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INDIO, California – Not far from the very gym where Terence Crawford announced his presence as a force who would dominate three divisions over the next decade, Israil Madrimov prepares to deal Crawford his first defeat.
“Everything has a beginning and an end,” said Joel Diaz, Madrimov’s veteran trainer who welcomed Crawford into his gym long ago for sparring sessions to help now-Hall of Fame two-division champion Timothy Bradley Jr.
One month removed from the Aug. 3 Los Angeles main event of a stacked card constructed by Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh, Madrimov, 29, spoke to BoxingScene following another intense training session in the 105-degree heat of the Coachella Valley.
“He’s a great fighter. All around, he has every tool,” Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) said of Crawford, through an interpreter. “But I feel like this is my division. I fought at a higher weight class in the amateurs, 165 [compiling 330 bouts] And since I’ve turned pro at 154, every fight has been big. I had six final eliminators.
“What everyone’s saying about [my lacking] experience, my 11 fights in the pros is not the same as everyone else. This is my division. He’s moving up. I know he has all the skills.
“But it’s my division and it’s my time.”
At 36, Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is coming off his most impressive triumph yet, a ninth-round TKO of then-unbeaten, three-belt welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. that was preceded by three other knockdowns.
That’s the Crawford that World Boxing Association junior middleweight titleholder Madrimov is preparing for in Indio, savoring the opportunity to fulfill a destiny born from a rugged childhood in Uzbekistan.
There, the only thing worse than the Indio-like summers were the freezing winters spent without running water, electricity or any form of heating-and-air-conditioning system.
In a 2019 interview I conducted with Madrimov for “The Athletic,” the fighter said, “I remember it pretty clear, because I was crying from the cold.
“That was when I decided to do something with my life for my family. I was going to do whatever it takes. … I just wanted a warm place to stay. I didn’t know what the way out was, but I was going to push toward whatever I did with my life to find that way out.”
Madrimov became a world titleholder March 8 in front of Alalshikh in Saudi Arabia, scoring a fifth-round TKO of Magomed Kurbanov and putting things in motion for the bout against Crawford – who has stood as undisputed champion at both welterweight and 140 pounds.
Their bout tops Alalshikh’s debut Riyadh Season-promoted U.S. card, which includes 140-pound champion Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz, rising heavyweight contender Jared Anderson, unbeaten David Morrell in his 175-pound debut and Olympic champion Andy Cruz of Cuba.
“I’m very excited, very happy and pleased about the way things are playing out,” Madrimov said. “It’s always been my dream to fight such a big pound-for-pound name. For me, he’s No. 1 in the world. It’s a big honor, a great opportunity to change my life – my family’s life. In the history of boxing, nothing like this [card] has ever been done.”
The immense stage will allow Madrimov the opportunity to display his gifts fully. He, too, has two-handed power. He’s younger, the naturally bigger man and has yearned for this day as Crawford arrives at his 19th consecutive world-title fight.
“We know Crawford is great,” Diaz said. “He has great boxing ability. He’s patient, has great reflexes. But time goes by. He’s 36. He doesn’t fight too often. I just have a good feeling Israil can pull it off.
“I know who we’re facing. I followed Terence Crawford’s career for years, and it will be an honor sharing the ring with him. If we come out with that win, it’s a big one.”
If Diaz and others want to sound alarms at Crawford’s age, his size or the distractions and pressures he might feel over clinching a looming superfight against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Madrimov won’t be among that group. He sees Crawford being at the peak of his career.
“It’s not something I look at, because he’s an athlete. He’s not looked at as a guy who’s smoking, drinking, partying,” Madrimov said.
“I know for sure once I beat him, people will say he turned old. But you’re only as good as your last fight, and he showed the best fight of his career in his last performance. So I’m expecting the best Terence Crawford who can possibly step in the ring – comfortable and confident. I feel like we’re both in our best mode, and the best man in the ring will win.”
While Crawford has proven he can verbally undress his foes and intimidate like few others, he and Madrimov developed a respectful relationship upon meeting at their New York news conference to announce the card.
“I think he knows our mentality and he knows there’s no way he can mess with me mentally,” Madrimov said. “We [as Uzbekis] were raised in a certain way. I don’t trash talk. I don’t disrespect anyone. I only let my fists do the talking in the ring. I’m not that person – and Terence knows that.
“He’s a very smart person. He knows he won’t waste his energy trying to get under my skin, because he knows I’m not going to respond to it. We’ve actually become friends. We’ve spent a lot of time together, filming all the promos. He’s a respectful, good guy and one of my favorite fighters, because he’s a good, humble champion – the best, in my opinion.
“That’s the best for me. Train until your idols become your rivals. That’s where we are now.”
Of course, Madrimov is fully aware of how the masses expect this movie to end Aug. 3.
Alalshikh wants to stage the Alvarez-Crawford bout, and the only way that materializes is with Crawford defeating Madrimov.
“The business of boxing needs to do that. They can plan ahead however they want,” Diaz said. “We’re not thinking of their plans. We’re thinking of our plans. I don’t care what their plans are. Whatever plan they have, it might not happen.”
Two years ago, Madrimov was in the very Indio ring he trains in now with his gym mate, Russia’s WBA light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol, when few expected Bivol to defeat Alvarez.
“When people are talking loud about things in the future … those things are in the future,” Madrimov said. “It’s the present time right now, and we have a fight scheduled.
“There was also a lot of talk about who Canelo would fight once he beat Bivol. When I was here training with Bivol every single day, getting him ready, we knew how [the Canelo fight] was going to happen. People – the whole world – were talking about megafights and who they’d fight next, but it was confusing a little bit because we knew the truth.
“My goal is ‘this fight.’ And then we’ll see where I qualify after this fight.”