Last weekend, the Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov fight reportedly resulted in a significant financial loss, exceeding $10 million, during a Riyadh Season event at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. The event, spearheaded by Turki Alalshikh, was staged in Southern California rather than Las Vegas. This decision to host the fight in a less traditional boxing venue seemed to backfire, with many empty seats visible despite numerous tickets being given away to fill the stadium.

Journalist Kevin Iole reported that tickets were heavily discounted, yet there was still a noticeable lack of demand. The main event, featuring Crawford against the relatively unknown Madrimov, failed to attract a large audience. Fans in the U.S. were not familiar with Madrimov, who, despite being a former WBA junior middleweight champion, had only 11 professional fights under his belt, making him an obscure figure for many.

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The event's failure can be attributed to several factors, including Crawford's inactivity, having not fought in 13 months, and his lack of star appeal. Additionally, the fight was poorly promoted, staged in an inappropriate location, and despite an excellent undercard, it lacked a significant fight to bolster the main event. Crawford's matchup with Madrimov simply did not generate enough interest to justify the high ticket prices or the pay-per-view costs.

Moving forward, it is clear that Crawford needs a high-profile opponent to draw significant attention. A potential fight with a well-known fighter like Jaron “Boots” Ennis or Canelo Alvarez could be the key to filling a stadium. Such a matchup would likely attract the casual boxing fans necessary to make the event financially viable.

To prevent future financial losses, Turki Alalshikh and his team must focus on securing bigger names for Crawford's bouts or consider smaller venues that match his current drawing power. Without popular opponents or better promotional strategies, staging fights in large stadiums on the West Coast may continue to result in empty seats and disappointing pay-per-view numbers.

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