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Terrence Crawford

Terence Crawford vs. Julius Indongo: Who Will Become Undisputed Champion at 140 pounds?

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Terence Crawford faces Julius Indongo in a 140-pound title unification bout on August 19th, 2017 at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Undisputed Champion

Terence Crawford has been on the brink of superstardom for quite some time now. But after failing to land a fight with Manny Pacquiao, Crawford now sets his sights on becoming the undisputed light welterweight champion. This is only the fourth time in history where the four major belts are on the line in one fight and the first one not involving Bernard Hopkins. Crawford first won the WBO belt by beating Ricky Burns and then captured the WBC strap by defeating Viktor Postol. Now he stakes both against an opponent who owns the other two major belts at 140 pounds.

Road Warrior

Indongo fought the first 20 bouts of his pro career in his native Namibia but has fought on the road in his last two bouts. Both have been world title bouts and both have been fought on his opponent’s home soil. Indongo knocked out Eduard Troyanovsky in Russia to win the IBF and IBO 140 pounds titles. Four months later, he traveled to the United Kingdom to unify the belts with WBA light welterweight belt. Indongo beat Ricky Burns by unanimous decision to become unified 140-pound champion. Now after achieving his dream to be unified champion, Indongo has a shot at immortality as he challenges unbeaten 140-pound superstar Terence Crawford for the WBO, WBC, Ring and lineal 140 pounds titles.

Can’t Underestimate

Crawford is the big favorite here at -1000 while Indongo is the understandable underdog at +600. All of us know who Terence Crawford is but this may be the first time you’ve heard of Julius Indongo. Even then, you can’t underestimate the challenger. He beat Troyanovsky in Russia and Burns in the United Kingdom. He’s a proven fighter whose awkward style can catch Terence Crawford off guard. Indongo is rangy and moves around the ring pretty well. He isn’t really known for his punching power but three of his last four bouts have ended in knockout, including the win over Troyanovsky.

Class By Himself

Bud Crawford, however, is in a class by himself at 140. He’s too smart to fall into Indongo’s traps and won’t be lured into a brawl. Crawford’s going to catch Indongo with his perfectly timed counters and hurt him at some point in the fight. Five of Bud’s last six bouts have ended in stoppage and it’s likely this one’s headed in that direction, too.

Indongo’s a worthy challenger but Bud Crawford’s too smart a boxer for him. Indongo has never faced an opponent at Crawford’s level. We think he’s pushing his luck too far here. We’re going to pick Terence Crawford to win by stoppage after round 6.

Terence Crawford vs. Felix Diaz Odds and Prediction

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Terence Crawford defends his WBC, WBO, Ring and Lineal junior welterweight titles against challenger and former Olympic Gold medalist Felix Diaz on May 20th, 2017 at the Mecca of Sports, Madison Square Garden.

Fighting on A Big Stage

Crawford is considered as one of the top pound for pound fighters in the world. His journey to becoming one of boxing’s biggest stars has been well-documented. But while Crawford’s name has risen from the ranks, he has never really fought on a big stage. Sure, he packed Omaha’s Century Link Center  each time he fought and he defeated Viktor Postol at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, but none of his previous wins have been fought in a venue as big as the Madison Square Garden. Now Crawford looks to extend his unbeaten record to 31 against a challenger not many people are familiar with.

2008 Olympic Gold medalist Felix Diaz is on the brink of superstardom. He is coming off a TKO win over Levi Morales last December. Prior to that, Diaz notched his biggest career win, upsetting the highly regarded Sammy Vasquez by unanimous decision. In search of his first professional world title, he faces an overwhelming favorite.

Are The Lines Exaggerated?

Crawford is currently a -1700 favorite and Diaz comes in as the obvious under dog at +1100. Don’t let those numbers fool you. The lines are exaggerated because of the name ‘Crawford’ and because the casuals do not know who Felix Diaz is.

Diaz is a former Olympic Gold medalist who has beaten a handful of good fighters in the pros without any trouble. Although he is shorter, Diaz has the athleticism to give Crawford a run for his money or even stage an upset. His high work rate and aggressor attitude could cause some problems for Terence Crawford. If you have a few extra dollars, it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to place a small bet on Diaz.

This Bud’s For You

However, if we’re picking a winner here, we’re going with Bud Crawford. While Diaz may cause him some problem, the Dominican Republic native doesn’t pack a big punch so it’s likely the fight is going the distance. That’s going to be a problem against Crawford, who is one of the best boxers and ring tacticians in the game today. Crawford is bigger, smarter and has a big edge in punching power. If Diaz throws wild shots at Crawford, it might be a quick fight. In all likelihood, this will be a decision win for Crawford. A knockout though isn’t out of the picture. We’re picking Terence Crawford to win on points.