What Surprised Crawford About Madrimov?

Newly crowned WBA and interim WBO light middleweight champion (up to 69.9 kg) Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) commented on his victory over Israil Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs).

– You have moved up in weight many times. How would you compare moving to light middleweight with previous attempts when you moved to light welterweight and welterweight?

– I feel great. It wasn’t different from welterweight, honestly. Israil was just a strong opponent, and we knew that going into the ring.

– Does Madrimov have a stronger punch than Spence?

– I don’t know, they each have their moments. Both are very strong, but Madrimov was indeed powerful.

– How unusual were Madrimov's constant feints?

– Nothing special. It was his patience. He just patiently waited, kept feinting until he got closer. He was very patient in the ring, didn’t rush, didn’t throw those wild punches we usually saw in his previous fights. He was very disciplined.

– Did your right hand bother you?

– No, it didn’t bother me. He landed it a few times when trying to steal the round, but I was just trying to counter him. He had a good plan with a lot of feints, and I was just trying to dictate my boxing. I made mistakes many times. He just waited for me, moved a lot, but also tried to counter me while I tried to counter him. It was a mix of counters.

– Did you see anything new in Madrimov?

– No, I wouldn’t say so. My jab was breaking him down throughout the fight. He landed a few convincing right hands for the judges or fans, but it wasn’t something I hadn’t seen before.

– Did anything surprise you about Madrimov?

– No, we knew he moved well. We knew he had good head movement, strength, and toughness. But if anything surprised me, it was his patience. He was really patient in the ring.

– Were you surprised that he has only 10 fights? How does he compare with other top opponents you’ve faced?

– I wouldn’t say I was surprised by his 10 fights because he has over 300 amateur fights. He knows how to fight, move in the ring, and use his opponent’s mistakes. He’s been in the game for a long time.

Having just 10 fights doesn’t mean anything. Look at Lomachenko and other fighters getting title shots with 15, 2 fights, and so on. They’re on a fast track due to their amateur experience.

– What do you think about Eddie Hearn’s reaction to the judges' scorecards? Did you hear him as you left the ring? He tried to make it look like a robbery.

– You have to understand, it’s his fighter. He’ll say anything to stir things up. He knows his guy lost. His team knows it, and so does he.

– It was an incredible event. You really enjoyed the atmosphere, with a wide smile on your face. It was an amazing event for the media and fans. How did it make you feel?

– I felt great. Seeing all the stars, all the people who came to support Terence Crawford and Madrimov. There were many talented fighters on the undercard, but overall, they came to see Terence Crawford. People filled the arena as Terence Crawford prepared to enter the fight.

On the night of August 4, in Los Angeles, USA, Terence Crawford defeated Israil Madrimov by unanimous decision.