A Julius Indongo type, a guy who hasn’t fought in the U.S., hasn’t been on one of the big cablers and  hasn’t fought a roster of bold faced names, he’s the sort who a trainer has to be extra careful of.

If American Idol showed us anything, it’s that our ability to sift and hone in on true talent isn’t infallible. There are a shit-ton of mega talented waitresses and bartenders and dog walkers on this planet and some of them sing better than folks who sell lots of concert tix and records.

Photo / Mikey Williams-Top Rank

And in the boxing sphere, there are a small boatload of guys off radar, from nations like Namibia, who are top talents and can give trouble to even a massive talent like a Terence Crawford (31-0, and holder of all the 140-pound belts that Indongo doesn’t wear.)

Omaha’s oracle of pugilism gloves on Saturday, in Lincoln, Nebraska, in a bout to screen on ESPN.

He’ll dance with a guy who was off radar till he took the IBF 140-strap from Eduard Troysnovsky in December 2016. And some more more appreciation followed when he handled Ricky Burns with ease in April (for the WBA strap). But it should go without saying that Crawford is a world or two away from either of those two victims. Yes, Indongo has a helluva wingspan and is unbeaten, at 22-0 (just 11 KOs, suggesting his power pack won’t be enough to gum up the work of Bud). But the Top Rank ace Crawford hasn’t looked like he’s slowing up or down or given hints that he looks past a foe toward a richer target on the horizon.

Brian McIntyre. Photo / Mikey Williams

Just to be sure, I checked in with Terence’s trainer, Brian McIntyre.

Prediction, please, Big Mac, for Crawford-Indongo?

“Knockout win for Terence, by round nine,” the tutor told me.

And does he see it coming via easy work, semi-easy work or hard-ish work?

“Semi,” he replied, knowing his ambidextrous attacker is patient and mixes nifty footwork with adept punch placement and stepped up power when the ultimate loser begins to wear down.

OK, anything Bud will have to be particularly on the lookout for, to prevent what would be a fairly massive upset, being that Crawford is seen as one of the five best hand throwers on earth?

“Holding on inside,” is the only item McIntyre cited.

So, we will have to see how it plays out. Will Indongo explode like one of those golden-throated persons plucked from a waitressing gig into the hearts and minds of boxing nation…or will Crawford be the Simon Cowell, and send him back to a less prominent place? I like Mcintyre’s track record assessing threats and lack thereofs. Expect Crawford to do his thing, wear the man down, and then take him out, before the late innings.