Crawford-Madrimov Talks Begin; Charlo Looking To Disrupt Those Plans

Terence Crawford and Israil Madrimov could face each other in a WBA Junior Middleweight Title clash. 

According to reports, talks are underway for a bout on August 3 from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Bud’s last bout was a ninth-round stoppage over Errol Spence Jr. The victory made Bud the first Undisputed Welterweight Champion of the four-belt era. It also made Crawford a two-weight undisputed champion, making him the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Since then, Crawford has struggled to find an opponent. The Spence rematch never went ahead. There were also claims Crawford could box Canelo Alvarez at super middleweight for the chance to become a three-weight undisputed champion. That never went ahead, as the Mexican saw no benefit to fighting a 147 fighter.

Crawford vs Madrimov

The WBO also requested that Sebastian Fundora defend his WBC and WBO junior middleweight belts against Crawford. But before that can happen, Fundora will likely rematch Tim Tszyu first. Spence is also chasing the Fundora fight, leaving Crawford looking to Madrimov. 

Madrimov holds the WBA Junior Middleweight Title. He is coming off a fifth-round TKO over Magomed Kurbanov. The fight took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Turki Alalshikh, under the Saudis, is reportedly driving this fight, which would be the first involvement in boxing outside of the Kingdom. Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing was allegedly tasked with doing the promotional work. 

Despite this, reports indicate that Jermell Charlo could face Madrimov. Reports stress he has enacted his status as the WBA Junior Middleweight Champion in Recess. Charlo was stripped of his WBA belt, having failed to defend his Undisputed Junior Middleweight Belt since 2022, after which he was declared the champion in recess.

Charlo Responds

Charlo’s last bout was a one-sided unanimous decision loss against Canelo Alvarez. Charlo jumped up three weight classes to try and become undisputed. The American never looked like winning, leaving his future at 154 pounds uncertain. There were suggestions that Charlo should move up to 160 since moving back down to 154 pounds would be difficult. 

If Charlo does get the fight, it leaves Crawford looking elsewhere. Jaron Ennis has recently signed a multi-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing. The IBF Welterweight Champion has been chasing Bud for some time. Crawford was expected to defend his undisputed title at 147 against Ennis. However, the Spence rematch clause prevented that, making Boots the full champion after Bud was stripped. Now that Crawford could work closely with Matchroom/Saudi, fans could be Crawford vs. Ennis. 

“I’m excited for this partnership with Eddie Hearn, Matchroom and DAZN. I can’t wait to continue making my mark and becoming undisputed World champion. I’ve been out of the ring for a year, and I cannot wait to get back in and do what I do best; entertain the fans and put on clinics. There are blockbuster fights on the horizon for me, and I am ready to deliver them. He [Crawford] said a few times he’s not looking my way; I’m not a big enough name. But there’s nobody else left for him to fight. Either you fight me, or you fight nobody,” Ennis said