Terence Crawford beats Israil Madrimov to become four-weight world champion

Terence Crawford became a four-weight world champion on Saturday after defeating WBA super-welterweight title holder Israil Madrimov by unanimous decision as Riyadh Season made its international boxing debut in Los Angeles.

Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) won the title in his first fight at 154 pounds, taking it 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 on the judges’ scorecards. The American had not fought since he stopped Errol Spence Jr in July 2023 to become the undisputed welterweight champion. He has also won titles at super lightweight and lightweight.

The victory could set up a fight between Crawford and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, the reigning 168-pound champion.

“You know what I say, if the money is right, we got to fight,” Crawford, 36, said immediately after the fight.

Madrimov (10-1-1), mostly unknown before signing on to fight pound-for-pound great Crawford, acquitted himself well on the biggest stage to date for the 29-year-old from Uzbekistan.

“I fought the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and I believe I did enough because I was the champion,” Madrimov said through a translator. “I was controlling the rhythm and felt very comfortable inside the ring. I believe that I did really well.”

It started out as a cautious affair, with both fighters trying to establish position while feel out the other through the first three rounds. That approach did not agree with the capacity crowd at BMO Stadium. Having dealt with blazing temperatures and sunshine for most of the long card at the outdoor home of Major League Soccer team LAFC, they responded with jeers and whistles.

“I didn’t want to rush in with anything because that’s how I got caught a couple times, rushing in, trying to eat too soon,” Crawford said. “But I did my thing.”

Madrimov was energised in the fifth round after Crawford slipped and ended up on the canvas, responding with a series of aggressive punches to put the American on the defensive.

That flurry sent Crawford back into a careful posture for most of the next two rounds before landing a rare effective combination to the body late in the seventh.

“He was waiting to counter me just like I was trying to counter him," Crawford said. "He was very disciplined, he wasn’t coming in throwing them wild shots like I intended him to, and it was a very good fight.”

Madrimov reestablished momentum with three straight rights to the face in the eighth round. Crawford landed a shot of his own, forcing Madrimov to clench and break momentum and allowing him to come back with a right hook.

“I made a couple mistakes, but I felt I did enough in each round,” Madrimov said. “I was holding myself back a lot too, so in the rematch I can make a lot more.”

The action picked up over the next two rounds, with both fighters seemingly trying to land power punches instead of trying to string together longer periods of control.

Crawford came on in the last 30 seconds of the 11th round. The flurry galvanised him and carried over to the 12th and final round as he pushed unsuccessfully for a 12th straight win by knockout. Both missed on wild throws in the final minutes, but it was Crawford who emphatically raised both gloves in the air when the bout concluded.

Undercard produces shock results

In the co-main event Jose Valenzuela (14-2-0) won the WBA super lightweight title by split decision over champion Isaac Cruz (26-3-1). Valenzuela got identical 116-112 scores from two judges, while Cruz received a 115-113 mark from the third.

The crowd booed the result and again when Valenzuela was interviewed after, having seen Cruz live up to his “Pitbull” nickname to leave Valenzuela consistently backpedalling for most of the bout. But Valenzuela’s tactical counterpunching was enough to sway the judges' opinions.

Cruz, speaking through a translator, said he would push for an immediate rematch.

On the undercard, Jarrell Miller (27-1-2) fought Andy Ruiz Jr (35-2-1) to a majority draw despite controlling the fight. One judge scored it 116-112 in Miller’s favour, while the other two each gave 114-114 tallies.

Ruiz, the former unified heavyweight world champion competing for the first time since September 2022, said in the post-fight interview that he broke his right hand.

Martin Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs) pummeled touted young American heavyweight Jared Anderson (17-1), dropping him in the first round before finishing him off in the fifth round for the technical knockout.

David Morrell Jr (11-0 9 KOs) claimed the WBA's 'regular' light-heavyweight world title with a comfortable points win over Radivoje Kalajdzic, while fellow Cuban Andy Cruz (4-0 2 KOs) dominated Antonio Moran on his way to a seventh-round knockout to retain his IBF international lightweight title.