Breakdown: Terence Crawford vs. Julius Indongo fight preview and prediction
Saturday night, ESPN presents a world title unification fight when Terence Crawford faces Julius Indongo. Here, we break down the fight and what you can expect.
This Saturday night, ESPN presents their latest Top Rank card as Terence Crawford (31-0; 22 KO) faces Julius Indongo (22-0; 11 KO). The fight is for Crawford’s WBO, WBC, and Ring titles, and Indongo’s IBF and WBA titles - meaning the winner here will unify the division and be the undisputed king at 140 pounds. Ring Magazine puts Indongo as the division’s #2 contender, with divisional champion Crawford also sitting at #4 on their pound for pound list. The fight will air live on ESPN this Saturday, August 19 with a fight time of 10:00 p.m. ET, with prelims airing online at ESPN3 starting at 6:30.
How do these two stack up?
Crawford: 29 years old | 5’8” | 70" reach | switches stance
Indongo: 34 years old | 5’10” | 71” reach | southpaw stance
What have these two done recently?
Crawford: W - Felix Diaz (RTD) | W - John Molina, Jr. (TKO) | W - Viktor Postol (UD)
Indongo: W - Ricky Burns (UD) | W - Eduard Toyanovsky (KO) | W - Fabian Lyimo (TKO)
How did these two get here?
Terence Crawford really burst onto the scene in 2014, winning Fighter of the Year and Fight of the Year accolades on many cards. He became the lineal king at 135 pounds, then stepped up to 140 where he’s become the top dog and now looks to cement that position by unifying all the titles - an insanely rare feat in modern boxing. Crawford is an excellent technical boxer, but he’s also a bit of a brawler, which makes him a thrilling fighter to watch at times. He has often brought his fights to his highly vocal hometown fans in Nebraska - this fight takes place in Lincoln.
Julius Indongo was virtually unknown a year ago. Indongo represented Namibia at the 2008 Olympics, turning pro the next year. He went 20-0 fighting exclusively in Namibia against African boxers. Then, last December, Eduard Troyanovsky brought him to Russia to be an opponent for a routine title defense. Indongo knocked him out in 40 seconds. In April, Ricky Burns thought he could take the title Indongo claimed from Troyanovsky and unify it with his own - Indongo dominated him in a clear decision win. It’s been an amazing year for him, and it culminates here.
What can fans expect?
What makes Terence Crawford so very good is that high level technique combined with a genuine desire to rough his opponent up in there. He tends to start a bit slow, but is ready to pick up the pace when needed. And when he does, he’s vicious, beating opponents down into submission. Indongo has showed that he is capable of ending the night quickly, and just as capable of controlling over 12 rounds. But there’s no way he rolls over Crawford here like he did his last two opponents. To win this, he’ll have to show that he can survive a war, because the man that finally beats Crawford is going to take a heck of a beating himself in the process. It’s so hard to get a read on Indongo to know if he has that in him. Gut instinct is no - but I fully recognize that Indongo has made a year out of defying expectations. It would be an incredible story if he pulled this off, but I don’t see it.
Prediction: Terence Crawford, KO9
Why should you watch?
It’s one of the best in the world taking on a solid challenge and making history in the process. Indongo is enough of a wild card that there should be some intrigue to this one - I’m incredibly excited to see how it plays out.