‘IT’S THE TERENCE CRAWFORD ERA’ – CRAWFORD TELLS MADRIMOV

Terence Crawford and Israil Madrimov made their grand arrivals ahead of their clash on Saturday. 

They face off in a WBA Junior Middleweight Clash as Crawford seeks to win Madrimov’s WBA belt. It is Crawford’s first fight in over a year since his ninth-round TKO win over Errol Spence Jr. The win made him the first Undisputed Welterweight Champion of the four-belt era, as he chases a title in a fourth weight class.

Eddie Hearnhas been backing Madrimov to cause an upset, feeling that Crawford may be out of his depth. Madrimov won the vacant title after knocking out Magomed Kurbanov in his last fight. His record stands at 10-0-1 with 7 KOs, showing he is not experienced at the pro level. Crawford, by comparison, is 40-0 with 31 KOs.

READ: “Bigger Than The Errol Spence fight”: Terence Crawford Says His Fight Saturday is Bigger Than The Errol Spence Bout 

But Madrimov has over 300 amateur fights, meaning he has seen the full array of styles. A win for either fighter sets up a possible unification with Sebastian Fundora, who holds the WBO and WBC belts. Meanwhile, Crawford may chase the Canelo Alvarez fight at 168 if he wins. The face-off was very cordial, but both felt confident ahead of the clash.

Madrimov’s Quotes

Chris Mannix: “Israel, it’s a first title defense for you, and it’s a big one against a man that has long been the pound-for-pound king. How are you feeling heading into this fight?”

Israil Madrimov: “I’m feeling great. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. My dream is coming true because I’m feeling great,”

Mannix: “Three divisions, no one has been able to beat this man. Why are you confident that you’ll be able to do it?”

Madrimov: “This is my division because it’s only victory for me.”

Mannix: “It’s been a long time since we called you a title challenger. How does it feel to be challenging for a belt at 154?”

Crawford Reacts

Terence Crawford: “It’s alright. I had to go through it at 135, 140 and 147. It ain’t no different than at 154.”

Mannix: “It’s your first fight at junior middleweight. You’re going right to the top of the division against Israil Madrimov. Why was this the right fight for you?”

Crawford: “I think all the fights are important at 154. I want all the champions. I consider Israil the #1 guy in the division. He’s a great fighter. I just think its the Terence Crawford era.”

Mannix: “This man is probably a little bit bigger and stronger. What kind of fight are you expecting on Saturday?”

Crawford: “I don’t know. He might come out and try to box. He might try to use his size and pressure me, but I assure you. We’re going to be ready for whatever he brings to the table.”

Mannix: “11 straight knockouts for you. Is this the type of fight that you can get the 12th?”

Crawford: “Hey, we shall see,”

Full Card

Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov

Andy Ruiz vs. Jarrell Miller

Jared Anderson vs. Martin Bakole

Isaac Cruz vs. Jose Venezuela

David Morrell vs. Radivoje Kalajdzic

Andy Cruz vs. Antonio Moran

Steve Nelson vs. Marcos Ramon Vazquez

Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Michal Bulk