It’s time for Riyadh Season’s first overseas event. Los Angeles’ BMO stadium will be the destination for the high-profile showdown between two-time undisputed champion Terence Crawford and WBA world super-welterweight champion Israil Madrimov. Crawford will be looking to win titles in a fourth weight class as he makes the jump from welterweight to super-welterweight. On the other hand, Madrimov will be having his first title defense at 154. HE Turki Alalshikh in partnership with Top Rank’s Bob Arum also brings star-studded undercard fights like Isaac Cruz vs. Jose Valenzuela (WBA Super lightweight title on the line), Andy Ruiz vs. Jarrell Miller (heavyweight bout), and Jared Anderson vs Martin Bakole (heavyweight bout) among many others ahead of the main event.

“We want to give people around the world the opportunity to enjoy their own Riyadh Season experience, and this is exactly what we hope to achieve by staging this and also future events around the world,” HE stated in a press release.

The Omaha, Nebraska native is returning to the ring after more than a year-long hiatus following his victory over Errol Spence Jr. last year to be crowned the undisputed champion in the welterweight division. Meanwhile, Madrimov is coming into the squared circle following his emphatic win over Russian fighter Magomed Kurbanov, to win his first world title, the WBA world super welterweight championship belt. The odds favor the more experienced fighter Crawford to pick up the victory. But, Madrimov, the 10-0-1 fighter, will be looking to cause an upset and make a resounding statement in the professional boxing scene.

But, is the main event canceled now? Lightweight sensation Ryan Garcia shared the fight poster of the Crawford vs Madrimov on his Instagram story and wrote, “I heard the fight got cancelled??? Is it?”. However, Garcia didn’t mention the source from where he got the information. What’s more, there haven’t been any updates from the fighters, or reputed boxing journalists about the cancellation of the fight. Unless Garcia reveals his sources it would be wrong to say that the fight has been scrapped in the eleventh hour.

A lot is riding on the event as it is the culmination of Riyadh season’s partnership with Top Rank where the former has agreed to sponsor 12 Top Rank events selected by the promoter during the remainder of this year and 2025. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority has also gone into partnerships with other top promotional companies in the US and UK like Golden Boy Promotions, Queensberry Promotions, and Matchroom Boxing. The success of events like these is needed for boxing which will result in likely extension of the existing contracts, and give the fans the matchups they desire.

Meanwhile, Terence Crawford has already fixed his mind on his next target after the Madrimov showdown.

The fight to secure his legacy and bank balance!

There is a reason why Crawford is moving up in weight class. Following the fight at 154 against Madrimov, he will be just two weight classes shy of the unified super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. The undefeated 37-year-old fighter is looking for a clash that would be a fitting closing remark to his boxing legacy and a big-money offer that would set him up for retirement. Thus, other worthy contenders like Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis will have to take a backseat as future Hall of Famer ‘Cinnamon’ seems like the only viable option for the Nebraska native.

“Canelo is going to bring way more to my legacy; way more to my bank account,” Crawford said in an interview with Ariel Helwani. But it is still not clear if Alvarez would risk a fight against one of the P4P kings of boxing. Both boxers are at the closing stages of their boxing career and are looking for their last big money grab before they hang up their boxing gloves.

Nonetheless, who are you rooting for in Crawford’s upcoming fight against Madrimov? Do you think an explosive pressure fighter like Madrimov can cause an upset against a calculative counterpuncher like Terence Crawford? Let us know in the comment section below.