BOXING
Did Terence Crawford keep his undefeated status against Madrimov?
With his victory over the Uzbek boxer, the American became world champion in four different divisions: 135, 140, 147 and 154 pounds.
Terence Crawford’s knockout streak ended by defeating Israil Madrimov by a split decision. With the split decision win at BMO Stadium, ‘Bud’ claimed the WBA and WBO interim super lightweight belts. The American thus became the world champion at 135, 140, 147, and 154 pounds.
In the first four rounds of the 154-pound fight, there were sporadic exchanges of blows. During the fifth round, Madrimov skillfully avoided Crawford’s punches with good footwork. With just over a minute to go, ‘Bud’ got caught on the Uzbek’s foot and fell on his back.
Crawford dominated with good defense and a precise uppercut, but the Uzbek responded with powerful right blows to the American’s face in the 9th round.
In the final round, both boxers tried to score a knockout but managed to stay on their feet until the end. Madrimov’s right hand kept Crawford alert throughout the fight. In the end, the judges unanimously favored Crawford with scores of 116-112, 115-113, and 115-113, giving him the victory by decision.
With this victory, the 36-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska, stayed unbeaten at 41-0 (31 knockouts) while handing Israil Madrimov his first professional loss (10-1-1, 7 KOs).
There is a new WBA super lightweight champion
Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz put his WBA super lightweight title on the line against Jose ‘El Rayo’ Valenzuela and lost it by split decision. The challenger received two scores in his favor, 116-112, while the former champion won one, 115-113.
Valenzuela said the title is not for him but for his parents, who sacrificed everything so their son could succeed and become a professional boxer. Isaac Cruz immediately asked for a rematch with ‘El Rayo’. ‘Pitbull’ believes he fought a good fight, but he did not show any annoyance with the judges’ decision since he considers them to be the best at their job.
Cuban boxers triumph in Riyadh season
The card began with Andy Cruz's fight against Antonio Moran and Antonio Moran. The Cuban made a successful defense of his International Boxing Federation 135-pound title by knocking out his rival in the seventh round.
David Morrell moved up to 175 pounds to face Radivoje Kalajdzic. The Cuban won by unanimous decision after the judges' cards favored him 118-110, 117-111 and 117-111 after going the distance. With this, he obtained the World Boxing Association 'World' belt and aims to become a mandatory rival against the winner of the fight between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev.
The American promise falls knocked out and a draw for Andy Ruiz
Jared Anderson, an American heavyweight prospect, suffered his first defeat when he was knocked out by Martin Bakole in the fifth round. Prior to this match, Anderson, also known as ‘The Real Big Baby’, was undefeated.
Andy Ruiz returned to the ring for the first time in two years to face Jarrell Miller. The fight ended in a majority decision draw, with two judges scoring it 114-114 and the third judge favoring Miller with a score of 116-112. Despite a slow start, Miller dominated the last rounds of the fight.