Terence Crawford added another world title to his collection, winning the WBA super-welterweight belt in his debut at the weight. The decorated champion beat Israil Madrimov over 12 rounds, cementing his place at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings.
Crawford's victory marked the end of his 11-fight stoppage streak. The judges scored it 116-112, 116-112, and 118-110 in favor of 'Bud', who now holds world titles in four weight classes.
After the fight, Madrimov praised Crawford's skills and power. At the post-fight press conference, he said:
"There's no doubt on his power, there's no doubt on his skills. I knew that and that's why this fight was so close."
However, Madrimov later changed his tune when speaking to Mill City Boxing. He downplayed Crawford's power, stating:
"It's regular power because he's a [smaller] weight going up. It's normal, you know, his punch."
Madrimov's comments fuel the debate about Crawford's ability to compete with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, who fights two divisions above Crawford's current weight. Canelo, who's never been dropped in 66 fights, says Crawford is too small to compete with him.
Crawford remains confident that his skills will be enough to make history against Canelo. The Mexican star says he'll take the fight for the right price but is currently talking to other potential opponents.
The question remains: Will Crawford's power be enough if he moves up further in weight? Only time will tell if we'll see this dream match-up come to fruition.
