Staff Reporter
Windhoek-Namibian triple world boxing champion Julius ‘Blue Machine’ Indongo will be at ringside watching his potential next opponent, Terence Crawford of USA, at Madison Square Garden tomorrow night.
The undisputed Crawford, holder of the WBO and WBC world titles, goes punch for punch against Dominican Republic’s Felix Diaz and has made it crystal clear that the Namibian is his next opponent in his bid to unify all the titles in this particular Super Lightweight division.
Tomorrow’s bout takes place at the home of world boxing, Madison Square Garden in New York, and will be broadcast live exclusively on HBO.
Crawford made it clear that he is focused for now on the fight against Diaz, who is challenging Crawford for his WBC/WBO Super Lightweight championships in tomorrow’s showdown.
Beyond that, Crawford acknowledged that in his next fight he wants to face the undefeated Namibian in what would be a rare full title unification match.
“He’s a good fighter, this guy [Indongo],” Arum said. “That’s a guy people haven’t heard of, because he hasn’t fought in the United States. But our matchmakers say he’s a damn good fighter.
“And apparently, [he’s] looking forward down the line to fight Terence. … There is this kid that’s coming on, that’s a very, very good fighter, that I think holds two titles now at 140 [pounds]. That’s a good possibility.”
Crawford was particularly impressed by the manner in which Indongo beat Burns via unanimous decision in Scotland last month, an opponent Crawford also beat by the same margin in Glasgow to claim the WBO lightweight title in March 2014.
“I watched the fight,” Crawford said. “He put on a great performance. He did everything he had to do to get the job done. He’s tall and rangy and can box. It’d be a good fight.”
Indongo’s handler, Nestor ‘Sunshine’ Tobias accompanied his protégé to the United States and according to the world acclaimed boxing trainer/promoter, the mission is simply to watch Crawford and study his moves.
“He (Crawford) remains a possibility for Indongo’s next fight at this stage, with other possibilities of course, but it is important for us to prepare psychologically for all options and also get a feel of the famous Madison Square Garden.”
Tobias added that despite their presence in the United States, it should not be taken as a given that the fight against Crawford is a done deal. “He must first get past Diaz,” Tobias remarked.