Terence Crawford Beats Julius Indongo Via Knockout in 3rd Round

Terence Crawford (32-0, 23 KOs) made boxing history Saturday night at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, defeating Julius Indongo (22-1, 11 KOs) by third-round knockout to unify all four world titles in the junior welterweight division.

It was a vicious, overwhelming victory for the 29-year-old Nebraskan. "Bud" Crawford knocked down Indongo in the second round with a left hand to the head, then finished him with a phenomenal body-shot knockout early in the third round. 

Bad Left Hook and boxer Sergio Mora reacted to the victory:

ESPN Boxeo linked to the winning moment, while Top Rank reacted:

Crawford's win marks the first time a boxer had unified all four belts in a weight class since Jermain Taylor beat Bernard Hopkins in 2005. The bout itself was the first four-belt unification fight since Hopkins defeated Oscar De La Hoya in 2004. He told ESPN.com's Dan Rafael prior to the fight how important it was to him to own the division:

"It means a lot to me being it's the first time all four belts have been on the line at one time in a long time. Only been done [three times] ever before. I am just ready for the moment and excited for the fight. This is what we do it for, to be called one of the best in the world, in the division. Why not shoot for greatness?"

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

Crawford brought his undefeated record and the WBC and WBO world titles into the bout. The undisputed king at 140 pounds, Crawford has proved himself nigh impossible to hit at times and one of the most creative, technically brilliant fighters in the sport. 

Indongo had established himself as a road warrior coming into the bout. After fighting solely in his native Namibia to start his career, Indongo ventured to Russia to defeat Eduard Troyanovsky on his home turf and then did the same to Ricky Burns in Glasgow. He picked up his IBF and WBA world junior welterweight titles in the process.

This set the stage for his intrusion into Crawford's Nebraska backyard, but this time he was met with swift defeat. 

Crawford, one of the best in boxing at switching stances, matched Indongo's southpaw stance for this bout. Indongo's best attributes are his power and length, but the speed and guile of Crawford made it difficult for him to connect with any punch packing real strength.

Ring's Mike Coppinger noted the 34-year-old Namibian's inability to connect wasn't for a lack of trying:

The cucumber-cool Crawford was unfazed by Indongo's wild swings. He put the pressure on him in the second round, and it paid off with a thumping knockdown.

RingTV.com's Douglass Fischer diagnosed Indongo's issues: 

Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole pointed out the discrepancy in one key area: 

Indongo may have shown he can outclass some of the better fighters in the division, but he was completely out of his depth against Crawford. 

The third round was all Crawford, and Bud finished off Indongo in a particularly unfriendly manner, dodging a whipping hook shot and following it up with a short, sharp strike to Indongo's liver, sending him crumpling to the canvas in pain. 

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden described the vicious blow: 

"

Christ, they heard that shot in Kansas. #CrawfordIndongo

— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) August 20, 2017"

Of course, the big question for Crawford is: What's next?

He's taken complete ownership at 140 pounds, so it seems that if he is to make bigger money and really become a household name, he will have to move up to the welterweight ranks.