Terence Crawford and Julius Indongo have the rare opportunity to own each of the four widely recognized world titles in their weight class.
The 140-pound title-holders will pay plenty, though, for the chance to become a fully unified champion in the super lightweight division. BoxingScene.com has learned that Crawford, the WBC and WBO champion, and Indongo, the IBF and WBA champion, will pay more than $100,000 apiece in sanctioning fees from their undisclosed seven-figure purses to fight for those four world titles August 19 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska (ESPN).
The figures are so high because Crawford (31-0, 22 KOs), of Omaha, Nebraska, and Namibia’s Indongo (22-0, 11 KOs) each will submit 12 percent of their respective purses for the right to fight for those four championships.
Indongo was stripped of the IBO 140-pound championship on Monday. If that fifth title would’ve been at stake a week from Saturday night, Crawford and Indongo would’ve paid even more in sanctioning fees.
The IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO and IBO typically take 3 percent apiece from the purses of a champion and challenger when those organizations sanction a title fight. In cases of superstars such as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez, those sanctioning bodies often negotiate lower fees for title fights because those highly paid stars aren’t willing to pay 3 percent from their eight-figure purses.
Whoever wins the Crawford-Indongo fight will become the first boxer in any division in 12 years to hold the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO titles at the same time. The last boxer to own all four titles at the same time was Jermain Taylor, who won the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO middleweight titles from Bernard Hopkins in July 2005.
When Taylor and Hopkins fought again in December 2005, only the WBA, WBC and WBO middleweight titles were at stake in their immediate rematch.
Mandatory defenses and champions’ unwillingness to pay four sanctioning fees have prevented such a fight from happening in the 12 years since Taylor beat Hopkins at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The 140-pound title-holders will pay plenty, though, for the chance to become a fully unified champion in the super lightweight division. BoxingScene.com has learned that Crawford, the WBC and WBO champion, and Indongo, the IBF and WBA champion, will pay more than $100,000 apiece in sanctioning fees from their undisclosed seven-figure purses to fight for those four world titles August 19 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska (ESPN).
The figures are so high because Crawford (31-0, 22 KOs), of Omaha, Nebraska, and Namibia’s Indongo (22-0, 11 KOs) each will submit 12 percent of their respective purses for the right to fight for those four championships.
Indongo was stripped of the IBO 140-pound championship on Monday. If that fifth title would’ve been at stake a week from Saturday night, Crawford and Indongo would’ve paid even more in sanctioning fees.
The IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO and IBO typically take 3 percent apiece from the purses of a champion and challenger when those organizations sanction a title fight. In cases of superstars such as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez, those sanctioning bodies often negotiate lower fees for title fights because those highly paid stars aren’t willing to pay 3 percent from their eight-figure purses.
Whoever wins the Crawford-Indongo fight will become the first boxer in any division in 12 years to hold the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO titles at the same time. The last boxer to own all four titles at the same time was Jermain Taylor, who won the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO middleweight titles from Bernard Hopkins in July 2005.
When Taylor and Hopkins fought again in December 2005, only the WBA, WBC and WBO middleweight titles were at stake in their immediate rematch.
Mandatory defenses and champions’ unwillingness to pay four sanctioning fees have prevented such a fight from happening in the 12 years since Taylor beat Hopkins at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
