Israil Madrimov is convinced that he should have been declared the winner of the recent match against the renowned pound-for-pound boxer at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. Despite surrendering his WBA junior middleweight title to Crawford, Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) believed he had secured victory by a margin of 2 to 3 rounds. He was not content with the judges’ ruling in favor of Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) by unanimous decision after twelve rounds with scores of 116-112, 115-113, and 115-113.
Madrimov has expressed his eagerness for a rematch with Crawford, though the likelihood of this happening appears low as Crawford is aiming for a title bout against Canelo Alvarez in 2025. Despite the controversial outcome, Crawford is resolute in pursuing a match with Canelo. Madrimov, looking back on his performance, emphasized, “Before the fight, everyone doubted me, but I displayed my skills in the ring against the pound-for-pound king. I deserve to be there.”
There have been doubts cast on Crawford’s power and advancing age, suggesting a decline in his knockout prowess. Madrimov admitted to connecting with his right hand on Crawford frequently during the fight but fell short of convincing the judges. Despite the defeat, Madrimov and his promoter Eddie Hearn are firm in their belief that he did enough to claim victory.
In Crawford’s case, there are speculations that his career may be reaching its twilight, with his power diminishing as he moves up in weight classes. Crawford might encounter difficulties in maintaining his undefeated status at 154 pounds without substantial knockout power.
