It’s a bittersweet moment for Terence Crawford! The Ring Magazine pound-for-pound champion won the fight and the WBA belt on super welterweight, but failed to showcase his elite status. The relatively unknown Israil Madrimov, on the other hand, shocked the world with his boxing prowess, leaving many to take a sigh of relief after the fight tipped in Crawford’s favor. 

As the opening bell rang at the BMO Stadium, the fight was off to a slow start as Crawford and Madrimov sized each other up. In the fourth round, Crawford managed to launch an offensive, but a slip that landed Crawford on his back in the fifth gave Madrimov the confidence to take the lead. While Crawford managed to make a major comeback in the championship rounds, the fight wrapped up to be his biggest challenge yet. So, the former undisputed champion seems to have agreed to a rematch with the much deserving Uzbek boxer! 

A warm embrace and a promise of return

Earlier today on social media, a couple of videos surfaced of Crawford and Madrimov in Los Angeles, interacting and taking pictures with their beloved fans while surrounded by a slew of reporters aiming their cameras at the duo. Having fulfilled their fans’ desire for some snaps, the duo shook hands and embraced as Crawford whispered something in Madrimov’s ear. 

It wasn’t supposed to be a secret, Crawford, happy yet unsatisfied with his performance last weekend, said, “We will do it again”. Madrimov was all smiles to begin with, but Crawford’s rematch offer definitely widened his grin. Interestingly, Crawford’s original mission was to beat Madrimov and continue his path to a Canelo Alvarez fight. 

His Excellency Turki Alalshikh even announced during the event that he will approach ‘Cinnamon’ with an offer. However, this fight has become a hurdle for the Omaha, Nebraska native. While details about when this rematch may happen are currently unavailable, Crawford might want to clear things up before chasing Canelo. However the question now is, can he beat Canelo, considering his performance against Madrimov? 

Eddie Hearn warns Terence Crawford about fighting at 168 pounds

Eddie Hearn had quite the outburst after the decision was announced in Crawford’s favor last night. He entered the ring and even gave the judges a piece of his mind on how the fight ended with a unanimous decision despite Madrimov pushing Crawford to his absolute limits. Regardless, when a reporter probed him about his thoughts on Canelo vs. Crawford, he didn’t hold back. 

“He can’t fight at 168. Listen, the trouble he had against Madrimov wasn’t necessarily because of the size. It was a little bit because of that, but it was also because of the movement… He can’t fight at 168, Canelo would mow through him. He should try and fight the big names at 154”, Hearn told Seconds Out after the fight.

Like Canelo Alvarez needs to face David Benavidez at some point, now Terence Crawford needs to beat Israil Madrimov to prove once and for all, his win wasn’t luck. Do you agree? Or do you think he should be gunning for Canelo in any case?