Last night was the hotly anticipated Crawford vs Madrimov card and it did not disappoint. Every fight was entertaining in it’s own way and the results were dramatic. The main event saw Crawford become WBA super champion and WBO interim champ in a tricky fight. Both heavyweight bouts were slug fests with Miller vs Ruiz ending in a controversial draw and Bakole vs Anderson a 5th round KO for Bakole. Isaac Cruz was dethroned by Jose Valenzuela who became 140lb WBA super champion. David Morrell became WBA regular champion in his 175lb debut and Andy Cruz secured a 7th round stoppage. Steven Nelson also scored a 5th round TKO.
Terence Crawford vs Israil Madrimov Madrimov
The main event itself although not as exciting as other fights on this card was still solid. It was a highly technical affair which saw Crawford struggle with Madrimov. Crawford did manage to secure the decision and rightfully so but not without a fight. The newly crowned champion had to really come in clutch in the later rounds to secure himself the necessarily rounds. It was a close affair however Crawford separated himself enough to get the win. Although he won it would seem Crawford’s power isn’t quite the same at 154. And so a potential fight with Canelo even higher up in weight could be very problematic for Bud.
The co-main as expected was an entertaining affair as are most fights involving Isaac Cruz. The result of this one was an upset with the newly crowned champion losing his belt to the challenger by split decision. Valenzuela was very impressive and was able to successfully trade with Cruz and coming off the better in most exchanges. This fight really shouldn’t have been a split decision with Valenzuela being the clear winner.
The Heavyweights
Miller vs Ruiz was a heavyweight slug fest. Despite the result being a draw many people including myself don’t agree with the decision and felt Miller deserved the win. Ruiz did have a strong start landing his flurries and combos. However, Ruiz was unable to but a dent in Miller who kept up his pressure. Miller began having success landing his own shots and targeting Ruiz’s body. As the fight continued Ruiz tired and Miller continued having success having higher punch output. At the end is was ruled a draw however many feel Miller should have won. It also should be noted Ruiz broke his hand during the fight which may have hindered his performance.
Bakole vs Anderson really stole the show for this card easily being the best fight of the night. Bakole secured a 5th round TKO over the young prospect Anderson. This was an action packed affair from the get go Anderson starting fast. Anderson was succesfully able to land to the body however Bakole was unaffected. And then towards the end of the round Bakole timed an excellent uppercut dropping Anderson badly. Anderson got up but was shaky and the round ended.
For the rest of the fight it was like man against boy. Bakole ate everything Anderson threw at him and returned fire the big man showing off his hand speed, shot selection, and power. Anderson was able to land but there was a clear difference between whose shots were more impactful. By the 5th round after already eating many hard shots Anderson was dropped twice again by an uppercut and was all over the place. The fight was then put to a stop and Bakole has put the division on notice.
The Rest Of The Card
David Morrell secured the win and the WBA regular belt in a surprisingly tough fight. Morrell clearly won however he did meet some tough resistance for the first time in his pro career going 12 rounds. Early Morrell dominated but as the fight went on Kalajdzic managed to become more awkward and have success. Kalajdzic did manage to exploit Morrells leaky defence and limited shot selection. However, Morrell kept Kalajdzic honest landing big shots that certainly impacted him. Morrell was deservedly given the unanimous decision win.
Andy Cruz had an impressive showing and experienced his first real adversity in the pros. Cruz as per usual was able to get off his combos and move out of the way but early on was hurt by Moran a couple of times. Cruz would then resolve to try and finish his opponent and did so successfully hurting him and the fight then being stopped in round 7.Steven Nelson a friend of Crawfords managed to secure a 5th round KO and the first fight of the night Maayouf vs Bulik ended in a draw.
Overall, the Crawford vs Madrimov card was absoluetly fantastic and delievered. It could have been even better if the Tzyu vs Ortiz fight stayed on the card however the card didn’t need that fight to be great. Martin Bakole stole the show and Turki Alalshikh continues to deliever with amazing cards.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
