IBF orders Julius Indongo to face mandatory challenger Sergey Lipinets

Those clamoring for a super lightweight unification fight between IBF/IBO/WBA champ Julius Indongo and WBC/WBO champ Terence Crawford, including the fighters themselves, will have to be patient. The IBF has ordered “Blue Machine” to face top contender Sergey Lipinets in his next fight.

Lipinets confirmed the news on his Twitter page. Going by his previous tweets, it’s safe to say that he’s excited.

Indongo (22-0, 11 KO) smashed Eduard Troyanovsky in forty seconds for the IBF and IBO titles last December. This past Saturday saw him run roughshod over WBA champ Ricky Burns in the latter’s native Glasgow, proving rather decisively that the Troyanovsky thumping wasn’t a fluke.

Lipinets (12-0, 10 KO) presents a different sort of challenge. The former kickboxer has monstrous power and a relentless attack, but stands only 5’7” to Indongo’s 5’10.5”. It would undoubtedly be interesting to see whether Indongo’s offbeat sniping could turn away Lipinets’ onslaught.

A full unification match is still the ideal, but I wouldn’t complain about this one coming together. Here’s hoping Indongo eschews dropping the belt and locks horns with Lipinets.