Followers need to know if Terence Crawford can be concerned about dealing with IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev in a unification struggle following his third-round obliteration of Tim Tszyu final Saturday night time on the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida.
(Credit score: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) holds the WBA 154-lb title that he just lately gained in opposition to Israil Madrimov, and he’d deliberate on preventing WBC/WBO champion Sebastian Fundora. That struggle fell off when the WBO permitted Fundora to make a voluntary protection in opposition to Errol Spence subsequent.
Will Crawford struggle Murtazaliev?
Followers are ready for Crawford to point out some braveness by calling out Murtazaliev and placing collectively what can be an enormous unification struggle. Informal boxing followers on social media consider that Crawford would simply beat Murtazaliev, however I don’t see it that method.
Crawford is now with out an opponent, and preventing Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) would take advantage of sense if he have been courageous sufficient to struggle him. That’s a dangerous struggle for Crawford as a result of Murtazaliev punches as exhausting, if not more durable, than ‘Little GGG’ Madrimov, however he’s extra aggressive, throws energy photographs with each palms, and has a excessive punch output. In some ways, Murtazaliev is extra formidable than Madrimov.
It’s unlikely that Crawford, 37, will conform to struggle Murtazaliev as a result of he’s much more harmful than his final opponent, Madrimov, and he barely gained that struggle earlier this yr on August third. Crawford clearly is aware of that if he fought Murtazaliev, there can be a great probability that he’d get knocked out.
Even when Crawford fought in a safety-first method, Murtazaliev would catch as much as him to knock just a few chips off of him. Going 12 rounds in opposition to Murtaaliev can be a punishing match, and it wouldn’t matter if Crawford ran all the night time. Murtazaliev would get to him sufficient to inflict numerous injury. He’d expose Crawford’s superior age.
“There’s no proof that he gained’t be prevented once more. The one good factor he has is he has a title. So, as a result of he has a title, he can simply keep lively, preventing individuals within the ranks with the IBF and dominating, furthering his fan base and additional exhibiting us what he brings to the 154 division, however does Bud need Bakhram? Does Bud take that struggle?” stated Keith Thurman to Thaboxingvoice, questioning whether or not Terence Crawford would need to problem IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev.
Sadly, Thurman is true about Murtazaliev prone to be prevented, and Crawford can be one of many many fighters at 154 that wouldn’t need something to do with him. Crawford nonetheless has the hopeless dream of preventing Canelo Alvarez, which is rarely going to occur. It’s like wishing for the tooth fairy to seem to depart him a greenback beneath his pillow. That struggle will not be occurring for Crawford on this lifetime. I want he’d get up and get a clue already.
Murtazaliev Scaring Away Fighters
“Who actually needs it and takes it and says, ‘That’s my subsequent opponent.’ Does Bakhram keep in his IBF lane, defending his title? He says he has to remain in his lane till one other door opens as much as do one other nice struggle on this division on the earth of boxing. However proper now, he’s obtained numerous us excited,” stated Thurman.
Crawford ought to take the struggle in opposition to Murtazaliev to point out followers that he’s not afraid and work in direction of the purpose of turning into undisputed champion at 154. Followers might respect that as a result of Crawford would keep busy, preventing an out there champion and [putting himself in a position to become the undisputed champion if he were to win and then defeat Fundora for the last two belts. If Murtazaliev was an easy mark, Crawford would likely be eager to fight him, but that’s not the case.
