Terence Crawford says he is not interested in becoming the undisputed champion at 154 after his fight against superstar Canelo Alvarez on September 13. However, this is not a shock, as Crawford hit his ceiling with his fight against former WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov, last summer on August 3.
The fight showed that Crawford could not fight better than that, and he would probably lose against other fighters in the 154-pound division. With minor adjustments in his game, Madrimov would have his number in a rematch. It would be a sad way for Terence to go and lose repeatedly to the predators in the division. They would feed on Him.
The 154 minefield
Former World Champion Crawford (41-0, 31 CO’s) of four divisions feels that he would not receive credit for beating the current champions Bakhram muratazaliev (IBF) and Sebastian Fundora (WBC and WBO) because they were either not known or beaten by fans.
Crawford would become an undisputed champion of three divisions by defeating the two remaining champions at 154. Still, it would be difficult for a slight 38-year-old to perform the task, especially if he sticks to his one-time schedule.
This would mean that Crawford is against the powerful Puncher Murtazaliev and the 6’5 ″ Fundora at 39 or 40 years old. No matter how well Crawford once was; Trying the younger, longer, stronger and more active fighters at that age would not be good for the Nebraska native. Crawford knows what he is facing.
So he says he won’t even try to be an undisputed champion. His chances of success are slim, and it would be a cruel way for Crawford to suffer his first career defeat by Murtazaliev, who is deadly with any hand, is knocked out. It can be a complete mismatch.
If Crawford focuses on legacy and money when he returns to 154, a fight against Vergil Ortiz Jr. And Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is the way to go. Both would still be dangerous to Crawford because of his age. If he chooses to take a one-year discharge to the Canelo battle, he would fight one of them at 39. It is not good if it is Vergil jr.
The rate, high production and heavy artillery Vergil jr. Should fall on Crawford, it would be almost impossible for him to take long without crumbling or being forced to flee. He was happy with the standings for the Israel Madrimov fight, but Crawford will not continue to make decisions in fighting that he is being eliminated.
Madrimov’s lesson
As ‘Small ggg’ madrimov Was more popular, he would have won that fight because he landed the more cruel, cleaner shots on Crawford. Just think about what Vergil Ortiz Jr. would do to him. That would be Madrimov 2.0.
“I felt stronger than him. I felt like I hit harder than he was beating. I felt that I had hurt him many times in battle, ”Terence Crawford said Cigar talk About his fight against Israel Madrimov last year on August 3.
Crawford sounds fooled here. Israil ‘Little GGG’ Madrimov was the bigger puncher, and he made it look easy with the way he hit Crawford’s head with hard shots all night.
Madrimov landed the cleaner, harder shots and clearly earned the victory, but the judges gave him the B-side treatment. Crawford’s face beat more at the end. There were no cases that Madrimov was injured in battle. I just wonder if age Crawford is starting to catch up, causing him problems with his memory. He might think of another struggle.
“I felt he was preparing, he was ready, and he fought a good fight. He was uncomfortable; He was patient. He was determined. He holds on to his game plan, and he did what he had to do to get it to the last clock, ”says Crawford, creating a narrative that Madrimov had to survive against him, screaming ego-protective.
No undisputed run
‘Not at all, because I look at the landscape of the 154-pound section. There are many large fighters, but there is not much definition of fights in 154. There are not many legacy fights at 154, ”said Crawford, making it clear that he has no interest in becoming undisputed at 154.
“When I look at the landscape in 154. Bakhram. People are going to say, “Who is Bakhram?” He knocked out Tim Tszyu, who already had a loss.
“Fundora has already been knocked out. During my career, people took credit away from me to try to reduce my achievements, ”says Crawford.
Last updated on 02/18/2025
