Eddie Hearn says he’s got a “bad feeling” for Terence Crawford when he takes on the undefeated WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov on August 3rd.
Matchroom promoter Hearn states that Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) has never been hit as hard as he will against the powerful Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) and he has his doubts about whether he’ll be able to hold up under that kind of firepower when they meet at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Crawford has faced only one big puncher in his career and that was Egidijus ‘Mean Machine’ Kavaliauskas, and he dropped him in the fifth round of that fight. That guy is nowhere near the puncher Madrimov is, and he doesn’t have his boxing skills either.
What Hearn Isn’t Talking About
What Hearn doesn’t mention is the inactivity, advanced age, and inexperience at 154 for Crawford. Instead of getting some fights under his belt before challenging for a world title at junior middleweight, Crawford is going straight to the top, fighting the best and the hardest puncher in the division.
He’s jumping in headfirst against the champion Madrimov, and just and just begging for trouble. Crawford has been only fighting once a year since 2020, and he ain’t young at 36. He’s not a spring chicken anymore, and he’s become a part-time fighter.
Some believe Crawford is drunk on his success from his past wins against lesser fighters. He now thinks he can walk on water.
“I got bad, bad feelings for Terence Crawford against Israil Madrimov. Whenever you’re talking all I hear is Crawford-Canelo, Crawford-Boots. He’s fighting the biggest puncher he ever faced on August 3rd,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Fight Hub TV about Terence Crawford challenging WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles on August 3rd.
“People are sending me stuff about where he got buzzed by ‘Mean Machine’ [Egidijus Kavaliauskas] and all this kind of stuff. I’m telling you know if Crawford gets hit on the chin by Israil Madrimov, he’s going to really know about it.
“We’ll see what happens, but I got a really sneaky feeling for my guy on August 3rd. I think it’s a really tough fight. So, I think any plans Terence Crawford has, he should just put on ice until August 4tth.
“He said to Jaron in New York, I would like to make that fight. I’m sure he’d also like to make Crawford against Canelo,” said Hearn about His Excellency Turki Alalshikh wanting to make a fight between Crawford and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.