence Crawford[/autotag] knew he was in for a tough fight against Israil Madrimov, but he still got the job done in a close fight to become a four-weight world champion.
Crawford (40-0) competed at 154 pounds for the first time in his career, moving up to challenge Madrimov (10-0-1) for the WBA and interim WBO super welterweight titles. The fight card took place at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles and aired live on DAZN pay-per-view. After 12 rounds, Crawford beat all three judges with unanimous scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113.
The showrunners certainly made fight fans wait forever for this fight to begin. An Eminem concert consisting of several songs preceded the main event. The wrestling ring walks featured all types of pyrotechnics and fireworks, setting the stage for a great fighting sensation.
The bell signaling the start of the first round sounded at 12:55 pm ET.
It was a methodical start to the fight, as both fighters studied each other’s movements. Crawford, often described as a slow starter, seemed to have difficulty finding the rhythm of Madrimov, who offered constant, bouncy movements throughout the fight.
As the rounds went by, both fighters would have their moments in the spotlight, but few rounds were clearly for either fighter, generating disagreements about who won each round on the part of the commentary team.
Madrimov, who entered with much less professional experience than Crawford, held his own for most of the fight. The punching statistics were nearly identical at the end of the fight, with Madrimov having a slightly higher landing percentage, but Crawford arguably landed more effectively throughout.
Things really heated up in the last two rounds. Crawford released his hands as he increased the pressure on his opponent to close the fight strong, but Madrimov’s game still advanced until the final bell.
“Israil was a tough competitor,” Crawford said during his post-fight interview. “I knew he was going to be tough, like I said. I knew everything about him when I went to Uzbekistan and they told me a lot about him. took me to the 12th round.
“…I figured it out early on, but I was just being patient. I didn’t want to rush into anything because that’s how I got caught a few times, rushing around trying to eat too soon. But I did my thing.”
Crawford has now become boxing champion in four weight classes: 135, 140, 147 and 154 pounds.
Many believe that Crawford is eyeing a fight with Canelo Alvarez, but he explained that it’s not a fight he necessarily should have on his resume, but one that would be good to have for his legacy and his bank account.
Madrimov felt he did enough to win the fight and would like a rematch with Crawford in the near future, but only time will tell if that comes to fruition.
This article was originally published on MMA Junkie: Terence Crawford becomes four-weight champion in ‘patient’ decision against Israil Madrimov
