Crawford’s Latest Triumph: After Defeating Madrimov, ‘Bud’ Picks Who He Wants Next at 154lbs

On August 3/4 at the BMO stadium in Los Angeles, we saw Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) move up in weight to defeat Israil Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) to win the WBA super welterweight belt from the talented Uzek fighter. The WBA title fight was the main event of a stacked card available on pay-per-view on ESPN+, DAZN and Prime Video. Those in the United Kingdom could also do the same with TNT Sports Box Office. DAZN and PPV.com also carried the action for the rest of the world. Attention quickly turned to what could come next for “Bud” and the Omaha native has spoken on Shawn Porter’s “The PorterWay Podcast” about who he would like to face next at 154 pounds.

Terence Crawford Defeats Israil Madrimov for WBA Super Welterweight Title

Terence Crawford Targets Sebastian Fundora for Next Fight After Israil Madrimov Victory

It was a close fight for much of the bout and resembled a chess match, but the increased activity from Crawford swayed the judges, especially during the latter rounds. This activity helped “Bud” achieve the unanimous decision victory with the judge’s scorecards reading 115-113×2 and 116-112. Despite the close victory, it’s an exceptional achievement by Crawford to become a world champion in a fourth division.

With Turki Alalshikh seemingly ruling out the Crawford-Canelo mega fight, attention has turned to who could be next for the WBA champion at 154 pounds. There are a few attractive options at 154 for the Omaha native, and during his appearance on Shawn Poter’s podcast, he was asked to pick between Sebastian Fundora, Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Jermell Charlo, and there was no hesitation in his choice: “It would definitely be Fundora if him and [Errol] Spence don’t fight.” He added: “It’d definitely be Fundora.”

Other Title Holders at Super Welterweight

A concrete deal between Spence and Fundora has yet to be reached despite the rumours circling they would fight. A clash with Fundora would be a fascinating one, with “The Towering Inferno” holding the WBC and WBO titles. Bakhram Murtazaliev is the IBF champion and would also present another hurdle for Crawford to overcome before he could become the first boxer of the four-belt modern era to become undisputed champion in three different weight classes.