ESPN Boxing Weigh-ins: Terence Crawford, Julius Indongo Nearly Come to Blows

One of boxing’s greatest fighters will be on full display Saturday night as Terence Crawford will defend his WBO and WBC junior welterweight titles in front of his hometown fans. Trying to usurp Crawford’s ascent is Julius Indongo, who will put his IBF and WBA 140-pound titles on the line in one of the best matchups of the summer.

At Friday’s official weigh-ins, both undefeated powerhouses came in on the money and had a fierce face-off afterward. Neither man would avert his eyes during the staredown and eventually began pressing their foreheads into each other. Just as things were about to become volatile, members of both combatants’ teams intervened.

Indongo (22-0, 11 KOs) won the IBF version of his title last December when he knocked out Eduard Troyanovsky. He added the WBA belt in April when he edged Ricky Burns via unanimous decision. But as good as those wins were, neither man is as talented as Crawford. Indongo is confident that he will pull off the upset and when he stepped onto the scale, the Namibian nailed it; Indongo came in at 139 pounds.

Crawford (31-0, 22 KOs) has already captured the WBO lightweight title and then added both the WBO and WBC super lightweight straps to his resume. “Bud” has been tearing everybody apart and looked sensational again by stopping Felix Diaz in the 10th when they fought in May. The two-division world champion officially checked in at exactly 140 pounds.

The action will be televised live inside Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb., on ESPN beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

ESPN Boxing Weigh-in Results:

Terence Crawford (140) vs. Julius Indongo (139)
Oleksandr Gvozdyk (174.4) vs. Craig Baker (174.6)
Shakur Stevenson (126.2) vs. David Paz (125.6)
Dillan Whyte (260) vs. Malcolm Tann (238.2)