Israil Madrimov has shared his thoughts on former rival Terence Crawford’s upcoming ‘super-fight’ with Canelo Alvarez.
The pound-for-pound greats are gearing up to do battle for the undisputed super-middleweight championship on Saturday September 13 at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
‘Bud’ Crawford is due to make his first appearance at 168lbs having spent almost the entirety of his career campaigning at welterweight, where he became the undisputed champion with a victory over Errol Spence Jr back in July 2023.
The 37-year-old from Omaha did make the jump up to super-welterweight last year however, dethroning Uzbek star Madrimov of his WBA world title at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles in August of 2024.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Madrimov believes the fight is 50/50 if Crawford doesn’t put on too much extra weight, however if he comes in heavy he’s predicting an early knockout for Canelo.
“If it goes twelve rounds like I’m saying, and if Crawford’s not overweight it’s 50/50.
If he gains more weight it’ll be tough. Canelo might even finish him early.”
Canelo has emerged as a dominant force at 168lbs since making the move up from middleweight back in 2018, defeating the likes of Jaime Munguia, Callum Smith and Gennady Golovkin along the way.
The 35-year-old from Guadalajara became the undisputed super-middleweight champion for the second time back in May when he defeated Cuba’s former IBF world champion William Scull at the ANB Arena in Riyadh.
