Terence Crawford, the consensus best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, defeated Israil Madrimov by unanimous decision on Saturday night to become a four-division champion.
Crawford won the WBA super welterweight title in his first fight at 154lbs, taking it 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 on the judges’ scorecards.
Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) 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.
Saturday’s victory could set up a fight between Crawford and Canelo Álvarez, the reigning 168lbs champion.
“You know what I say, if the money is right, we got to fight,” Crawford said immediately after the fight.
The mostly unknown Madrimov (10-1-1) acquitted himself well on the highest-profile 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. “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 and 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 MLS team LAFC, they responded with jeers and whistles.
Crawford turned on the pressure in the fourth round, just missing on a fierce right hand in the closing seconds.
“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 energized in the fifth round after Crawford slipped and ended up on his backside. Madrimov came in with a series of aggressive punches to put his American opponent on the defensive. The flurry sent Crawford back into a careful posture for most of the next two rounds before he landed 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 attempting to string together longer periods of control.
Crawford came on in the last 30 seconds of the 11th round. The flurry energized him and carried over to the final round as he pushed unsuccessfully for a 12th straight win by knockout. Both fighters missed on wild throws in the final minutes, but it was Crawford who emphatically raised both gloves in the air when the bout ended.
Jose Valenzuela (14-2) won the WBA super lightweight title by split decision over Isaac Cruz (26-3-1) in the co-main event. 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 afterwards, having seen Cruz live up to his “Pitbull” nickname to leave Valenzuela consistently backpedaling for most of the bout. But Valenzuela’s tactical counterpunching was enough to sway the opinions which mattered. Cruz said he would push for an immediate rematch.