Terence Crawford “can’t fight” Canelo Alvarez at 168 pounds after narrow Israil Madrimov win, says Eddie Hearn
Terence Crawford remains open to a potential megafight with fellow boxing star Canelo Alvarez, following his recent win over Israil Madrimov. Crawford made his 154-pound debut against the division's WBA champion, with the pair going toe-to-toe for all 12 rounds.
'Bud' became a four-division world champion after securing a unanimous decision victory, with Madrimov giving the Nebraska native his toughest fight in years.
While the new WBA super welterweight champion may be eager to schedule a clash with Alvarez, Eddie Hearn has dismissed the fight as anything meaningful.
Hearn instead believes that Crawford should focus on fighting at his newfound home, 154 pounds. The Matchroom Boxing chairman was interviewed by The Stomping Ground after his client, Madrimov, suffered the first loss of his career.
He said:
"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."
Watch Eddie Hearn discuss Terence Crawford below (2:38):
Terence Crawford reflects on beating Israil Madrimov, shares thoughts on Canelo Alvarez fight
Terence Crawford extended his undefeated professional record to 41-0 with his WBA super welterweight title win over Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3, handing the Uzbekistani fighter his first professional defeat.
Before the bout, the man behind the Madrimov-Crawford card, Turki Alalshikh, had expressed his desire to schedule a clash between Canelo Alvarez and 'Bud' for late-2024 or early-2025.
The four-division world champion was joined by Matchroom Boxing in the ring following his decision victory over Madrimov, where he reflected on his opponent's performance, saying:
"He had fast feet, good rhythm upstairs and he was strong... He was very disciplined, he wasn't coming in throwing wild shots like I [expected] him to do. He fought a good fight."
When asked about a potential clash with Alvarez, he said:
"You know what I say, if the money's right we've got a fight. But at the same time, he's got a fight that he's focused on."
Watch Terence Crawford's interview below (1:00):