Commentator Tim Bradley says Terence Crawford has failed to reach crossover appeal despite his victory against Errol Spence a year ago.
According to Bradley, Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) failed to capitalize on his biggest career win a year ago by sitting out for 13 months before fighting again, and now he’s feeling the pain.
Bradley points out that ticket sales for his fight against WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov this Saturday, August 3rd, “are not doing that hot” for the 22,000-seat BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
The undercard for the Crawford-Madrimov event on DAZN PPV is outstanding, perhaps the best the U.S. has seen in the last two decades. It’s expected to bring excellent numbers on pay-per-view, but Bradley hears that ticket sales aren’t impressive for this event.
Factors Affecting Ticket Sales
Bradley blames these factors for lukewarm ticket sales:
- Crawford not reaching crossover appeal
- Failure of Crawford to fight sooner after his victory over Spence last year in July 2023, which was the biggest of his career.
- Lack of charisma
- Choosing Southern California rather than Las Vegas for the venue. Crawford is from the Midwest, not from California.
Crawford has always lacked charisma and had never been a big draw during his career. His only success on PPV was his fight last year against former unified welterweight champion Spence, and many owe that to Errol. He’s the one who drew those fans.
Part-Time Career Approach
Crawford, a Nebraska native, has been fighting annually since 2020, but he hasn’t been seen enough to become a huge star. His habit of taking year-long vacations has negatively impacted his career, and we’re seeking that now.
If he had been fighting three to four times a year since, taking risky fights against dangerous opposition, he would likely have no problems selling out the BMO Stadium. Fighters who treat their profession as a part-time job for four consecutive years, like Crawford has, rarely become stars.
“Absolutely not,” said boxing commentator Tim Bradley to Probox TV when asked if Terence Crawford is a crossover Wheaties box star who can drive a promotion like Sugar Ray Leonard did in the 1980s.
“If you’re paying attention to ticket sales, they’re not doing that hot,” said Bradley about the ticket sales for this Saturday’s Riyadh Season event, headlined by Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Although talented, Crawford was never a big star during his career before leaving Top Rank. He was a guy who fought well, capturing titles but not doing a great job on the promotional side. Crawford didn’t possess the charisma, and his answers during interviews were often short.
“I was just in LA and asked a couple of promoters there, and they said, ‘No, the tickets aren’t really selling’ out there. Although Terence is a tremendous fighter, he hasn’t reached that superstardom just yet,” said Bradley.
Perhaps the biggest problem affecting ticket sales is casual boxing fans’ lack of familiarity with Israil Madrimov. He’s not well known, and even hardcore fans aren’t accustomed to seeing his fights. He wasn’t the ideal opponent for Crawford to fight in the 22,000-seat stadium.
It would have been better if His Excellency Turki Alalshikh had moved the Isaac Cruz vs. Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela fight to the main event and stuck the Crawford vs. Madrimov contest in the co-feature slot.
Failure to Stay Active
“The last time he fought was a year ago. I don’t think he took full advantage of that [win over Errol Spence in July 2023] then,” said Bradley about Crawford. “If he had fought a little bit sooner, he maybe could have sold out this place. However, you have guys underneath him that are trying to help sell.”
Crawford made a huge mistake by choosing to take a prolonged victory lap after his win over Errol Spence last year. He should have shown more ambition to return to the gym in late 2023 and then in the first quarter of 2024 to capitalize on his victory over Spence.
“Pitbull Cruz brings in a lot of eyes, and he can help sell this arena. You’ve got Andy Ruiz and guys underneath. Still, the tickets are not selling. It’s nothing against Crawford. He’s a Midwest guy coming out to the West Coast,” said Bradley.
Even if Pitbull Cruz were in the main event, his fight against Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela wouldn’t be big enough to sell out the BMO Stadium.
Cruz would need to fight Gervonta Davis to sell out this venue. He would still be better for the main event of this card than the Crawford-Madrimov contest because the Southern California area likes his fighting style.
“But if you’re a crossover superstar, you’re able to sell anyway. It doesn’t matter where you go in the States. What could have helped was the location. LA, California, a lot of promoters don’t like to do business here in California,” said Bradley.
Crawford, 36, likely will never be a crossover star because his fighting style isn’t popular with today’s boxing fans. They now prefer aggressive sluggers and are less interested in the Mayweather style of the past.
The Mayweather Effect
Crawford has a Mayweather quality in his fights, which doesn’t fit with fans nowadays. They want to be entertained and are not interested in watching fencing and movement, especially how Crawford fights.
“Everything is expensive; taxes are extremely high. Why not do a fight like this and a card like this in Las Vegas? That gives the fans the incentive to want to go and gamble. Hotels are a lot cheaper there as well. You have the entertainment as well,” said Bradley.
Las Vegas would have been the ideal city for this event to be staged to take advantage of the entertainment and low taxes. It’s still interesting that the event is being staged in Los Angeles because there’s also a lot to do there. You don’t see many big cards in LA, and it’s a nice change of pace to have it staged in that city.
“There’s so much more to do in Vegas, and fans would make a trip out of it and go watch a Terence Crawford fight. I remember watching him fight Shawn Porter [at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas in November 2021]. Yes, Crawford is a solid draw, but not here on the West Coast,’ said Bradley.
It’s unknown if Turki cared too much about ticket sales when Southern California was chosen for this event. If money is no object, it doesn’t matter in the long run that the event isn’t a sellout at the BMO Stadium on Saturday.
