Our boxing betting picks believe Terence Crawford is a deserving heavy favorite vs. Israil Madrimov and will wear his opponent down sooner or later.
Terence Crawford aims to become a four-division champion against the undefeated Israil Madrimov when the two face off this Saturday in the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Crawford challenges WBA junior middleweight champion Madrimov with an eye on a major future fight, whereas Madrimov hopes to stake his claim as a premier fighter ready to score an upset.
Boxing odds have Crawford as a -750 favorite and Madrimov as a +475 underdog. Here are my best free Crawford vs. Madrimov predictions for August 3.
Madrimov vs Crawford prediction and pick
Fight analysis
If it were up to Terence Crawford, he’d be hitting the weights right now in an attempt to bulk up to 168 pounds for a dream match with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. For now, Crawford will have to settle for doing it the old-fashioned way as he attempts to win a title in a fourth weight class, something he is primed to do, against WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov.
Though Crawford is 36 and started off as a lightweight, his skill and size make the 154-pound division likely the highest division he can compete in without facing any physical deficits.
From a skill perspective, he doesn’t have much to fear from Madrimov. The Uzbek amateur standout has rapidly worked his way up the ranks and won a vacant title in his last fight against Magomed Kurbanov. He’s fighting the appropriate level of opposition at this stage of his career, but that means he’s taking a huge step up in class against a master strategist like Crawford.
Madrimov has good technique and seems to have good power, but that’s to be expected against the level of opposition he’s faced so far. I think this would have been a more dangerous fight for Crawford down the line if Madrimov had a few more fights to develop, but even then, I don’t see him evolving into a world-beater.
Crawford at welterweight was essentially the perfect mix of power, speed, strength, and skill, so it will be interesting to see what the move up in weight will mean for him in this later stage of his career. I don’t believe there is anyone I’d comfortably favor to trouble Crawford at 154 or 160 pounds. He’s an all-time great coming off the best performance of his career, and we aren’t going to witness a dramatic drop in class just 10 months removed from his career-defining win over Errol Spence against a green opponent. Madrimov is a champion with training wheels, and Crawford will end up being too much for him.
I am picking Crawford to pick up where he left off in the Spence fight and deliver another strong night, ending with his hand raised in victory and another title added to his collection.
Best best analysis
Though Crawford is going to be too much for Madrimov, the younger fighter’s youth, size, and strong footwork might get him out of some bad early spots, as Crawford tends to use the early rounds to download his opponents. If anything, Madrimov should last until the middle rounds. By that time, Crawford will have implemented his adjustments and will start to step on the gas, executing crisp counters and slowly walking his foe down.
Madrimov will eventually run out of options, as has been the case with everyone who’s faced Crawford in recent years, and the punishment will only accumulate as the fight nears its inevitable conclusion.
Eventually, Crawford will grind Madrimov down and drop him with a body shot, scoring his 11th straight knockout win.
SportsLine boxing analyst Peter Kahn has just released his picks for Saturday’s main event in Los Angeles
Undisputed welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford will look to conquer a new weight class on Saturday when he steps up to take on WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov. Their 12-round battle tops the card (4:30 p.m. ET) at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles and the estimated start time for the main event is around 11 p.m. ET.
Crawford is the -750 favorite (risk $750 to win $100), while Madrimov is priced at +550 (risk $100 to win $550) in the latest boxing odds for Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov. The over/under for total rounds is 10.5. Before locking in any Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov picks, you NEED to see what Peter Kahn has to say.
Kahn is a true boxing insider who has his finger on the pulse of what’s going on inside and outside of the ring. He has managed numerous world champions and currently manages 20 fighters through his company, Fight Game Advisors. Kahn won the 2022 Boxing Writers Association of America Cus D’Amato Manager of the Year award and was named to the 2023 Florida Boxing Hall of Fame.
Kahn is uncanny when it comes to picking fights. He is an astounding 55-13 on his last 68 SportsLine boxing picks, returning a profit of more than $4,300 to $100 bettors! His notable wins include telling SportsLine members to back underdog Ryan Garcia (+500) against previously unbeaten super lightweight champion Devin Haney (-700) in their blockbuster fight in April. Anyone who has followed Kahn’s boxing picks is WAY UP!
With Saturday’s showdown fast approaching, Kahn has studied Israil Madrimov vs. Terence Crawford from every angle, identified the best value in the boxing odds and released his confident picks.
We can tell you he is betting that the fight won’t go the full 12 rounds for a -200 payout. He’s also locked in a STRONG money-line pick and a method-of-victory prop that you need to see! You ABSOLUTELY must check out Kahn’s picks before making any of your own!
Terence Crawford has done it all in the boxing and his Hall of Fame status is already secure. Still, the American wants to add to his trophy case again and will challenge for the WBA super welterweight title at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on August 3.
The 12-round bout, plus undercard action, will air on , and PPV in the first overseas venture from Rihadh Season.
Crawford (40-0) is a three-division champion, consistently competing for gold since 2014. The is celebrating the one-year anniversary of his which earned him the undisputed welterweight championship.
Even though he’s enjoyed considerable success in boxing, Crawford does have his detractors. Despite Madrimovs’s class and incredible amateur pedigree, some have been critical of this choice of opponent, which has not gone unnoticed by the challenger.
WATCH: “No matter what you do, they’re gonna criticize you,” Crawford told “No matter who you fight, they’re gonna criticize. No matter how you fight, they’re gonna criticize. It just tells how great you are. If nobody criticizes you, if nobody is talking about you, then that’s a problem. If you got a whole bunch of critics critiquing you, you’re doing something right.”
Madrimov (10-0-1) has seven wins via knockout, beating Magomed Kurbanov via the power punch to win the WBA title. The Uzbekistan native may be the underdog, but he thrives under pressure and believes he has the game plan to halt Crawford in his tracks.
“When we are watching him, we are making insight or tactic,” Madrimov said on via . “In the ring, he’s moving, he’s watching all punch; you know, smart, smart guy.”
On the stacked undercard, several titles are on the line, a controversial fighter looks to return to relevancy, and a rising star is ready to impress in front of a massive audience.
Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov undercard
Here’s a breakdown of all the action on the Crawford vs. Madrimov card.
David Morrell vs. Radivoje Kalajdzic
Division/Weight: Light Heavyweight
Morrell record: 10-0
Kalajdzic record: 29-2
Belts at stake: WBA regular light heavyweight title
David Morrell and Radivoje Kalajdzic compete for the WBA regular light heavyweight title.
The 26-year-old Morrell (10-0) won WBA super middleweight gold in 2021, holding onto the belt until his last fight in December. The 2016 Youth World Championships gold medalist has attempted to face super middleweight king Canelo Alvarez but will now move up in weight to secure more gold.
Kalajdzic (29-2) competes for gold for the second time since losing to Artur Beterbiev in 2019 for the IBF title. “Hot Rod” is on a five-fight win streak with four of those victories coming by knockout.
MORE:
Isaac Cruz vs. Jose Valenzuela
Division/Weight: Super Lightweight
Cruz record: 26-2-1
Valenzuela record: 13-2
Belts at stake: WBA super lightweight title
Isaac Cruz defends the WBA super lightweight title against Jose Valenzuela.
Cruz (26-2-1) is on a four-fight win streak since a fight where he went the distance despite being a late replacement. In his most recent fight, in March, Cruz to become the WBA champion, and the Mexican star now has his eye on unification fights.
Valenzuela (13-2) is 2-2 in his last four fights. He avenged a loss to Chris Colbert by knocking “Primetime” out in December. “Rayo” has nine wins via knockout and competes in his first fight at 140 after moving up from lightweight. Trained by Mario Rodriguez and Robert Garcia, Valenzuela will look to take advantage of his six-inch height and seven-inch reach edge against Cruz.
Jared Anderson vs. Martin Bakole
Division/Weight: Heavyweight
Anderson record: 17-0
Bakole record: 20-1
Belts at stake: N/A
Further down the card is Jared Anderson vs. Martin Bakole.
A two-time U.S. National Championship gold medalist, Anderson (17-0) beat Vladimir Tereshkin for the NABF heavyweight title in 2021. He has won all but two fights via knockout.
Bakole (20-1) is on a nine-fight win streak, with seven wins via knockout. The brother of former cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu, he competes for the first time since October.
Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Jarrell Miller
Division/Weight: Heavyweight
Ruiz record: 35-2
Miller record: 26-1-1
Belts at stake: N/A
Heavyweights are in action as Andy Ruiz Jr. faces Jarrell Miller.
This will be Ruiz’s (35-2) first fight since 2022. He’s best known for beating Anthony Joshua in one of the to become the unified heavyweight champion. Ruiz regressed in the rematch a few months later, losing all the gold, and has fought just twice since.
Miller (26-1-1) was on a path to superstardom ready to face Joshua for heavyweight gold. But then, ” and Ruiz took his place. Suspended for several years after failing another drug test, the controversial Miller looks to return to relevancy after losing his last fight to Daniel Dubois in December.
Andy Cruz vs. Antonio Moran
Division/Weight: Lightweight
Cruz record: 3-0
Moran record: 30-6-1
Belts at stake: N/A
Finally, Andy Cruz faces Antonio Moran.
Cruz (3-0) was an acclaimed amateur star and took gold in the 2020 Olympics. The 28-year-old Cuban looks to go 2-0 in 2024 after a hot start to his pro career.
Moran (30-6-1) is 4-1 in his last five fights and has 21 wins via knockout. The Mexican fighter beat Romero Duno in January.
Crawford vs. Madrimov takes place in BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Formerly Banc of California Stadium, the home of Los Angeles and Angel City FC can hold up to 22,000 people.
Tickets start at $130 via
Prices then range from $200, $300, $400, $500, $600, $700, $800, $900, $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, $4,000, $5,000, and $6,764.
Saudi Arabia’s takeover of big-time boxing extends to Los Angeles on Saturday, when Riyadh Season has its first overseas event at BMO Stadium with one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, topping the bill As per previous events in Saudi Arabia that feature a series of fights good enough to headline a boxing card on their own, Saturday’s show in L.A. is stacked with quality matchups.
Riyadh Season is an annual state-managed sports and entertainment event that attracts sponsorships from some of the region’s most prominent companies. Saturday’s card features fighters from different promotional companies, a rare feat for boxing.
Riyadh boxing events have also been defined by high-quality production, and legendary hip-hop singer Eminem will be performing during the event Saturday.
One of the promoters involved in the show is Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn. He told ESPN, this is the biggest fight night he has seen in American boxing from top to bottom.
“American boxing fans are going to have their minds blown. I’m looking forward to an absolute spectacle,” Hearn said. “When we started Riyadh Season we expected it to just be in Riyadh between October and March. But Riyadh Season also wants to market itself worldwide and [is] using these events in L.A. and London [on Sep. 21] to expand the brand and it’s great news for fight fans.”
With such a list of must-see matchups, ESPN breaks the pay-per-view card down and ranks all the fights
1. Israil Madrimov vs. Terence Crawford – Junior middleweight title fight
Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs), a three-division champion and undisputed at 140 and 147 pounds, bids to conquer another weight class but will have to subdue a puncher who has been compared to the former middleweight champion and KO specialist.
Crawford, 36, of Omaha, Nebraska, looked sensational in his last fight, when he dropped three times en route to a ninth round TKO win to unify all four major welterweight belts in July 2023.
Crawford, the current WBA an WBO welterweight champion, enters the fight as a favorite (-800 per ESPN BET) due to his extensive library of boxing skills and ring IQ, but there is an element of jeopardy for him in this fight. He is stepping up to junior middleweight for the first time, and faces an in-form, powerful puncher who seems calmly impervious to the size of the occasion in facing in a first defense of his WBA 154 pounds title.
Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs), from Uzbekistan, has only had 11 pro fights, but don’t read too much into that. He had a long, distinguished amateur career at international level and is one of the many east European elite fighters who train out of Indio, California. One of those training partners is the light heavyweight who upset the odds when he defeated the sport’s biggest star in 2022. Can Madrimov do the same? He is hungry, has been busier than Crawford in recent years (Crawford has had one fight per year since 2020), and looked good in his last outing when he stopped Magomed Kurbanov in five rounds in Riyadh last March.
Much depends on whether Madrimov, 29, can land some of his big punches to unsettle Crawford in the early rounds before Crawford gets into his stride. Crawford is a clinical finisher, one of the most lethal in the business, and if he can land two or three punches flush, he could finish the fight in the latter rounds.
2. Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller – Heavyweight
There will be a lot on the line when these two battle to stay relevant in a heavyweight division that could be full of world title opportunities next year following the undisputed clash between and on Dec. 21.
Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) briefly held three titles after he stopped in 2019 but came in out of condition for the rematch six months later. Ruiz, 34, of Imperial, California, has only been seen in the ring twice since, but insists he has regained his focus and motivation for the sport.
Ruiz weighed 269 pounds for his most recent fight against Luis Ortiz nearly two years ago, which he won by unanimous decision. Miller (26-1-1, 22 KOs), 36, from New York, similarly, has come in heavy for fights. He weighed a staggering 333 pounds for his fight against Daniel Dubois in December, when he ran of steam and was stopped in the 10th round.
Ruiz, if he is as focused as he says he is, should prevail but this fight promises drama and knockdowns. It will be fun to watch, but a fight neither can afford to lose.
Anderson has been heralded as the future of American heavyweight boxing for a few years now, and this could be a fight that moves him to the verge of a world title opportunity.
Anderson (17-0, 15 KOs), 24, of Toledo, Ohio, has a top 5 ranking with two of the world governing bodies, but Bakole (20-1, 15 KOs), is the No. 1 contender for the WBA belt held by Usyk. Bakole, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo but based in Scotland, impressively stopped Carlos Takam in his last fight in October 2023.
“It is a great fight, but a strange one to make,” Hearn told ESPN. “A lot of people are high on Anderson and if he beats Bakole he’s in a great position, a star of the division, but I’m not sure he will beat him. If Anderson wins it puts him right up there. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh [the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority], has taken a shine to Jared Anderson so he’s going to look to line him up for all the big fights in the division, but I think it’s a 50-50 fight.”
Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs), of Mexico City, impressively stopped Rolando “Rolly” Romero in March while southpaw Valenzuela (13-2, 9 KOs), of Sinaloa, also shined when he knocked out Chris Colbert in December.
If Cruz, 26, can navigate his way past Valenzuela in a first title defense, there are big potential fights for him further down the road according to Hearn.
“He’s a very exciting fighter, Hearn, who promotes Cruz, told ESPN.. Liam Paro, Subriel Matias, Jack Catterall versus in August, so there are some massive fights in play at 140 pounds and he’s definitely one of the exciting guys in that division.
Cruz has struggled with southpaws before (he lost a points decision to in 2021 and beat Giovanni Cabrera by split decision a year ago), while Valenzuela is stepping up a division for his chance
This all-Mexican title fight sees two in-form fighters meeting each other after the best wins of their careers last time out.
David Morrell (10-0, 9 KOs), of Santa Clara, Cuba, and Radivoje Kalajdzic (29-2, 21 KOs), of Belgrade, Serbia, will fight for the vacant WBA “regular” light heavyweight title, with the winner getting closer to a shot at Bivol, the full champion. Minneapolis-based Morrell has been ruthless stacking six knockout wins as WBA super middleweight champion. This is Morrell’s debut at light heavyweight and it will be interesting to see if he can continue his four-year knockout streak.
Cruz (3-0, 1 KO), of Matanzas, Cuba is a 2020 Olympic gold medalist. He takes on veteran Antonio Moran (30-6-1, 21 KOs), of Mexico City, in a 10-round fight. Cruz, 28, has quality and this is a good chance to check out whether he can go all the way in the pro ranks. For Moran, 31, this an opportunity to keep building after an impressive sixth-round victory over Romero Duno in January.
Why Israil Madrimov — and Uzbekistan — have a chance to shine in boxing
Crawford will move up a division to challenge the Uzbek for the WBA super-welterweight title
Terence crawford and Israil Madrimov will headline this weekend, with two super-welterweight titles on the line in their main event.
The unbeaten Crawford, 36, is aiming to become a four-weight world champion when he challenges Madrimov, 29, who is also undefeated. Of the three divisions in which Crawford has already reigned, .
Now, Uzbekistan’s Madrimov will defend the WBA belt against “Bud”, while the vacant WBO interim title is also up for grabs in Los Angeles.
Also in action on the card, among others, are: Andy Ruiz Jr, Jarrell Miller, Jared Anderson, Martin Bakole, David Morrell, and Isaac Cruz.
Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
When is the fight?
Crawford vs Madrimov will take place on Saturday 3 August at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
The event is due to begin at 9.30pm BST (1.30pm PT / 3.30pm CT / 4.30pm ET). Ring walks for the main event are scheduled for 4.30am BST on Sunday (8.30pm PT / 10.30pm CT / 11.30pm on Saturday).
How can I watch it?
Crawford vs Madrimov will stream live on DAZN pay-per-view in over 200 countries worldwide. In the UK, the pay-per-view is available at a cost of £24.99; in the US, it is priced at $79.99. TNT Sports Box Office will also air the fight in the UK, at a cost of £24.99. Viewers do not need a TNT subscription to purchase the event, and they can watch the action on discovery+, EE TV, Virgin Media TV, Prime Video and Sky.
Crawford – 3/20
Madrimov – 9/2
Draw – 20/1
Via Betway.
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Isaac Cruz (C) vs Jose Venezuela (WBA super-lightweight title)
David Morrell vs Radivoje Kalajdzic (light-heavyweight)
Andy Cruz vs Antonio Moran (lightweight)
Steve Nelson vs Marcos Ramon Vazquez (super-middleweight)
Ziyad Almaayouf vs Michal Bulik (welterweight)
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