Boxing fans might not recognize Terence Crawford as best in the sport, but he undeniably is a maker of history.
Crawford knocked out Julius Indongo on Saturday night in Lincoln, Neb., in the third round of their junior-welterweight championship bout. With the victory, Crawford, whose record now stands at 32-0 with 23 knockouts, became boxing’s first undisputed champion since Bernard Hopkins in 2004 and just the second undisputed champ in the four-belt era.
“I’m the only one that can say I’m the undisputed champion of the world,” Crawford said after the fight, per The Ring. “And that’s real. No one else can say that.”
Not to be content with his rare accomplishment, Crawford, 29, plans to vacate his four belts and compete in the welterweight division to challenge the winner of the Manny Pacquiao-Jeff Horn rematch.
“I’m on my way (to welterweight),” Crawford said. “Listen, at the end of the day there is only going to be one name (at 147 pounds) and that’s going to be Terence Crawford.”
The victory enabled Crawford, 29, to hold on to his No. 4 ranking on The Ring’s list of the top pound-for-pound boxers. Two other boxers on the list’s top 10, Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin, will square off Sept. 16 to decide three middleweight title belts.
Thumbnail photo via Steven Branscombe/USA TODAY Sports Images
