Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford 40-0 (31) has revealed his first choice opponent at 154-pounds was WBC and WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian ‘The Towering Inferno’ Fundora 21-1-1 (13).
Instead, the 36-year-old southpaw from Omaha, Nebraska will look to add world title in a fourth weight class to his trophy cabinet when he challenges WBA champion Israil Madrimov 10-0-1 (7) of Uzbekistan at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California on Saturday night.
“We wanted to go straight into a champion, being that we wanted to go into Fundora,” Crawford said to the All The Smoke YouTube channel.
“That’s who initially we were going to try and fight, but he said he wasn’t going to be able to fight this year and we wanted the fight this year. So we had to go to the next best option and that’s Israil.”
Fundora is now expected to defend his belts against former Crawford victim Errol Spence Jr 28-1 (22) next.
“Fundora can’t say I’m who he wanted to fight when he chose Spence and relinquished his WBO title,” said Crawford. “If you want to fight the best, then you’re going to fight Terence Crawford because Terence Crawford beat the guy that you saying you want to beat.
“You can say that financial-wise, Errol Spence may bring in more money. He doesn’t even know that for a fact. He didn’t have a meeting with us and say, ‘this is what I want’.
“It was his managers. I don’t know if it was his father. They was just like, ‘Nah, we ain’t worried about Terence. We ain’t fighting Terence.’ I just think it’s politics.
“Politics play a big factor in boxing, and I think whoever is handling [Fundora’s] career, we know it’s business.
“[But] I’m not mad at him and I’m not mad at Spence. I wish Spence much success in that fight. It’s going to be a tough fight and I hope he comes out on top.”
Crawford’s trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre believes his boxer is only improving with age.
“At 36 going into 37, his IQ is going to take him further because he’s in shape like he was 22,” McIntyre said to FightHype.
“It’s his IQ that I’m looking at. He’s boxing smarter; he’s taking smart chances. We’re fighting a younger guy. Madrimov is 29. He’s coming. He’s got good footwork, good speed and got good power. You put it in the box, check it off, and do what you got to do to get the win.
As for the ambitious plan for Crawford to move up a further two weight classes to challenge super middleweight king Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez 61-2-2 (39), McIntyre is all for it.
“Canelo has been in the game long enough to know what he’s doing,” McIntyre said. “If he [Crawford] do get the Canelo fight right after the Madrimov fight, he might just be in a bit of trouble because he [Crawford] has got into that rhythm and he’s into his groove, it’s a good thing for Terence.
“If he smells blood, I’m sure he’s going to go for it. Whoever Terence fights, it’s always his toughest fight and then he goes and knocks them off with ease.”