Written by: Sean Crose
There are those who feel that perhaps Terence Crawford is not the best boxer in the world today. And while that may (“might” be the operative word here) not be true there is no doubt that the Nebraskan is one of his best generations. His popularity with Errol Spence last year was the stuff legends are made of. Crawford-Spence was considered a run-in fight. Almost no one expected Crawford to deliver a one-sided nine-round knockout. Yet that is what the stellar welterweight delivered.
Crawford hasn't fought since his stunning win over Spence. He will return to the ring this Saturday night, but for the first time in the junior middleweight division. Crawford's opponent this weekend in Los Angles is undefeated Israel Madrimov, who holds the WBA title in the division (if you're as good as Crawford, you can jump into title contention if you change divisions and no one will complain). The interim WBO junior middleweight belt will also be at stake. Although Crawford will be the prohibitive favorite, it should be noted that Madrimov silenced Magomed Kurbanov in his last fight.
Although Crawford-Madrimov will be a pay-per-view event, Saturday's fight is not seen as Crawford's main event. Indeed, there is talk of the champion known as “Bud” who ends up facing his boxing partner, Canelo Alvarez. Still, Crawford hasn't fought in a year. Moreover, at the age of 36, the man is not young. Still, when someone is as talented as Crawford it's hard to see him losing to anyone less than a top-level fighter (like Canelo and Jaron “Boots” Ennis). Crawford is such a patient, hard-hitting, accurate and defensive fighter that it's hard to remember any opponent who has really challenged him for any length of time.
In fact, Crawford will never need to fight again. He's a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame after retirement and his win over Spence showed he can impress in a legitimate fight. There's still plenty of money to be made, no doubt, and plenty of glory to be had as long as he doesn't start to slip. No fighter stays forever, though, so it's only a matter of time before Crawford decides to call it a career. Enjoy him while you can. A fighter of Crawford's caliber doesn't come along very often.
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