Israil Madrimov has now completed twelve rounds with Terence Crawford and twelve with Vergil Ortiz Jr, having his moments but coming up short in both contests.
The tricky Uzbek fighter gave Crawford a shot at his WBA Super-Welterweight World title in the American’s first fight in the division. Madrimov made things awkward and didn’t allow Crawford to get into too much of a rythym, but would ultimately register his first pro loss by unanimous decision.
Fast forward six months and the 30-year-old stepped through the ropes with Vergil Ortiz Jr in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, looking to bounce back. Knockout artist Ortiz came came forward while Madrimov was content on being elusive on the outside.
Ortiz found more success as the fight went on until Madrimov upped his output to close out the final rounds. It was another unanimous decision loss for ‘The Dream.’
Speaking to Seconds Out post-fight, Madrimov was asked who wins a Crawford vs Ortiz bout and backed ‘Bud.’
“You know, Crawford is top, top. He has power, IQ and speed. All [attributes] are good.”
Though the super-welterweight match-up is undeniably intriguing, Crawford has other plans. He will sit out until September when he has his shot at Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez two divisions up at super-middleweight. Though he still holds the WBA belt at 154 pounds, it is unlikely he ever defends it again.
As for Ortiz, he will stick around and look to win his first world title at the weight. With the Madrimov win, he retained his WBC Interim belt and so is first in line for champion Sebastian Fundora – also boasting the WBO belt – who fights on March 22 against Chordale Booker.
