Late last week it was announced that RING, WBC and WBO junior welterweight kingpin Terence Crawford would face WBA/IBF beltholder Julius Indongo to unify all the 140-pound titles on August 19 in Lincoln, Nebraska, on ESPN.

Indongo (22-0, 11 knockouts) was ringside for Crawford’s last fight, a masterful May 20 beatdown of 2008 Olympic gold medalist Felix Diaz.

“The atmosphere at Madison Square was electrifying and it was important for me to see Crawford fighting live,” Indongo told RingTV.com. “Like all opponents out there, I respect his craft. He is clever, tricky and a damn good boxer and I congratulate him for his win.”

In an official statement given today, Indongo added, “I feel truly blessed to be at the right time at the right place and with the best team and sponsor. After two massive world title wins against two world champions away from home, I now find myself in the most important fight in boxing history, a full unification fight with five world titles on the line. I am honoured to be part of it, to represent my country Namibia, and winning it against a world class and undefeated fighter like Terence Crawford will be a bonus.”

Things have moved quickly for Indongo. He headed to Russia six months ago as an unknown and sizeable 7-1 underdog, knocking out Eduard Troyanovsky with a vicious left hook at 0:40 of the opening round.

The 34-year-old followed that by again going on the road, this time besting Ricky Burns and proving the Troyanovsky victory wasn’t a lucky punch.

“It was a fantastic and tough fight,” said the African southpaw boxer-puncher. “Even though I dominated the fight I had to be very vigilant because Burns is a clever and powerful boxer.

“Fighting away from home is never easy; if you do not win convincingly anything can happen. We have seen the strangest decisions in boxing. I therefore knew I had to win beyond a reasonable doubt or knock him out to walk away with a win. It was our strategy from the beginning and I simply stuck to the game plan.”

Although he’s enjoyed a whirlwind six months, Indongo says life has been the same as before his success. He has resumed his full-time job as a police officer and has taken part in a couple of roadshows to show his appreciation to the boxing fans in Namibia. He hopes this inspires other boxers in his homeland.

“Of course more people now know Julius Indongo and the attention has been amazing,” he said. “but I remain humble and focused on the future. I appreciate the love from fans across the world especially in Namibia. They have been there since day one and their love and encouragement propels me forward.”

His manager/promoter Nestor Tobias explained further: “He is a household name and an inspiration to many boxers and people in general that anything is possible.”