Terence Crawford, alongside Oleksandr Usyk, is definitely one of the two best fighters in the world.
The fact that he hasn’t been as active has made it harder to make him number one – and the recency of Usyk beating Tyson Fury makes it even harder. Even Crawford has spoken about the respect Usyk deserves.
Pound-for-pound lists are often built with the attitude of “What have you done for me lately?”. After Saturday, Crawford may well widely find himself back at number one, but until then the stronger argument is in favour of Usyk.
Israil Madrimov, the WBA junior-middleweight champion, is a tough enough opponent that that’s more than possible. Crawford is entering a fourth weight division; Madrimov, a former gymnast, is a very, very good athlete; he can fight out of both stances; he’s a good puncher; he’s made fast progress as a professional and has a wealth of amateur experience. Joel Diaz, his trainer, also recently told me that he lives like a Spartan warrior – not unlike Crawford.
In fact, in addition to their lifestyles, they also have in common the fact that they both stay in the gym, can switch stances, and are physically strong. All of which means Madrimov can pose a real threat to Crawford.
Even for the victory over Errol Spence that put him, for so long, at the top of pound-for-pound lists, Crawford was struggling to make 147lbs. Stood alongside Madrimov, he already looks like he belongs at 154lbs. Even when he does encounter a bigger opponent, his skills, speed and power mean that that additional seven pounds in weight won’t trouble him, because he has other ways to win.
The footage we’ve seen of him training – lifting weights; pushing sleds – show him doing the necessary training to gain functional tissue, which is partly why he’s moved up in weight as convincingly as anyone. He’s moved up from 135lbs, to 140lbs, to 147lbs, and then dominated each weight division more convincingly than the one before.
He showed himself to be at his peak when he so impressively beat Spence, so it’s a real shame it’s taken another year for us to see him fight. It’s a shame for him, and it’s also a shame for the sport, because in 2024 there’s a shortage of stars in boxing, and the more time there is between fights for fighters like Crawford, the more their marketability is hurt. The best fighters in the world are only fighting once a year, which makes it difficult to build a bigger fanbase – particularly when that fighter, like Crawford and unlike someone like Ryan Garcia, otherwise stays out of the limelight and stays in the gym.
Regardless of how much I and others may admire Madrimov, Crawford will need to be spectacular in victory to stand any chance of getting the attention he previously got, and deserved, for beating Spence. Spence was a really popular fighter who sold tickets and pay-per-views; he was the foil Crawford needed. Saturday’s fight is a good platform, but Madrimov lacks Spence’s crossover appeal.
Madrimov will be tough for Crawford in the opening rounds, and to the extent I expect Crawford to start cautiously – at a time when Madrimov will impress and surprise those watching. But I ultimately expect Crawford to start pulling away once he has figured Madrimov out and started timing him – similarly to when he fought Egidijus Kavaliauskas in 2019, before earning a late stoppage or a unanimous decision.
By the time they walk to the ring, Jared Anderson will have fought Martin Bakole in another really tough-looking fight. Bakole’s a very, very solid, natural heavyweight – a good puncher, and proven against strong opposition.
The only fight Anderson’s had against an opponent similarly dangerous to Bakole came against Charles Martin in 2023, but Bakole is at his peak, which makes him considerably tougher. Anderson deserves a lot of credit for that win over Martin, but also Bakole’s fresher, and hungrier, and more physical.
Bakole’s also a riskier opponent because Martin had the profile of once being the IBF champion. Bakole isn’t well-known in the US, so the fact that he’s so big and durable, and a good finisher, means Anderson has little to gain and everything to lose. If Anderson wins, boxing’s hardcore following will come to recognise Anderson as the fighter so many of them had hoped, but Bakole’s profile means that only a highlight-reel knockout will enhance Anderson’s reputation among a wider demographic.
Anderson regardless has enough potential to step up, be tested, resist making some of the same mistakes he was making against Martin, and earn a decision.
Saturday’s promotion is taking place largely because of the influence of Turki Alalshikh of the General Entertainment Authority. It’s a great card, built on some very appealing fights. It’s a promotion that lacks classic crossover appeal, but the fights taking place are good enough to attract an increased audience – even if they’re unlikely to sell the number of tickets they hope.
What the GEA are attempting to achieve in the US mostly remains unclear, but we do know that they want to make a fight between Crawford and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, and if Crawford wins on Saturday – I make Alvarez the favourite against Edgar Berlanga in September – I expect that fight to happen next at 168lbs.
When it was first suggested it seemed unlikely, but it increasingly makes sense. Alvarez lacks an opponent for after Berlanga – David Benavidez and David Morrell have both moved to 175lbs.
What makes less sense to me is what Alalshikh said about the UFC event in Las Vegas they are sponsoring on the same night as Alvarez-Berlanga, on September 14. “We will eat him,” he said of Alvarez’s next fight. When he’s investing so much in boxing, and we’re being told he’s a big fan of the sport, that doesn’t make any sense at all.
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