Calm before the storm

We love boxing because anything can happen, in any given moment, in the ring.

The fight can stop at any given time depending on who wants it more. Pugilism is indeed the theatre of the unexpected. One minute you are standing tall and the next moment you are gasping for air on the floor.

This happened in Moscow last December, when Julius Indongo demolished defending IBF and IBO champion Eduard Troyanovsky with a punch that dazed him 40 seconds into the fight. Nobody saw it coming.

The dethronement caused a great upset in the super lightweight division. Opponents wanted a piece of the boxer who had disrespected an opponent who had more experience than him.

In April this year Indongo met Ricky Burns in the ring and again silenced the crowd in Scotland. During the fight, the Scots ringside assistants asked for Indongo's water to be tested. He must be high on drugs, they said, according to Indongo.

They could not believe how the Namibia kept increasing his momentum in each round, not showing any signs of tiring. Was he that good or was his opponent not ready for the fight?

But those records are something of the past now as Indongo yet again faces the greatest fight of his life when he steps into the ring with Terence 'Bud' Crawford from the US in a week's time.

Both fighters have a story to tell. Both have dreams to be the greatest, but only one man has what it takes to leave the ring victorious.

As the date for the fight nears, Indongo has shown no sign of fear or intimidation as he goes about his daily routine at training. The boxer gears for the fight which would most probably make him the first African boxer to win the world super lightweight title.

This is a great achievement for the police officer who hails from a village where he learned to spar in a backyard and not in an exclusive gym like some athletes.

Indongo's exterior shows no sign of fear or worry, in interviews he looks calm and collected, a man on a mission. When you look at him he seems like he is calculating in his mind the best way to approach his high-class opponent who has won more fights than him.

His calm character could be a good or bad thing, depending on the way you look at it. Good in a sense that his opponent is not aware of the danger facing him. And bad because he seems too relaxed for a man who is about to go to war not only for himself and his country Namibia, but for the whole continent.

They are expecting him to show the great talent Africa has and the hard work he has put in over the years, honing his skills.

Indongo could explode and unleash a beast in the ring, allowing us to see a different side to him, which would be a good thing, or he would remain calm and collected – I am not sure which one will work for him.

Locally there is a video circulating of Crawford as he floors his opponents mercilessly. Does that worry Namibia's finest boxer? I am not sure. Has he been keeping tabs on Crawford? I am sure he has.

What is his plan? Crawford will not take Indongo's punches lying down and will not give him a moment's rest in the ring, he will chase him like a hungry wolf thirsty for blood.

Will Indongo remain timid and allow Crawford to bring the fight to him or will he shed his shy demeanour and sting like a bee?

For Indongo to beat Crawford, he must have far more than a plan A, or even a plan B. He needs to have multiple strategies in the ring. In simple words, he needs to be a beast to defeat one.

But that's something that's far easier said than done. Let's wait and see.



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