Commentator Max Kellerman put Terence Crawford on defense today when he mentioned the name of Israil Madrimov at his press conference for his fight against Canelo Alvarez in New York.
Kellerman challenges Crawford’s Canelo move out
Kellerman asked Crawford (41-0, 31 Kos) why he skipped the 160 pound division to go straight to 168 for the Canelo battle after the difficult time he had in his debut on 154 against Madrimov last August.
Crawford made a face with the mention of the tough fight he had with former WBA 154-pound champion Madrimov, and the. The reality is that he was probably beaten, but saved by the three judges, who gave him a victory through the scores 115-113, 116-112 and 115-113.
The performance by Crawford showed that he was not elite on 154, and that he would probably lose a re -broadcast with Madrimov. He would also have serious problems with many of the other fighters at 154, such as Vergil Ortiz, Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev, to name just a few.
After the attempt by Crawford, it is not surprising that he skipped the 160-pound division and went directly to 168 for the Canelo battle. If he had moved to the middleweight, he would have to fight the number 1 in the section, Janibek Alimkhanuly. He would not do well against him. Janibek is on a level other than Madrimov in terms of power and would be a nightmare for a small, older fighter like Crawford.
Skip middleweight: Why Crawford?
Max Kellerman: “Why do you jump up and skip a section? You just got into the middleweight in the junior middleweight. You got your best struggle in your career at the junior middleweight by Madrimov. Who gave you a harder battle than Madrimov? Stop it. Who? Someone gave you a harder battle than Madrimov? ‘
Terence Crawford: “Listen, if you think it was a difficult struggle, woo.”
Kellerman: “Well, you beat the hell out of most guys you fought. He gave you a good fight. Now, you skip middleweight with no rehydration clause, nothing like it to move on to fight a man who has dominated the weight class for a decade. Why do it like that? ‘
Crawford: “Why not?”
We know why Crawford skipped the middleweight and went directly to Canelo. The money. He is likely to lose a knockout to January, and the payday would be nowhere near the $ 50 million he gets to fight Canelo.
Last updated on 06/22/2025
