Israil Madrimov Says He’s ‘Dreamed’ About Boxing Terence Crawford

Israil Madrimov says he always dreamed of boxing Terence Crawford but didn’t think it would come to fruition.

Crawford is 40-0 while Madrimov is just 10-0-1 but the two will fight on Saturday in an intriguing bout. Although Madrimov is considered a future champion, he was surprised he got this fight as early as he did.

“I’m happy to fight Crawford. It’s my dream come true. I’m training hard. It will be the most favorite of my career. He’s my favorite boxer, too. He’s a lefty and righty who can punch. I have the punch, too. And I am technical, with a lot of amateur experience. I didn’t have time to pad my record like most guys. I fought tough guys in my fights. I’m ready for the fight…,” Madrimov said to BoxingScene.

“I’ve dreamed about fighting him. But did I think I would actually fight him? No. He’s a superstar and seven years older than me, so I didn’t think I could get to him so soon. Now I have the opportunity. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I need to use it properly and prove that I am one of the best fighters in the world,” Madrimov added.

Although Israel Madrimov is the underdog, he says he views this fight similar to the Dmitry Bivol vs. Canelo Alvarez fight. He is teammates with Bivol and sparred him a lot in the lead-up to that fight, so he has confidence his team can pull off another big upset.

“I was one of Bivol’s sparring partners for the Alvarez fight. We did a lot of great work together. Beating Alvarez was not a big shock and surprise for us. He went through the same things I am going through right now. He gives me helpful advice, and I always listen because he has more experience. I hope I will use his advice on fight night and that it helps,” Madrimov concluded.