Terence Crawford blocked by Jermell Charlo in Israil Madrimov fight plans
Plans for pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) to face WBA champ Israil Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) are on tenterhooks, with Jermell Charlo insisting that he will fight for the WBA super-welterweight title.
With interest Turki Alalshikh, it was rumoured that Crawford would move up in weight to challenge the newly-crowned WBA champion at 154lbs in Saudi Arabia.
However, the unified welterweight champion’s plans have now potentially been scuppered by Charlo who – as ESPN journalist Dan Rafael reports – has invoked his “champion in recess” privileges for an immediate shot at Uzbek Madrimov.
The former undisputed super-welterweight champion moved up two weight divisions to face Canelo Alvarez at 168lbs, only to lose a wide points decision back in September last year.Since then – with his four belts at 154 lbs now fragmented – Charlo has been made champion in recess by the WBA, with the American being given the option to reclaim some of his jewellery.
Seemingly, it looks like the 33-year-old is set to do just that, while Crawford is left patiently waiting for his shot at becoming a four-weight world champion.
On Wednesday, Alalshikh – the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia – teased that he is in talks with Crawford to stage his next fight, posting a photo of the 36-year-old on X.
Crawford then reposted the image, which led to speculation that he might be eying a showdown with Madrimov on DAZN – now that he is a free agent.
Madrimov secured the WBA world super welterweight title on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last month, when he emphatically stopped Magomed Kurbanov in the fifth round.
Crawford’s most recent outing was in August last year, when he punished Errol Spence Jr over nine rounds to secure all the belts at 147 lbs.
With Charlo anticipating a return to his former division, though, the Nebraskan’s next fight may be prolonged even further.