Terence Crawford is on the cusp of a highly anticipated bout against Israil Madrimov at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, but a significant issue has surfaced that could potentially disrupt his game plan. According to a tweet from ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, Crawford’s team expressed concerns regarding the Grant gloves that Madrimov was set to use for the fight. Even though the California Boxing Commission inspected and approved these gloves, complications arose shortly thereafter.

As Crawford went through his warm-up routine, he agreed to use the same Grant gloves in order to ensure consistency. However, issues quickly became apparent when the gloves began to split at the seams during his pad work. This malfunction not only caused an unexpected delay in Crawford’s warm-up but also raised questions about the integrity of the equipment.

With the fight fast approaching, both fighters and officials are likely working to resolve the issue to ensure that the event proceeds smoothly and fairly. However, now it appears the issue with the gloves has been resolved, and the fight will go ahead as planned before.

Regardless, this draws attention to the importance of rules and regulations surrounding boxing equipment, especially the gloves that have been tampered with in the past. With that out of the way, before the fight starts, here’s the prediction from Madrimov’s promoter.

Eddie Hearn sees Terence Crawford losing

Every promoter would always support their own boxers, and the same goes for Eddie Hearn. However, his prediction for the fight seems a bit too excessive, especially considering the caliber of fighter Terence Crawford is. In an interview with Fight Hub, the Englishman said, “I’ve got to say, and I really mean this, I’ve got bad, bad feelings for Terence Crawford against Israil Madrimov.”

While Crawford may have the odds on his side, Madrimov is no newbie—his amateur experience trumps even Crawford’s. Nonetheless, Hearn added, “He is fighting the biggest puncher he’s ever faced on August 3rd… I’m telling you now, if Crawford gets hit on the chin by Israil Madrimov, he is gonna really, really know about it….”

Still, Crawford is coming off eleven back-to-back stoppage wins, which makes Hearn’s prediction a highly unlikely possibility. Not to mention, Crawford absolutely embarrassed Errol Spence Jr. last year. Yet there’s always that small chance that Crawford’s climb to super welterweight can cause some issues. So, time will tell what really happens.  

It’s one of the biggest fights of the year, and thankfully, the glove issues have been resolved. Now Crawford and Madrimov are set to face off in the ring. But does Madrimov have what it takes to win? Share your thoughts in the comments!