By: Hans Themistode
Shawn Porter’s career has been built upon facing the best fighters in the world.
As a young prospect, Porter added the scalps of former champions Paulie Malignaggi and Devon Alexander, the latter resulting in Porter’s first world title reign. The Akron, Ohio native has continued to test himself throughout the years and as a result, he realizes that he’s faced just about everyone in the welterweight division.
Porter’s impetuous nature has now led him to a November 20th, showdown against pound for pound star, and current WBO welterweight titlist, Terence Crawford. Having shared the ring against the likes of Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, and most recently, Errol Spence Jr., Porter is convinced that Crawford’s skill and stature stand above all else.
“It is,” said Porter when asked if Crawford is the most difficult fight of his career during an interview with FightHype.com. “Because more than Errol Spence Jr., more than Keith Thurman, Terence Crawford is the most versatile fighter in the world.”
The versatility that Porter alludes to, has been on full display throughout Crawford’s career. In 2014, after being outboxed early on during his showdown against Yuriokis Gamboa, Crawford opted to move away from his orthodox stance and instead, fought Gamboa during the second half of their contest as a southpaw. The change in fighting style proved to be a good call as Crawford went on to pick up the ninth-round stoppage victory.
In Crawford’s 2019 matchup against Egidijus Kavaliauskas, the multiple division titlist was troubled during the early stages by his Lithuanian counterpart. Crawford then opted to move away from his traditional boxing approach and proceeded to bully Kavaliauskas, knocking him all across the ring until he registered yet another, ninth-round TKO victory.
As Crawford continued to show his multifaceted skills, Porter has taken notice. With the pair now set to swap fists in just over two months at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Porter is making sure that his normal top-notch training camp, is taken to a whole other level.
“The preparation is going to be bar none, better than anyone else that I’ve ever prepared for.”
As Porter continues to put his body through the most grueling training camp that he’s ever endured, he’s steadfast in his belief that it’s a necessary evil in order to pick up the win. In the end, the former two-division champion believes that by the time his showdown against Crawford comes to an end, all who tuned in and ordered the pay-per-view or paid their hard-earned money to attend the fight, will give them a standing ovation for an unbelievable night of boxing.
“You’ll see it all, skill vs. skill, talent vs. talent, heart vs. heart. This is one for the ages.”
