Retired former light heavyweight champion of the world Antonio Tarver says Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford has chosen a tough fight for his junior middleweight debut.
Former undisputed junior welterweight and welterweight champion Crawford 40-0 (31) will take on WBA 154-pound champion Israil Madrimov 10-0-1 (7) at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California on August 3.
The 36-year-old southpaw from Omaha, Nebraska has been linked with a fight against undisputed super middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez 61-2-2 (39), a bout that would require him to jump up a further two weight class.
So far, Mexican superstar Alvarez, 33, has been lukewarm on the idea.
Crawford’s backers say his boxing ability will overcome and natural size disadvantage. His critics say that moving up the weight that quickly is a recipe for disaster.
But before that can happen, he will need to defeat Madrimov and do it in impressive fashion.
That will be no easy task. The 29-year-old Uzbek has a physically aggressive style that has been likened Gennadiy Golovkin and while he has only had 11 pro bouts, he competed in over 300 amateur fights. The lone blemish on his ledger as a pro was a three-round technical draw against Michel Soro two years ago after the fight was prematurely after Soro was cut above the left eye by an unintentional clash of heads.
Tampa, Florida’s Tarver, who retired in 2015 with a record of 31-6-1 (22) after competing from light heavyweight to heavyweight, likes the fight for Crawford.
“You got to take your hat off for Crawford for choosing one of the toughest guys in the division. I think Crawford wants to make a statement,” said Tarver to Fight Hub TV.
“When you look at this guy, he looks like he’s just a few pounds away from a Canelo build. He’s going to be a strong guy. His arms are long. The way he fights. There’s no real rhythm there, but he just goes left-handed and right-handed, and he’s got power in both hands.
“One thing he has is power, but I believe Terence has so many things in his bag. I think he’s going to fight off his talent. Don’t go in there and bang with a banger. As long as he can deploy a good defensive strategy and make sure he doesn’t take no necessary shots, I think he can control him.”
Tarver added: “He’s not that fast. He’s not that quick. He’s a little plodding almost, so Crawford should have the speed on him and I think once he finds his rhythm and his timing, I think Crawford will be able to do what he wants to do.”
If Crawford does get the win, expect the drums to start banging for a fight against Alvarez, who has boxed just once this year when he outpointed Jaime Munguia 43-1 (34) in May.
