Israil Madrimov Pinpoints Crucial Mistake Terence Crawford Must Avoid Against Canelo Alvarez

The biggest boxing fight on the 2025 calendar is now less than a month away, as Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford are set to square off on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.

There are a lot of questions heading into this fight. Perhaps the biggest is how Crawford will fare, given that he's moving up three full weight classes to face off against Canelo. Adding on that much weight typically doesn't bode well for fighters, and given that so much of Crawford's game is about speed and precision, some are worried that his decision to bulk up for this fight could lead to his downfall.

Nobody has a better idea of Crawford's current form than Israil Madrimov, given that he was Crawford's most recent opponent. These two fought on August 3, 2024, in Los Angeles, and Crawford secured a unanimous decision victory in what was his first fight in the super welterweight division.

Israil Madrimov Talks Canelo vs Crawford Fight

Madrimov spoke with Fight Hub TV for an interview that was released on August 15. And at one point in the discussion, Madrimov delivered his verdict on how this Canelo vs Crawford fight will play out.

"Hard pick. In my opinion, if Terence is Terence, if he's not gonna gain weight, if he's just gonna be himself weighing in under the 168 limit and just being himself, I see it as a 50/50 fight," Madrimov said through an interpreter. "I believe that Terence can win on points, can do great.

"But if he's gonna gain weight and if he's gonna try to compete with Canelo where Canelo is good at and strong, then I see Canelo as a favorite. And I see Canelo maybe being able to catch and hurt Terence, if he tried to work in his field, where Canelo is good."

At another point, Madrimov added, "I believe [Crawford] can do whatever, and I believe he can adjust to whatever. The question is how the physicality is going to be, how [Crawford] is going to react, and in my opinion, the only thing Terence should avoid is gaining weight. That's what I wouldn't do. I wouldn't try to compete with Canelo in that department, just being bigger, bulkier, stronger. I don't think that that's a good idea."

Madrimov will just be like the rest of the boxing world in watching this iconic fight take place next month.

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