Terence Crawford is interested in beating people up, not your opinion
Terence Crawford doesn’t see his showdown with Shawn Porter on Saturday as a battle for his legacy, as many do.
The three-division titleholder, who will be defending his welterweight belt, believes he’s already accomplished enough to be No. 1 on pound-for-pound lists and remembered as a great fighter. Critics argue that Porter is the first A-level fighter he will have fought. He could counter by saying he has faced 11 ranked fighters and annihilated them all.
“They’re making it seem like it’s a legacy fight,” Crawford told Boxing Junkie. “For him, maybe. My legacy is already cemented in.”
You don’t care what people think?
“Not at all,” he went on. “I believe in myself and my abilities. Everything else somebody says doesn’t matter to me. They’re not in the ring, they’re not writing a check.”
Terence Crawford (center) has towered over all of his opponents. Al Bello / Getty Images
That doesn’t mean Crawford doesn’t see the pay-per-view fight in Las Vegas as an important event. He does. Porter (31-3-1, 17 KOs) is a two-time champion and one of the top 147-pounders of his generation, with a number of fights against the best in his division.
That’s why you’ll have to pay $69.99 to see it on TV. It’s a big deal.
So has Crawford prepared differently for this fight than those in the past? Will he step through the ropes with a different mindset? No and another big no. Yes, Porter is good but, contrary to a common notion, he has faced other good fighters.
“I’m definitely pumped,” Crawford said. “I’m just waiting for that moment. … [But] I get up every time that I step foot into the ring. I don’t do this just for Shawn Porter. I’ve trained extremely hard for each opponent that I’ve ever faced. And we never take any opponent lightly.
“Everything is the same for me. I’m going into the ring with the same mentally, to go out there and win at all costs.”
And there’s no doubt in his mind about who will have his hand raised.
He respects Porter, who he described as a strong, athletic fighter who can beat an opponent in more than one way. The problem the challenger will have in this fight isn’t complicated, at least in Crawford’s eyes: He’s just not as good as the champion.
Crawford promised that the gap in ability will be evident by the end of Saturday evening.
“I’m the better fighter … period,” he said. “Just all around. I’m the better mover, the better thinker, the better puncher, the sharper puncher. I’m just a better fighter, plain and simple. I’m better all-around.”
Another fight, another victory. That’s what Crawford has done without exception as a professional. And he doesn’t expect that to come to end after the Porter, even at 34 years old.
Who knows? Now that he landed the fight with Porter, more meetings with big-name fighters from the across the street – at Premier Boxing Champions – will come in the near future. That includes Errol Spence Jr., Yordenis Ugas, Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia.
If he gets two or three of those fights and maintains his perfect record, his resume is going to be a lot more difficult to criticize.
“I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing,” he said. “I’m going to keep winning these big fights, keep looking spectacular. And I’ll go down as one of the greatest that’s been in the ring and laced up the gloves.”