Terence Crawford overcame a tougher than expected challenge to become a four-division champion Saturday night in Los Angeles, defeating Israil Madrimov in a close decision to win the WBA junior middleweight title.

Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), fighting at 154 pounds for the first time, had some trouble dealing with Madrimov’s awkward movements and angles but pulled out the win on points. The judges scored it 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 for Crawford.

It was Crawford’s first fight since his ninth-round TKO victory over Errol Spence in July to become the undisputed welterweight champion. It also snapped his streak of 11 consecutive stoppage wins.

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Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) won the WBA title when he scored a fifth-round TKO victory over Magomed Kurbanov last month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the undercard of Joshua-Ngannou.

Jose Valenzuela captures Isaac Cruz’s title by split decision

Jose Valenzuela upset fellow Mexican Isaac Cruz by split decision to capture the WBA junior welterweight title Saturday at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

One judge scored the bout 115-113 for Cruz but was overruled by 116-112 and 116-112 scores for Valenzuela.

The win continued a stunning turnaround for Valenzuela, who suffered back-to-back defeats in 2022-23 at 135 pounds. Following a third-round knockout loss to Edwin De Los Santos, Valenzuela (14-2, 9 KOs) dropped a unanimous decision to Chris Colbert. Valenzuela’s fortunes changed in the December 2023 rematch with Colbert when he scored a spectacular sixth-round knockout victory.

Following the win, Valenzuela moved up to 140 pounds to challenge for his first world title. He came through with a career-best performance, boxing with discipline against the hard-charging, ultra-popular “Pitbull” Cruz.

“I didn’t get desperate,” said Valenzuela, 25, who is trained by former champion Robert Garcia. “I didn’t fall under the pressure. I stayed calm. I felt great. I felt like I was in control the whole time with my jab, my footwork.”

Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KOs) entered the ring rated No. 4 by ESPN at junior welterweight. In his 140-pound debut, Cruz scored an eighth-round TKO victory over Rolly Romero in March to become a first-time champion.