Former WBC interim junior middleweight champion Brian Mendoza disagrees with the oddsmakers and fans who are writing off Israil Madrimov’s chances of success in defending his WBA junior middleweight belt against Terence Crawford on August 3rd at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Mendoza thinks it’s a mistake to assume that Crawford (40-0, 31 KKOs) will have an easy time against Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs). Moving up to 154 and fighting a big puncher like Madrimov could be a problem for Crawford. He’s not fought at this weight and is not accustomed to getting hit as hard as this guy throws.
The oddsmakers are likely still basing their predictions on what Crawford did in his last fight against Errol Spence Jr. a year ago and believe that he’ll do the same against Madrimov. Moreover, he doesn’t have Spence’s reputation and hasn’t achieved as much.
“I do think so, but Madrimov, I think they’re writing him off a little too much,” said Brian Mendoza to the Sean Zittel YouTube channel about the Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov fight on August 3rd. “The odds are crazy. I don’t think the odds should be that far out there.”
Why the Disparity in Perception?
It’s normal for fans and the media to count out different fighters they’ve not seen often. If Crawford hasn’t lost something from his game from his last fight a year ago, and if his power carries up to 154, he’s got a chance of winning. Madrimov’s fights haven’t been shown on network television in the U.S, so he’s an unknown for Americans.
“Madrimov is a very strong fighter. He’s coming for it. He’s going to come to defend his title. He already has his title. That’s something Crawford is really going to have to take from him,” said Mendoza.
A Difficult Puzzle for Crawford
The punching power, striking ability, youth, and quirky style that Madrimov possesses will be a puzzle that Crawford must overcome in this fight. If Crawford assumes he’s facing another Errol Spence, he could be in for a big shock on August 3rd.
“So, I do lean towards Crawford, but I don’t understand how people count out Madrimov to that extent because I think it’s going to be very difficult from the Spence fight,” said Mendoza.
People count out Madrimov because many have never seen him fight before, and he has not faced the same level of competition as Crawford. Fans are not familiar with him.
Also, they’ve witnessed Crawford fight many times in the past and watched how good he’s looked. However, Crawford hasn’t fought anybody as talented as Madrimov, and that could be a problem, given his age and 13 months of inactivity.
“It’s a habit that you created. So, even though you say, ‘I’m going to take it seriously. I’m not going to drop my hand.’ It’s a habit you created for years,” said Mendoza about Madrimov dropping his lead hand when fighting.
Madrimov’s habit of fighting with his lead hand down won’t be his biggest problem against Crawford. What could cause him more problems is Crawford’s mobility, jab, and precise punching.
He’s hard to hit when he’s moving, and it’s only when Crawford is stationary that he can be hit. What Crawford often does is tie up his opponents when they’re in punching distance, and then he wrestles them in the clinch. Unless a fighter knows how to deal with Crawford’s holding and wrestling, it’s going to be tough.
“Hopefully, those are things he’s [Madrimov] working on because he knows the caliber of fighter he’s in there right now, and he’s respecting it. So, I fully hope that he’s working on stuff like that because that’s something Crawford will take advantage of immediately,” said Mendoza.
Madrimov mostly fights with his lead hand down when he’s on the outside. He puts his hands up and uses angles to avoid shots when he gets within punching range. He has the Lomachenko foot movement, making it difficult for him to be hit.
