It’s come full circle for trainer Joel Diaz inside the walls of his accomplished Indio, California, gym, from the burst of seeing the amazing talent of a young Terence Crawford, to the plotting of Crawford’s demise with Diaz’s junior-middleweight champion Israil Madrimov.
“It’s a very tough task. Terence Crawford is the best fighter pound-for-pound and very well-rounded. It’s an honor to work on a plan to beat him. We have a good strategy with a good fighter,” Diaz told ProBox TV.
Three-division champion Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is seeking a fourth division title against World Boxing Association titleholder Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) in Saturday’s main event at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, and victory has the potential to propel Crawford toward a date with four-division champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
While Diaz knows Nebraska’s Crawford maintains a clean-living lifestyle and possesses double-handed power, so does Uzbekistan’s Madrimov.
“You don’t know what to expect with Crawford, and Madrimov is the same way. They both dominate their stances from both [sides], so we’ve had good left-handers, right-handers, speed guys so we can be ready,” Diaz said. “We’ll expect Plan A, B and C versus Terence Crawford. We know [who] we’re stepping into the ring against.”
Indeed, it was a young Crawford, less than 10 fights into his pro career, who was sent to Indio by his then-manager Cameron Dunkin to train alongside another Dunkin fighter, eventual Hall of Fame two-division champion Timothy Bradley Jr.
Crawford was a breath-taking talent, flashing the skill that would carry him toward world titles at lightweight, to become undisputed 140-pound champion and then to sweep up all the welterweight belts, too, with his destructive ninth-round TKO of Errol Spence Jr. one year ago Monday.
But Diaz has also seen Madrimov’s rise, as an accomplished amateur with more than 300 bouts who wanted to make his pro debut against then-154-pound champion Jaime Munguia.
“He’s been 100 percent disciplined … he makes his opponents uncomfortable and it’s not going to be easy for Crawford,” Diaz said. “Israil is very confident.”
Crawford also turns 37 in September, and Madrimov walks around close to 175 pounds, so there’s age and size disadvantages for the accomplished champion to bridge here.
“Those who know boxing know what age does,” Diaz said. “Every camp has wear and tear.
“A lot of things give me hope. Crawford was great at 140. Now, he’s moving up to 154. Madrimov is a solid 154. We’ll see how Crawford’s punches affect him.”
It’s a theory founded in something they witnessed first hand, when Alvarez moved back to light-heavyweight and couldn’t bother Madrimov’s close friend and stablemate, unbeaten light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, in Bivol’s convincing 2022 triumph.
“Israil’s given me a lot of hopes he’ll come out victorious,” Diaz said.
Diaz spoke of Madrimov’s supreme athleticism. He’s a former gymnast who can also wrestle and fight in the martial arts.
“He gets stronger each round,” Diaz said. “He’s really smart and has a killer instinct.”
Reflecting on Diaz’s appearance, ProBox TV’s “Deep Waters” analyst Paulie Malignaggi said, “Joel Diaz knows how to bring the best out of a fighter. The threat of Madrimov is real.”
Fellow analyst Chris Algieri calls Madrimov “a tough out.
“Diaz just hammered home all of the points why – [Madrimov’s] switching of sides, the fluidity … when you speak of that discipline and experience, it makes the intrigue of this fight so much more.”
