Terence Crawford vs. Shawn Porter: 5 questions – and answers – going into the fight
Terence Crawford will face the biggest challenge of his decorated career when faces Shawn Porter on Saturday at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) will be making the fifth defense of the welterweight title he won by stopping Jeff Horn in nine rounds in 2018. Porter (31-3-1, 17 KOs) is a former two-time 147-pound champion.
The matchup – available on ESPN+ Pay-per-view – is intriguing on many levels. Here are five questions – and answers – going into Saturday.
Is Crawford as good as we think he is?
Yes. Crawford’s resume has been criticized for lack of an elite opponent, which is fair. Porter has fought prime versions of Devon Alexander, Kell Brook, Keith Thurman, Yordenis Ugas and Errol Spence Jr. Who was Crawford’s toughest opponent? Viktor Postol? You can see his critics’ point. The other side of the story is that he has fought 11 ranked fighters and annihilated them all, which is why he’s No. 1 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list and near the top of others. And, of course, Crawford will have a chance on Saturday to make life a little more difficult for his detractors, who, if he wins, can no longer say that he hasn’t beaten an elite opponent. Then we can only hope that this fight leads to others against the top 147-pounders, particularly Errol Spence Jr. Victories over Porter and Spence would silence his critics for good.
What makes Crawford so good?
All-around ability. It starts with natural gifts, quickness, reflexes and athleticism. Add a skill set honed over around 100 fights, amateur and pro. Throw in high-end punching power, which has produced eight consecutive knockouts … all in title fights. And top everything off with a mean streak that emerges when his prey becomes particularly vulnerable, which we see in most of his fights. Crawford probably isn’t the best defensive fighter, which one might consider a weakness. I think that has more to do with his aggressive fighting style and willingness to take risks than a significant deficiency in his ability. And, finally, it’s important to mention his age, 34. He hasn’t shown signs of decline but it’s reasonable to wonder whether he is beyond his absolute peak. Porter also is 34.
How big of a threat is Porter?
Big. The oddsmakers have Porter as around a 6-1 or 7-1 underdog, which are wide odds … too wide. It was only two years ago that he gave Spence all he could handle in a split-decision loss in a brutal title-unification bout. He was at his swarming, suffocating best. And while he wasn’t able to stop second-tier opponent Sebastian Formella in August of last year, he won by a shutout decision. Porter probably isn’t quite as good an all-around fighter as Crawford. And he certainly can’t match his opponent’s punching power. At the same time, Porter is skillful, experienced and has a motor that allows him maintain overwhelming pressure for 12 full rounds, as we’ve seen so many times at the highest level. The fact Porter is an underdog makes sense but he’s a live one. Don’t be shocked if he has his hand raised.
Could Porter be distracted by outside activities?
It’s possible. Porter is carving out a successful second career as a television analyst while he is still an active fighter, which includes a weekly podcast. Some fighters can balance a variety of activities but one could argue it’s best to have both feet in the gym and ring full time, particularly when you’re about to face arguably the best fighter in the world. Porter is a professional, though. I believe he’s now preparing properly for Crawford, which is imperative if he hopes to win. I do wonder about something, though. One reason he performed so well against Spence was that he was as focused and motivated as he has ever been in his career because of the magnitude of the fight. We’ll see whether he brings such an edge into the ring on Saturday.
Who’s going to win?
Crawford. The biggest reason? He’s the better fighter. Plus, his motivation is going to be off the charts because he’s been waiting so long for a challenge like this. I don’t think it will be easy; fighting Porter never is. I just see Crawford being the ring general, keeping Porter off of him – at least for the majority of the fight – with his power shots and using his feet to maintain a distance that’s advantageous to him, from where he’ll land his biggest shots. He’ll frustrate and ultimately outbox Porter to win a clear unanimous decision or score a late knockout. The latter will be more likely if Porter wasn’t as focused as he should’ve been going into the fight.