Terence Crawford says he heard WBC and WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora was knocked out in sparring by former WBA champ Israil Madrimov.
Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is downgrading Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) earlier than they’ve even signed for a combat. They’re in negotiations and hoping to place collectively a conflict at a nonetheless to be decided date.
Crawford, 37, doesn’t like that Fundora has abruptly proven curiosity in preventing him after being not desperate to face him. This makes Crawford suppose that Fundora modified his thoughts about him after watching his current combat towards Madrimov on August third and seeing him wrestle to win a detailed 12-round unanimous resolution.
Madrimov made Crawford look his age, and he simply may have gained if he had proven extra initiative in rounds 10 by means of 12. The best way Crawford seemed in that combat, any top-tier 154-pounders would wish to combat him.
He shouldn’t be upset that Fundora is “licking his chops” about preventing him as a result of he noticed what everybody noticed. Crawford is displaying indicators of age, and he’s not the identical fighter at junior middleweight that he was at 147, 140, and 135
With Crawford preventing solely annually for the final 4 years since 2020, not preventing nice opposition, and shifting up in weight, deterioration was certain to occur. He’s misplaced the starvation that he had earlier in his profession earlier than he started getting paid nicely. It’s a factor that occurs to any individual. Laziness units in as soon as a fighter begins making good cash, and it’s occurred to Crawford.
“That’s a combat on the desk. If Fundora’s licking his chops over my efficiency vs. Israil Madrimov, then I needs to be licking my chops as a result of Madrimov knocked Fundora out in sparring. So, who needs to be licking their chops? That’s what I heard,” mentioned Terence Crawford to Bernie Tha Boxer, devaluing his potential subsequent opponent, WBC and WBO junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora.
It’s attention-grabbing how Crawford is getting upset, forcing his personal detrimental conclusions about why Fundora needs to combat him now. Maybe the true motive Fundora and his promoter need Crawford is as a result of it’s a combat that can seemingly pay higher than a title protection towards Errol Spence. It’s not that they view Crawford as a sure-thing win. He’s now the most well-liked fighter within the 154-lb division, and anybody who faces him will get a pleasant payday.
“I don’t perceive why Shakur, Devin Haney, and I get probably the most hate out of all people,” mentioned Crawford. “You bought two younger black fighters in Shakur and Devin, that’s on high of the highest. You bought them doing nice issues their entire profession.”
Haney and Shakur Stevenson should not on the high of the game. Haney simply received overwhelmed, and Shakur may not even be the fifth greatest fighter at light-weight. He’s not a PPV draw, and he may lose his subsequent combat towards William Zepeda.
“You bought me dealing with my enterprise since 2014, 2013 till immediately. Ten years robust as a champion. While you have a look at Devin. He form of mimicked and copied Floyd’s picture. He needed to be like Floyd. He did factor of doing so,” mentioned Crawford.
