This Saturday at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, a fantastic boxing event will take place as part of the Riyadh Season, organized with significant contributions from Saudi Arabian funds allocated for sports events. The main event will see the Uzbek Israil “The Dream” Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) defending the WBA super welterweight world title against the American star Terence “Bud” Crawford (40-0-0, 31 KOs). For Madrimov, this will be his first defense of the belt he won on March 8 in Riyadh against the ill-fated Russian boxer Magomed Kurbanov, who was easily knocked out in five rounds.
Israil Madrimov: Inexperienced? Only in Appearance!
Some boxing fans raised their eyebrows when this fight was announced due to the numerically limited record of the reigning champion, who has only fought eleven professional bouts to date. However, describing Madrimov as a novice would be a grave mistake: the Uzbek has accumulated vast experience in amateur boxing, fighting hundreds of fights, and he entered the professional world with the technical skill and mentality of a veteran. After all, Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux had exactly the same number of professional fights under his belt when he decisively defeated a legend like Nonito Donaire, proving that sometimes the necessary experience to shock the world can be acquired even before turning professional. Distinguished by great physical strength and very heavy hands, The Dream is a very patient fighter who studies his opponent, even taking breaks, before launching sudden two-handed combinations, constantly changing the direction and angles of his attacks.
Terence Crawford: Is the Sky the Limit?
It seems incredible that Terence Crawford began his professional career as a lightweight. Yet, this Saturday, the American will have the opportunity to join a very select group of fighters capable of reaching the top of the world in the super welterweight division while having won a world title in the 135-pound category. What is most astonishing about Bud’s rise is the fact that his power, which was good but not devastating at the beginning of his career, has exponentially increased as he moved up in weight, securing a 100% KO rate since joining the welterweight division. Today, Crawford is simply lethal, capable of hurting his opponents even with just his right jab. What is the limit beyond which the American will start to lose some of his effectiveness? How many more divisions can he shake up before his opponents become too solid to be bent by his punches? Israil Madrimov is the perfect name to test Crawford’s qualities at 154 pounds: if the challenger’s punches prove deadly even against a thoroughbred bull like the Uzbek, his limit could indeed be the sky.
What Will Happen? Boxe Punch’s Prediction!
Considering the characteristics of the two fighters, we are likely to see a number of tactical rounds devoid of breathtaking exchanges before the action heats up. Crawford is certainly aware that he needs to be cautious in the face of a structurally bigger opponent who is already fully acclimatized to the super welterweight category; Madrimov, for his part, has a certain patience in the initial approach to fights and prefers to carefully observe his opponent’s movements before unleashing his famous two-handed attacks.
In these “quiet” phases of the match, Crawford’s faster hand speed and masterful use of the jab should be preferred by the judges over the work Madrimov will likely produce in close quarters, relying on his physical vigor. Therefore, it is the opinion of this writer that Bud will soon begin to accumulate an advantage on the scorecards, forcing the champion and his corner to change their strategy during the bout. As the fight progresses, The Dream might be forced to significantly increase the intensity of his pressure to prolong the close-quarter combat phases and forcibly remove the challenger from his comfort zone.
Relying on a wilder and more daring approach could, however, prove to be a double-edged sword for Madrimov. The Uzbek has shown a small flaw in his previous professional bouts that no one has yet been able to exploit: when he decides to raise the pace, Madrimov tends to start from too far away, rushing at his opponent in a split second without adequately preparing the entry with punches. The great muscular explosiveness of his legs, combined with the clever practice of not exposing himself too frontally, has so far prevented anyone from timing him and surprising him, but Crawford is not like other boxers. The American has an extraordinary ability to spot the right opening in his opponent’s defense and the reflexes of a cobra to capitalize on it.
In my opinion, Madrimov, after starting to attack more recklessly, will sooner or later make the decisive mistake, getting caught by a deadly blow from his rival. I predict a KO victory for Terence Crawford between the seventh and ninth rounds of the fight.