Otniel Hembapu
Windhoek-Undefeated WBC and WBO world champion Terence Crawford on Saturday said if he does not secure a fight against Filipino veteran Manny Pacquiao, then Namibia’s triple world champion Julius ‘Blue Machine’ Indongo will most likely be his next opponent.
American boxing sensation Crawford on Saturday retained both his titles when he delivered a brilliant performance from start to finish, tearing apart Dominican opponent Felix Diaz, who was thick, skilled and powerful, but no match for someone of Crawford’s ilk.
After retaining his WBC-WBO super lightweight world championship belts at the Madison Square Garden via an 11th round technical knockout, Crawford wasted little time in calling out WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, Julius Indongo (IBO, IBF and WBA) and WBC, WBA welterweight king Keith Thurman as the next top three boxers he would like to take on.
But from the look of things, Indongo might be the likeliest next opponent for Crawford, if the politics of boxing don’t get in the way. In fact, Crawford’s promoter, Top Rank, have in recent times expressed their eagerness to test Crawford in a title unification bout against Indongo.
The undefeated 34-year-old Namibian, along with promoter Nestor Tobias and trainer Imms Moses, certainly got to see the best of Crawford on Saturday night, as they were at ringside during the mega fight.
“That’s the only fight out there that we’re really looking for (against Pacquiao), but if don’t get it, Indongo’s here. He came to my fight. Let’s get it on, Indongo. Who knows [if Pacquiao will fight me]? That’s not up to me. I’m a fighter. That’s up to my promoter, Bob Arum. He’s got a fight he’s preparing for now, and he’s more focused on that fight than anything else,” Crawford said.
About the possibilities of a unification fight against Indongo, Crawford added: “Well, I never kept track of how many people have ever held all four titles, but it is one of my goals to say that I am the undisputed champion. I watched the (Indongo-Burns) fight and Indongo put on a great performance. He did what he had to do to get the job done. He’s tall and rangy and he can box. It would be a good fight.”
– Additional info: Yahoo Sports