Terence Crawford is a modern day Leonard, Hagler, Hearns

By Alan Dawson in Los Angeles

Terence Crawford is a modern day version of boxingโ€™s โ€˜Four Kings.โ€™

Thatโ€™s according to the fighterโ€™s coach Brian โ€˜Bomacโ€™ McIntyre, and Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn, who compared Crawford to โ€˜Sugarโ€™ Ray Leonard, amongst others.

In Crawfordโ€™s last fight, he put an all-time great beating on his long-time rival Errol Spence Jr., knocking him to the ground en route to finishing him in the ninth round of a one-sided drubbing.

With the victory, Crawford became the undisputed welterweight world champion, and one of the sportโ€™s top three pound-for-pound stars, alongside Naoya Inoue and Oleksandr Uysk.

He returns to the ring Saturday against Matchroom boxer Israil Madrimov in a WBA super welterweight world title fight that takes place at the 22,000 capacity BMO Stadium.

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 29: Terence Crawford speaks to Errol Spence Jr. following the World Welterweight Championship bout at T-Mobile Arena on July 29, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Reflecting on the Spence win to Boxing News, โ€˜Bomacโ€™ proclaimed Crawfordโ€™s victory over Spence as โ€œone of the topโ€ wins in the divisionโ€™s history.

โ€œThatโ€™s Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, and Ray Leonard,โ€ he told us. โ€œThatโ€™s one of those wins.โ€

The Madrimov fight as part of the Riyadh Season initiative is Crawfordโ€™s first bout since dominating Spence in July, last year.

Though Turki Alalshikh has rolled out the red carpet, and seemingly spared no expense for a fight week that has seen events on Santa Monicaโ€™s pier, at the Chinese Theater, and, tomorrow, the home venue of MLS side Los Angeles FC, Hearn suggests he deserves the Hollywood treatment โ€” and more.

โ€œI feel like he should be an American superstar,โ€ Hearn told Boxing News and other reporters this week.ย 

โ€œHe’s everything that is great about sports and competition, mindset and preparation, and living life like a true great. We should appreciate him while he is here.โ€

roberto duran

Hearn, like โ€˜Bomacโ€™ then compared him to the โ€˜Four Kings,โ€™ saying: โ€œHeโ€™s like Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, and Sugar Ray Leonard. Heโ€™s at that level.โ€

But, though he holds Crawford in such high regard, he does not seem to view him as the winner in Saturdayโ€™s showdown, as he lauds Madrimov.

โ€œ[Madrimov] is a 154-pound wrecking machine,โ€ said Hearn. โ€œNot just with power and chin but with great movement, and ring IQ.ย 

โ€œOn Saturday, this will be the toughest fight of Terence Crawfordโ€™s career, no doubt. Youโ€™re going to see a wonderful fight between two modern day greats.โ€

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