A month away is one of the biggest fights in 2017, one of the major fights I’m anticipating. I’m not speaking of Floyd Mayweather-Conor Mcgregor, but of 140 pound champion Terence Crawford and another 140 champion Julius Indongo. Both fighters have their respective portion of the belts in the division, but both boxers are keen on cutting it down to just one champion in the 140 pound division. The last time I’ve or we’ve witnessed an undisputed champion at junior welterweight was when IBF champ Zab Judah and WBC & WBA Kostya Tszyu stepped in the ring 14 years ago for the crown. I think a lot of hardcores remember how that went. Tszyu scored a second round stoppage over Judah in 2003 which led to a big ring tussel with Jay Nady and Judah. But right after, Tzsyu didn’t keep the crown long once the WBA and WBC stripped him of the belts after some injuries keeping him out of the ring. He was left with the IBF belt until he lost it in 2005 to Ricky Hatton. Ricky Hatton quickly unified with Carlos Maussa, while Floyd Mayweather won the WBC against the late Arturo Gatti. Why the Mayweather-Hatton never happened next at 140, I don’t know but it would have been a real hardcore pleaser.
But now, over a decade, we are getting the fight that many divisions are close to following, the best against the best. As soon as Terence Crawford won his first title he was quick to unify with Viktor Postal. Julius Indongo snagged his first title against Eduard Troyanovsky in one round, and he quickly came back next fight taking the belt of Ricky Burns. Since that fight, he has only wanted the Crawford fight even Sergey Lipinets had to step back as mandatory to let these two make the bout we all want. Crawford was only in the ring three months ago and he is ready to take on the biggest threat to him in the divison for it all. I do favor Crawford in this fight, but anything can happen, granted he has an off day. Julius Indongo wasn’t given the titles he has earned them in every right and he has the abilty to take the fight to Crawford. Crawford has already proven to me he is a gifted fighter, but this is where Indongo steps in and has to prove to us if he has that gift too.