Above: Madrimov goes airborne after his title-winning victory over Magomed Kurbanov in Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

ISRAIL MADRIMOV MAY BE RELATIVELY INEXPERIENCED, BUT HE’S NOT ABOUT TO BE INTIMIDATED BY TERENCE CRAWFORD OR DOUBT THAT HE CAN SHINE AGAINST THE FUTURE HALL OF FAMER 

If the world doesn’t know who Israil Madrimov is right now, it will on August 3, when he defends his WBA junior middleweight title against Terence Crawford in one of the biggest fights of 2024.

With that exposure to his biggest audience yet comes the pressure of added media obligations, more pulls on his time and intrusions that he has yet to experience in his adopted home city of Indio, California. 

It’s almost enough to break a fighter with just 11 pro fights. That is, unless you know where Madrimov came from and what he already experiences in his native Uzbekistan.

“To be honest, in Uzbekistan, you cannot even imagine how much the media and people admire us there,” said Madrimov through translator Aliko Frolov. “So it’s not a first rodeo for me. I’m having so much more attention back home than here, even with the Crawford fight. So it’s not even comparable. There’s much more attention back home, much more cameras, much more interviews and everything. So this is easy for me. I know my goal, and nothing distracts me. I know how to handle it. And that doesn’t bother me too much.”

If you’re wondering whether Madrimov may be exaggerating, consider that after his title-winning effort over Magomed Kurbanov in March, he was presented with a Chevy Tahoe by Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

“This is very common in our country,” said Madrimov. “They really respect the athletes, and they pay attention to athletes. And when the government gives you so much respect and admires you, that gives me extra motivation for my future fights and future victories.”

As big as things are for the 29-year-old Khiva native, they will go to new levels if he can secure one of those future victories over Crawford, the pound-for-pound great from Nebraska who will make his 154-pound debut in his first start since a career-best win over Errol Spence. That victory took place in July of 2023, which will make it a slightly over a year layoff for “Bud” when he steps through the ropes with Madrimov. Add in the unknown of how the 36-year-old Crawford will perform at junior middleweight, and there are plenty of questions surrounding this matchup. 

Madrimov isn’t concerned with those questions. Before the first bell rings, he’s focusing on the man in the mirror, not the one in the opposite corner. 

Crawford and Madrimov did the obligatory press tour in April. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

“I don’t think about him at all,” he said. “I don’t look at him, I don’t think about him, because now he’s my opponent and I’m just concentrating on myself, what I have to do and what I have to be prepared for. I’m not thinking about his good size, bad size, whatever. I just don’t think about him. Before, I used to watch him and look at him just as a great fighter and stuff like that. But right now, he’s just another opponent, and I never look at my opponents. I always concentrate on myself and on my work and what has to be done on my side to be prepared for the fight.”

The focus is clear. And though the words are spoken by practically every fighter on the planet in the lead-up to a big fight, Madrimov and his peers from Uzbekistan are built different. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, he went back home, put on his gi and practiced the art of judo, which he already had a black belt in. By late summer of that year, he was back to work in California with his coach Joel Diaz and his teammates, many of whom came with him from Uzbekistan.

“I’ll be honest,” said Frolov, who co-manages Madrimov with Vadim Kornilov, when we spoke about this topic in 2020. “Their work rate and their discipline, they’re just different. They eat, sleep, drink, walk – everything is about boxing. They’re so disciplined and, to me, I think that discipline beats class. It doesn’t matter how good you are. If you’re not disciplined, you’re gonna get lazy some day and you’re gonna get beat up by a more disciplined fighter.” 

“Before, I used to watch [Crawford] and look at him just as a great fighter and stuff like that. But right now, he’s just another opponent, and I never look at my opponents.”

Crawford matches Madrimov in that dedication to the game, so where does the champion gain his edge? It may be on the scale, and when pressed, Madrimov admits that size can play a part in what happens at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

“To be honest, yes, weight matters,” he said. “And, in boxing, they always teach us that you have to respect the weight. But there are people like Terence, who is such a great fighter that he was able to move up already three divisions and still didn’t hit the wall. I’m preparing to be that wall and, with him, it’s not about the weight classes, it’s more about skills. But I have skills of my own. So, with all respect to Crawford, this is my division and I’m getting ready to defend my belt.”

He’s ready, then?

“I think that he’s absolutely ready for it,” said Frolov. “First of all, that’s his goal. It’s everyone’s dream to be in the biggest fight in the world. So, for Israil, we call him “The Dream”; that was his dream. And the dream came true for us as a team. We got here and now we have to pull it off.”

“The Dream” (pictured here en route to a fifth-round stoppage of Alejandro Barrera) says he’s used to being under the spotlight because of his celebrity status in his home country. (Photo by Erick W. Rasco /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)

That’s on fight night. As for everything before it, yeah, this squad has it covered.

“Uzbeks are a little bit different,” said Frolov. “These guys, they’re used to the attention because in Uzbekistan, they’re like rock stars. So they know they have to spend time doing interviews, media and stuff like that. But in this camp specifically, we’re trying to avoid as much media as possible, because we have a goal and they are raised to do all the talking in the ring. That’s just part of their mentality.”

And for Israil Madrimov, the goal is clear. It’s not about winning or successfully defending his title. It’s bigger than that.

“This is the first time in history that a Uzbekistani fighter is fighting the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world,” Madrimov said. “So, for me, it’s a dream come true. It’s history in the making, and it will be a sensational thing in Uzbekistan. MJ (Murodjon Akhmadaliev) was the first unified champion. And this is going to be another record by beating the best pound-for-pound fighter. Doing something like that, achieving such a great thing for my country, for my family, for my coaches, for my friends, that’s the most important for me. Crawford is challenging me for my title and I’m challenging him for the greatness.”