Written by DeMarkus Jones – There are a few names that you could justifiably as the best boxer in the sport today. Andre Ward, Vasyl Lomachenko, Mikey Garcia and Gennady Golovkin are some of the more popular names. However the guy that is most poised to take over boxing is Terence Crawford. He might not have the glamorous resume of Ward of the stunning highlight reel of Golovkin. However dive a little deeper and you will discover an elite boxer with no real visible weakness who is ready to be the top attraction in boxing.
Terence Crawford
Bud Crawford boxing news and latest headlines
IBF orders Terence Crawford to defend against mandatory challenger Sergey Lipinets; but will the unified champ choose to vacate?
Boxing moves fast these days and the sanctioning bodies move even faster. Less than 48 hours after scoring a scorching 3rd round KO win over Julius Indongo to unify all four major belts at 140 pounds, Terence Crawford was ordered to make his first mandatory defence; so reports ESPN.com
The IBF ordered the unbeaten Crawford to face Sergey Lipinets of Kazakhstan but living in Los Angeles. The 28 year old is unbeaten at 12-0 (10) and he KO’d a good fighter in Lenny Zappavigna to become the IBF mandatory challenger. Still, it’s likely not too many fight fans will be overly familiar with Lipinets, certainly not to the extent that they will get too excited over the prospect of seeing Crawford defend against him.
Terence Crawford plans move to welterweight: There is only going to be one name
Terence Crawford just keeps getting better and better. The brand new unified, WBC/WBO/IBF/WBA super-lightweight ruler was expected to defeat Julius Indongo, but not too many people predicted a quick, brutal 3rd round KO win for him. Most had last night’s fight down as either a distance fight or at least one that would go into the later rounds.
Crawford knew though. He had gone on record, his team and himself, saying before the fight that he would score a KO, and that he did, with one of the best body punch finishes you’ll see all year. The scary part, though, is this – Crawford, at age 29, is not yet at his peak. How much better, or greater, can the two-weight champ become?
Results: Crawford stops Indongo in 3rd round KO
WBC/WBO light welterweight champion Terence Crawford (32-0, 23 Kos) got the better of IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Julius Indongo (22-1, 11 KOs) in beating him by a knockout in round 3 of their unification bout on ESPN and ESPN Deportes on Saturday night at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Crawford ended the fight with a body should in round 3. Indongo couldn’t get up off the canvas to bet the count. The fight was promptly stopped by referee Jack Reiss. The time of the stoppage came at 1:38 of the 3rd.
Win or lose tonight, will Terence Crawford move up to welterweight next?
Terence Crawford, who has already won a world title at lightweight, has spent two years and four months of his impressive career fighting at super-lightweight; winning the WBO belt in April of 2015 and adding the WBC crown to his collection in July of 2016. Tonight, should Crawford do as most fans and experts predict, and beat Julius Indongo, he will hold all four major belts at 140.
The question, even if the answer seems to be an obvious one, is will Crawford move up to welterweight after tonight’s fight – win or lose? Most people feel he will win, so assuming he does, will Crawford, 31-0(22) choose to vacate the four belts he spent just under two-and-a-half years collecting and jump right up to 147 in his next fight?
Crawford vs Indongo: Sovereignty at 140
When Terence Crawford and Julius Indongo step in the ring this Saturday night on ESPN history will be on their side. A quality matchup on paper gets majorly upgraded by being the first chance to crown an undisputed champion at any weight in over 12 years. Former middleweight lineal champion Jermaine Taylor was the last undisputed in boxing while Kostya Tszyu accomplished that feat at junior welterweight.
Is Terence Crawford the pound-for-pound best today if he beats Julius Indongo?
It’s an interesting fight that has attracted far less attention than should almost certainly be the case (due in large part to the quite incredible amount of press a certain fight set for August 26 has generated) – and tomorrow night’s 140 pound unification clash between Terence Crawford and Julius Indongo will see a new pound-for-pound ruler crowned.
This is the opion of Crawford anyway. Speaking with the media at yesterday’s final press conference before the big fight, Crawford said he “must” be looked at as the best boxer in the world pound-for-pound after he beats Indongo and adds his two belts to the two he already has in his possession. Crawford said there will be “no discussion” on the subject of who the pound-for-pound best is after he has dealt with the tall and dangerous Indongo; and of course, “Bud” is ultra confident he will pick up the win tomorrow.
Terence Crawford Interview Transcript
TODD duBOEF: We have given Terence all of the accolades about how great of a fighter he is, which we all know, but I didn’t know he was an internet sensation now. You have to talk about the Internet sensation! I thought this was the Brian McIntyre internet sensation in the last fight from “Camp Life,” but at the press conference tomorrow you’ve got to show me your McGregor Challenge.
TERENCE CRAWFORD: It means a lot to me being it will be the first time that all four belts will be on the line at one time in the division’s history and it has only been done twice in boxing. I’m just ready for the moment and fight time this weekend.
Julius Indongo Interview Transcript
TODD duBOEF: It is going to be an exciting night on Saturday. This will be our third event going live on ESPN and what a way to start with Pacquiao, Lomachenko and now the title unification of Terence Crawford and Julius Indongo. We are going to be in Lincoln, Nebraska this time as Lady Gaga is in Omaha. We are looking forward to Lincoln, as that’s where the Cornhuskers are. This is an incredible thing to be able to do. A lot of time people talk about seeing good fights – guys fight guys that are accomplished – then there’s other guys that want the challenges.
Crawford vs Indongo on Super Channel this Saturday
Continuing its strong efforts as the television destination for viewing world-class boxing in Canada, Super Channel subscribers will be able to watch this Saturday night’s World Junior Welterweight Unification Championship between undefeated world champions, Terence Crawford and Julius “Blue Machine” Indongo, starting at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, live from Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.