Here’s Why Canelo vs. Crawford Was A Massive Hit

LOS ANGELES — The secret to solving Terence Crawford’s problems is his body, says Joel Diaz, who trains former WBA junior middleweight champion Ismail Madrimov.

“Nobody’s ever tested him to the body,” Diaz told ESPN recently. “But we go there every chance we get. Crawford’s throwing a southpaw jab, we’re throwing a right hand to the body. He’s throwing straight, and Israel goes down there with a straight right hand.”

And to start, Madrimov, a native of Uzbekistan and native of Indio, Calif., was faithful to his trainer’s advice. But fighters as accomplished as Madrimov and Crawford were still among the best in the world on the most difficult and thrilling night of their undefeated careers, discerning different openings as the fight evolved. So after poking Crawford’s body, Madrimov began throwing straight right hands, which, unlike Crawford’s previous 40 opponents, landed regularly. Then Madrimov found a home for a long left hook that circled Crawford’s guard. By the seventh round, you could see the swelling around Crawford’s right eye.

None of this would be remarkable if it weren’t for Crawford. Crawford is a four-division champion, undefeated at 140 and 147 pounds. Crawford’s last fight ended the notion of Errol Spence Jr. as we know him. Since 2016, Crawford has knocked out everyone he’s faced. You’ve seen Crawford’s bad behavior. You’ve seen his aptitude. He was considered the highest IQ in the game, of course. But you’ve never seen him actually vulnerable. But what’s even more remarkable is that he started out as a rookie in Omaha, Nebraska, then considered the North Pole of boxing, with no “A-side” reputation or the blessing of a big promoter. Before the fight, I asked Crawford who the best fighter in the post-Floyd Mayweather era was.

“Me,” he said. “And I’ve shown that for years. We’ve always had the motto, ‘Keep winning and everything else will fall into place.'”

That’s right. No one has done Crawford any favors — until tonight, perhaps.

“I believe I did enough,” Madrimov said shortly after the judges unanimously ruled against him.

Of course, he wasn’t alone. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, claimed that referee Fernando Villarreal’s 116-112 score in Crawford’s favor “looked like it was written before the fight even started.” In fact, it wasn’t a robbery. I went six rounds, but in a fight like this, there are always two guys who can go either way. Plus, in his debut at 154 pounds, Crawford won the last two rounds on all three judges’ scores, mostly by hitting Madrimov to the body. If he was the smaller guy, he was also the stronger guy.

“I’m not gonna lie,” Crawford said. “He’s tough… He took me 12 rounds. … This guy’s big.”

Not quite as big as Crawford’s supposed next opponent — or maybe just the expected one — is undefeated super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. While both Crawford and Canelo are at the end of illustrious careers and speak fondly of their legacies, Crawford took a real risk Saturday by moving up in weight and fighting a high-stakes opponent who was certainly not a household name. Yes, his decision was aided by the generous support of boxing’s would-be savior, Turki Al-Alsik, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority. Still, whatever your scorecard, it was the kind of fight often talked about but rarely seen: the best fighting the best.

Canelo, on the other hand, is scheduled to fight Edgar Berlanga next month, who has yet to win a fight that deserves Canelo or a comparable payday. I like Edgar, but the main talent he has to get the date isn’t David Benavidez, who Canelo has been avoiding for years.

Perhaps the real loss here is this. Turki Alalshikh — referred to as “His Excellency” — wanted Canelo-Crawford. It seemed like an inspired idea — until last night. A dubious win over Madrimov takes the steam out of Canelo-Crawford’s potential.

Instead, what remains seems to be a fight for boxing supremacy between Canelo and Alalcik, who is promoting UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, the same night Canelo-Berlanga is scheduled to fight at T-Mobile Arena.

“We’re going to eat him,” Al-Al-Cic told ESPN’s Mike Coppinger last month.

But last night, Al-Al-Cic had a different take. “I’m making him an offer,” he said of Canelo. “If he’s smart, he’ll take it.”

If not, expect a Crawford vs. Virgil Ortiz Jr. showdown.

Either way, Canelo-Crawford took a huge hit.