Terence Crawford is gearing up for the toughest fight of his career as he steps up two divisions to face Canelo Alvarez this September.
Terence Crawford looks to cement himself as the undisputed pound-for-pound king with a win over the face of boxing, Canelo Alvarez, later this year.
The Omaha fighter is currently 41-0, but has never faced anyone close to the size of Canelo throughout his career.
Crawford has only fought above the welterweight division once, when he challenged Israil Madrimov for his super-welterweight title and became a four-division champion.
Israil Madrimov may help former rival Terence Crawford prepare for the biggest fight of his career
Crawford’s last fight was the closest of his career to date, as he was just one round away on two judges’ scorecards from ending the fight with a draw against Madrimov, who was set to fight Serhii Bohachuk before withdrawing with illness.
Madrimov, now 10-2-1 after a loss to Vergil Ortiz Jr., is a formidable fighter, and was employed by Dmitry Bivol as one of his top sparring partners to assist him with his preparation for the Canelo fight, which he won by unanimous decision.
In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Madrimov was asked whether he would help Crawford, who KO’d Amir Khan, prepare for the Canelo fight or not, and despite their encounter in the ring, Madrimov said yes:
“You helped Dmitry prepare for Canelo, if Terence asked you to help him, would you?”
“Yes, because I need more practice for my next fight. If he’s calling, no problem.”
Israil Madrimov fought in a disastrous rematch years before the Terence Crawford fight
In 2021, three years before the Crawford fight, Madrimov faced 35-2-1 Michel Soro in a world title elimination bout.
Soro was a seasoned veteran and had lost only twice, once in a world title clash in 2012 and another time against Brian Castano, who drew with Jermell Charlo.
Madrimov secured the victory via ninth-round TKO, but, due to the close nature of the fight, the pair rematched in 2022 on the undercard of Derek Chisora vs Kubrat Pulev 2.
The fight ended in a draw for Madrimov after a disastrous cut opened on the head of Soro following a clash of heads.
This was the first fight of Madrimov’s career that didn’t end in a victory.