Saturday Night Boxing: SNB Scouting Report -- Julius Indongo

Who: Julius Indongo

Age: 34

Country: Namibia

Record: 22-0 (11 KOs)

Division: Junior welterweight (140 lbs.)

Titles: Currently has IBF and WBA titles at 140 lbs.

Stance: Southpaw

Trainer: Nestor Tobias

Promoter: MTC Nestor Sunshine Promotions and Matchroom Sport

Next fight: August 19, 2017 against Terence Crawford

Miscellaneous: Indongo was a 2008 Olympian for Namibia

Style in a nutshell: Indongo is an energetic, athletic southpaw who uses his massive height (5'10 1/2") and reach (71 1/2") advantages to control range while applying a consistent and impressive work rate. Indongo's offense consists mostly of his jab and left hand; however, he uses these punches in a variety of ways. Indongo is excellent at leading with his jab and he'll go to the body with it frequently. In addition, he employs his jab as a quality counter shot, one of his main ways to thwart fighters from rushing in on him.

Indongo throws a number of different punches with his left hand. Perhaps his most pulverizing is a slinging left hand (that knocked out Eduard Troyanovsky to win his first title). He changes the angle and trajectory of the shot and it can be difficult to defend. In addition, he'll throw straighter, more traditional lefts to the body and head. He does have a right hook, which he throws as a counter and, far less frequently, as a lead. It's not terribly accurate but it can catch an opponent by surprise.

Everything from Indongo is at mid-range or at distance. He rarely allows fighters to get in close and when those instances do occur, most likely he'll tie up or quickly leave the pocket. He tries to maintain distance whenever possible.

Indongo is a very active fighter but he's not an accurate one. He'll lunge in with wide lefts and many of his shots miss the mark. However, he does have good power with his left hand, both to the head and body. If he can land his best slinging left hand (it almost resembles a sidearm shot), he can cause damage.

Strengths: height, reach, hand and foot speed, athleticism, applies effective pressure, work rate, body punching, conditioning, ring IQ.

Weaknesses: Inside game, accuracy, only likes going forward, just one knockout weapon, limited offensive arsenal, leaves himself open to be countered.

Best punches: Slinging left hand, straight left hand to the body, jab

Worst punch: Uppercut

Stylistic Quirks: Indongo often throws such wide, looping shots that he frequently finds himself out-of-position, where he can be easily countered. On defense, he doesn't have much of a counter left hand. His main counter shots (hook and jab) are with his right. When he has an opponent against the ropes, he works very deliberately. He'll often throw just a shot or two before resetting. He's very careful about giving up his size, reach and distance. He likes to initiate offense. Very rarely will he let an opponent be first with shots.

When Indongo is at his best: Stalking with his right jab and throwing his left behind it, Indongo commands the ring and leaves his opponents unable to close the distance. Featuring a high punch volume, Indongo continues to throw shots. Not all of them will connect but he scores with his jab and left. He goes to the body as much as he does to the head, leaving opponents unsure of how to defend themselves. He varies the angle and the trajectory of his punches to create added difficultly for his foes.

When Indongo is vulnerable: After throwing and missing with a long left hand, he can be countered with any number of shots. Opponents who can hold their ground and fire off quick counters can have success against him. In addition, he doesn't want to work on the inside. If and when an opponent can get at close range, he doesn't have to worry about much coming back from Indongo.

How Indongo can have success against Crawford:

Against certain opponents, such as Thomas Dulorme and Hank Lundy, Crawford will take a few rounds to ease his way into the fight. He'll wait to time opponents and find openings. In the initial third of the fight, Indongo will have the opportunity to set the pace and score with shots as Crawford gets his bearings. In addition, Indongo will most likely land one of those slinging left hands in the early rounds (especially if Crawford is in a conventional stance), which will surprise Crawford and potentially hurt him. Indongo needs to keep a high work rate and throw punches, irrespective of their accuracy. He'll be able to win some rounds based on activity. Eventually, Crawford will pull the trigger with more regularity but Indongo can't get discouraged. He'll need to consistently throw shots and ride his high punch volume in hopes of winning a decision.

How Crawford can trouble Indongo:

Crawford may decide to fight almost exclusively as a southpaw, which most likely will reduce Indongo's effectiveness with the jab. In addition, by moving to his left (in either stance), Crawford will be able to neutralize Indongo's left hand. Crawford will have the ability to counter Indongo's wildness. In those moments, he can have a lot of success with a counter right hook (out of the southpaw stance) or an uppercut from either hand. Crawford will have some free shots during these quick flurries. If he's accurate, he can cause a lot of damage. Finally, Crawford can do his best to work on the inside. Using feints and lateral movement, he can get inside and fire off two- and three-punch combinations before Indongo can effectively tie him up. Crawford will have a number of options to unfurl his offensive arsenal; he just can't wait too long to get started.

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com

He's a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.