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Terence Crawford beats Israil Madrimov via unanimous decision to claim title in 4th division
Crawford picked up a fourth title in as many divisions on Saturday night with his win over Madrimov
Terence Crawford went the distance for the first time in nearly a decade, but he got it done on Saturday night.
Crawford beat WBA super welterweight champion Israil Madrimov via unanimous decision in an exciting 12-round battle at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday. That officially handed Crawford, who moved up to 154 pounds for the first time in his career, a fourth title in as many divisions.
“He had fast feet, he had good rhythm upstairs and he was strong,” Crawford said of Madrimov in the ring. “He was waiting to counter me just like I was waiting to counter him. … He fought a good fight.”
A Close Fight 😯
Bud Crawford wins by unanimous decision.#RiyadhSeasonCard | #CrawfordVsMadrimov
Live on https://t.co/FoiaUucI53 | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/7ee1O6JrJZ— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 4, 2024
Crawford, who started his professional career in 2009 at super lightweight, was a heavy favorite entering the bout on Saturday. There was an issue with his gloves earlier in the night, too, as one of them split at the seams. That came only after he initially objected to Madrimov’s Grant Gloves, though he later agreed to wear them. That delayed his warm-up slightly.
The first several rounds were slow, as both guys seemed to be feeling each other out — though Crawford appeared to hold a slight advantage early as Madrimov hung in there. He even landed a few big shots to his head in the third and sent Crawford down to the mat briefly late in the fifth round, though that was ruled a trip and Crawford seemed relatively unbothered.
Crawford responded with a combo of head shots in the sixth round to take a step ahead again at the midway point. While Madrimov seemed as if he was getting closer in the eighth and ninth rounds — he landed a massive blow to Crawford’s head in the ninth round, which was probably his best of the night — Crawford responded each time successfully. Crawford then came out hot in the final round, and while he couldn’t finish Madrimov, he pulled off the victory.
Bud BRINGING it in the final round 🔥@Sela | #CrawfordMadrimov | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/x7PBbt3ZMB
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) August 4, 2024
Crawford won the fight 115-113 on two scorecards and 116-112 on the third to claim the unanimous decision. That pushed him to 41-0, and officially handed Madrimov the first loss of his career.
“He only had 11 fights, but he was strong," Crawford said. "For us to come in and fight a guy of his caliber in my first fight [at 154 pounds] says a lot about my team.”
Here's how the entire pay-per-view main card unfolded:
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Crawford-Madrimov main card results, highlights
Super welterweight: Terence Crawford def. Israil Madrimov via unanimous decision (115-113, 115-113, 116-112)
Super lightweight: Jose Valenzuela def. Isaac Cruz by split decision (116-112, 113-115, 116-112)
Heavyweight: Jarrell Miller vs. Andy Ruiz ends in majority draw (112-116, 114-114, 114-114)
Heavyweight: Martin Bakole def. Jared Anderson by KO in R5:
Martin Bakole secures a round 5 KO victory! 🤯 #CrawfordMadrimov | #RiyadhSeasonCard
Order now on https://t.co/op5b8eSOjx pic.twitter.com/pXiJipOP64— PPV.COM (@ppv_com) August 4, 2024
Light heavyweight: David Morrell def. Radivoje Kalajdzic by unanimous decision (118-110, 118-110, 117-111)
Lightweight: Andy Cruz def. Antonio Moran by KO in R7:
A SENSATIONAL FINISH 🇨🇺
ANDY CRUZ STOPS ANTONIO MORAN IN R7. #CrawfordMadrimov | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/AzHWzvZZUi— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) August 3, 2024
