Terence Crawford is ready to serve a reminder as to why he tops pound-for-pound lists when he moves up to challenge WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov on Saturday.
They meet at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on August 3 and Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is gunning to become a four-weight world in his first fight since unifying the welterweight title in spectacular fashion against Errol Spence last July.
Headlining the first Riyadh Season card on U.S. soil this weekend, Crawford thought the Spence rematch was going to take place but subsequently decided to go in another direction.
“For whatever reason it didn’t happen, so I had to move on with my career,” Crawford told Matchroom. “The ultimate goal was to try to get the Canelo fight. That didn’t happen, so we went to the next best thing.
"154 was wide open. I was looking to fight Charlo, he left, so I‘ve got a fight with whoever I could get for a world title. Israil Madrimov is a tremendous fighter. He’s 10-0, already a world champion. He’s a tough dangerous fighter. I think it’s going to be an exciting fight.
“I think he’s very strong. I think he’s ‘herky-jerky’. I think he’s elusive, he can box, he can brawl, he can move, he can take a punch and that make for a great fight. I know he’s going to train hard. I know his coaches will train him to be the best that he can be and come fight night he’s going to try to do any and everything to dethrone me from my top spot, even though he’s the champion.
“He wants what I’ve got and that’s the recognition, the accolades, the pound-for-pound spot. He wants to be on top of the world like myself. He's going to be filled with so much energy to prove to the world that he belongs in the ring with the top fighters. I consider Israil the best 154lbs fighter in the division right now. So why not go for the top guy in the division, right off the bat?
“As for myself, I’ve been here before. This is nothing new. I know how to handle things like this. I know how to go about fighting these type of guys that have a lot to prove. Come fight night, I will show the world once and for all, once again, why I’m the best fighter on the planet.”
Crawford says he has been hugely impressed by Turki Alalshikh's vision for boxing and the switch-hitting Omaha star has partnered with Riyadh Season for their debut U.S. venture.
“I’m very excited to be headlining His Excellency Turki Alalshikh's first card in the USA," said Crawford. "I’m very excited for the first big event coming to America. Being the headliner of the event is a big honour. It’s going to be a tremendous event. There’s a stacked undercard and I’m just happy to be a part of it. “In today’s age, it’s one of the best undercards that has been put together since back in the day. Pretty much six fights on the undercard could be main events. With that being said, all of them put on one card is a blessing. I’ve been talking to His Excellency for years now. This is the right time for us to partner up and do a big event. I’m quite positive that this is going to be a huge event."
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