Tim Bradley says he still believes Terence Crawford can beat Canelo Alvarez at 168, even after a fight with WBA junior middleweight champion Israel Madrimov.
Like Shawn Porter and other Crawford fans, Bradley was impressed with the way he fought Madrimov. He feels that he “dominated” Madrimov and “tamed” him. I didn't see it that way, and neither did many fans.
It looked like Crawford, 36, (41-0, 31 KOs) had lost a step from 13 months of not doing anything, and only throwing jabs.
Madrimov landed a solid jab throughout the 12 rounds, tagging Crawford repeatedly with sweat-inducing right hands. Fighting alone, I found Madrimov winning 10-2.
Canelo vs. Crawford Not Happening
The problem with Bradley's prediction is that there will be no fight between Canelo and Crawford because there is no money. Canelo has earned the right to ask for what he thinks the fights are worth, and he wants $150 million, which he deserves. However, the Honorable Turki Alalshikh has already been forced to fight the fight between Canelo and Crawford.
“I still think Crawford can do it. Of any other fighter in the game besides Bivol, I think Crawford is the only guy who can give Canelo problems. Still, even after seeing the Madrimov fight,” said Tim Bradley speaking to KO Artist Sports about his opinion that Terence Crawford could beat Canelo Alvarez.
Crawford's Fear of Power
Whatever chance Crawford might have had to win a Mayweather-style decision against Canelo, he was throwing it out the window by fighting nervously, circling the ring to avoid getting hit. If Crawford senses Canelo's power, he'll be riding his bike, bouncing around and making it boring like we saw with Madrimov.
But the weight worries me. Taking a punch from such a big player, especially Canelo, who will come, makes you regret it because you only need one. “However, someone as determined as Crawford, someone who is dedicated and has the skills and mind that he brings to the ring and toughness, I give him a good chance to upset the apple cart,” said Bradley.
Crawford was worried about Madrimov's strength last Saturday night, and you could tell he was scared. With Canelo hitting the same punches as Madrimov, Crawford wouldn't last long before being stopped. If he doesn't get hit, he'll be forced to run, and he won't be given a unanimous decision over Canelo like he was against Madrimov.
“He will not be the favorite in the war. Canelo will be. He's there,” Bradley said when told that Turki Alalshikh criticized Canelo for taking “easy fights.”
Crawford won't be the favorite unless Canelo looks poor against Edgar Berlanga on September 14. If Canelo struggles against Berlanga or loses, the oddsmakers can make Crawford the favorite. Canelo will have to look bad for the smokers to put Crawford as the favorite because he looks poor compared to Israel Madrimov.
“Jaron 'Boots' Ennis is a good fighter, but if Crawford fights him, I still think Crawford beats him. “I might even knock him out, but I still think Crawford has what it takes to win that fight,” said Bradley.
Crawford will probably never fight Boot Ennis, so it doesn't matter if he would or not. Given Crawford's performance against Madrimov, I'd pick Ennis by a knockout. When Crawford tries to fight the Boots, he is kicked out.
He will lose a decision if he runs, as he did in round 12 against Madrimov. Ennis is the better fighter right now, and a more skilled fighter than Crawford. I've watched all of Crawford's fights since he became champion, so that makes me the champion.
Crawford's Unentertaining Past
Crawford was never as happy during his career as Boot Ennis was, which is why it took him so long to become famous. He was boring to watch. Go back and look at Crawford's early fights with Ricky Burns, Ray Beltran, and Viktor Postol, and you'll see what I'm talking about. He had never been as entertaining as Ennis's battles.
“Yeah, it was a bit of a challenge, but for me, Crawford dominated because he did what he had to do,” Bradley said of Crawford's victory over WBA junior middleweight champion Israel Madrimov. “I expected Madrimov to be aggressive. He was a big, strong guy. He was a bully, but he softened because of Crawford.”
Crawford didn't elaborate, but it's understandable why Bradley wouldn't say that. He has been carrying Crawford's water for many years and was a big fan of his. You wouldn't expect him to change his support in his biggest fight.
Crawford ate right hands from Madrimov throughout the fight, making it difficult to give him more than two rounds. The 11th round was Crawford's best of the entire fight. Some fans felt he won the 12th, but after rewatching the fight, Crawford took several hard right hands from Madrimov to win.
Madrimov Got Better Guns
Crawford's punches in the 12th round were much weaker than Madrimov's. They looked like a 140-pounder hitting a middleweight. They had no effect on Madrimov, while the punches he threw clipped Crawford's head and left him sweating.
It didn't seem like Crawford softened Madrimov. He was jabbing hard and getting hit with hard right hands that sent his head back round after round. Throughout the round, Madrimov was firing hard, clean shots.
Crawford's punches were all jabs, making it difficult to get him many rounds unless you hit him with boxing's still-learning proportions. The pro game is obviously different.
“I thought he looked good. Those last two rounds are what he needed to do in the first place. Jump on him and throw those combos because dude [Madrimov] “He didn't have anything on him when he threw his combinations,” said Bradley.
On rewatching the fight, Crawford didn't count at all in the 11th round. It was all punches from Crawford. Bradley walks in memory, he may be black now, but Crawford didn't throw combinations at all in 11.
In round 12, Crawford landed some combinations, but paid the price by getting hit by Madrimov's big shots. The round was hard to score because even though Crawford landed a lot of punches, Madrimov's shots were the hardest blows.
There was no comparison. Where Crawford arguably let the round go was when he got on his bike with five seconds to go and ran away from Madrimov rather than stand and fight.
That was not a good look for Crawford to run like that. Bradley may have a good spin to explain why Crawford did that, but it didn't look good for him to do that in the final round after being beaten so many times by Madrimov.
If it was Canelo Crawford was fighting he would have lost in the 12th round because of that move.
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