Tag Archives: shawn porter

Posted on 04/21/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Following nearly two years sequestered on the sidelines, Errol Spence Jr. provided a reminder of sorts to the boxing world, that he is in fact, the best fighter that the welterweight division has to offer.

This Past Saturday night, on April 16th, at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Spence Jr. dismantled durable former champion, Yordenis Ugas. Despite being rocked in both the fourth and sixth rounds, Spence Jr. regained his composure in the second half of their contest.

Ugas’s world championship reign began slipping away from him in the seventh as Spence Jr. landed a short uppercut on the inside. The force of the blow immediately closed the left eye of the Cuban product. Round after round, Spence Jr. pounded Ugas with shots to the body before targeting his injured eye, forcing a ringside physician to step onto the apron and call a halt to their contest.

But, despite Spence Jr. now holding firm to three of the four major world titles at 147 pounds, former two-time champion Shawn Porter, is unwilling to give Spence Jr. top dog status in the welterweight division. That distinction, in his opinion, is reserved for a certain fighter that he shared the ring with from Omaha, Nebraska.

“The best welterweight fighting right now has to be Terence Crawford,” said Porter during an interview with Brian Custer on the Last Stand Podcast. “There was just a number of things that I saw, felt, sensed, the whole nine. He was just a little better than just about anybody I been in the ring with.”

Known for his willingness to step into the ring with any and everyone when he was an active fighter, Porter pushed both Spence Jr. and Crawford to their physical limits in both 2019 and 2021.

At times, the rough and rugged style of Porter forced Spence Jr. into a firefight before ultimately losing via split decision. Against Crawford, Porter’s roughhouse tactics were less effective. While he did experience moments of success, the former two-time 147-pound champion crumbled underneath the power of his man, losing via 10th-round stoppage.

It was the small intricacies in their approach to fighting him that Porter remembers more than anything.

“Coming into the ring, Errol was prepared to beat me at my game. Terence was prepared to beat me at his game.”

With the boxing world clamoring for the two to square off in the ring, Spence Jr. has repeatedly called out Crawford following his victory over Ugas, something the Omaha, Nebraska, product has openly welcomed.

Although stylistically, a showdown between Crawford and Spence Jr. has the makings of a fan-pleasing bout, throughout the history of the pugilistic sport, there have been many mouthwatering matchups that have turned into mundane chess matches. During this particular matchup, however, Porter believes we’ll witness one of the more memorable showdowns in recent memory.

“Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence will be an explosion. I can guarantee it. Errol likes to be a commander and chief. He likes to control the ring, likes to do what he likes to do. Against me, he choose to try and beat me at my own game. Terence, ‘I’m coming to the ring, this is what I’m gonna do, stop me.’ You got two guys saying stop me, you can’t beat that.”

Posted on 02/09/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Shawn Porter isn’t backing up one iota.

The former two-division world champion made headlines earlier this week when discussing the overall talent of 147 pound rising contender Jaron “Boots” Ennis. While many have tabbed Ennis as the next great welterweight, Porter believes everyone should slow their roll before anointing him.

“Boots is overrated,” said Porter on The Porter Way Podcast Clips. “This is why I say he’s overrated. Everybody is so hyped up on him but he hasn’t been in the ring with any world champions yet.”

Since making those comments, Ennis has fired back shots of his own, even daring the newly retired former two-time champion to dust off his gloves and face him in the ring. Despite the public callout, Porter appears to have no interest in taking Ennis up on his offer. He did, however, attempt to clarify his comments.

“That’s probably the wrong term to use,” said Porter when discussing if Ennis is overrated on Fight Hub TV. “I said what I said and I meant what I said. What we know about Ennis is all true but what people say, I am not in full agreement with. I’m in full agreement that he’s the next.

“What I’m not in agreement with is when people say, ‘he’s going to wash that fighter, that fighter, that fighter, that fighter.’ I’m like hey, this dude is going to be in some very good, great boxing matches. Let those matches happen, don’t just put the stigma of him washing whoever he gets in the ring with. He is next but I don’t think he washes the top three to four guys in the welterweight division.”

Ennis, 24, is coming off the most impressive year of his young career. During the first quarter of 2021, the Philadelphia native took on former 140 pound champion, Sergey Lipinets. While on paper, Lipinets appeared to be his sternest test, the Kazakhstan warrior was pummeled and stopped in the sixth round.

To close out his year, Ennis took on rough and rugged contender Thomas Dulorme. The 32-year-old built his career on durability and toughness and hadn’t suffered a knockout loss since facing Terence Crawford in 2015. Still, despite his normally dependable chin, Dulorme was violently stopped in the first round.

By all accounts, Porter isn’t denying that Ennis is supremely talented. That said, he refuses to crown him as the best welterweight in the world just yet.

“Honestly, he’s a problem and he might beat all four of those top guys but for everybody to just say ‘ah he’s washing them, he’s washing them,’ I can’t rock with that.”

Posted on 12/15/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Kenny Porter is still on the receiving end of backlash following his decision to pull his son, former two-time welterweight titlist Shawn Porter, during the tail end of the 10th round against Terence Crawford.

Though the two fought on mostly even terms throughout their November showdown, Crawford took his game to another level during the 10th. The WBO welterweight champion scored two consecutive knockdowns during the period which ultimately led to Kenny waving the white flag before his son accrued any more physical damage.

Several fans and fighters, including unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., believe Kenny was a bit quick on the trigger. Yet, despite those sentiments, Kenny sleeps well at night, believing he ultimately made the right call. While Crawford has received universal praise for his ability to hand Porter the first stoppage defeat of his illustrious career and subsequently ushering him into retirement, Kenny has also tipped his cap to the Omaha, Nebraska, native. However, the long-time trainer is firmly of the belief that his son’s untimely demise was more so a result of sloppy footwork rather than deleterious blows.

“I saw Shawn get caught in a situation where he had his feet squared up,” said Porter to a group of reporters recently. “That’s a basic fundamental no no. His feet was squared up and he went down from a punch that I didn’t think was the hardest punch.”

Shortly after their contest came to an end, video surfaced depicting someone in the corner of Crawford informing him that he was down on the scorecards. His calm and cool demeanor immediately turned into rage as the 34-year-old was in disbelief. Moments later, Crawford ended their contest in the very next round.

Following their showdown, Crawford, in fact, was up across the board. Judge Max DeLuca had it 87-84 in favor of Crawford, while Dave Moretti and Steve Weisfeld had it 86-85 in favor of Crawford as well.

Regardless of the actual scores, Kenny Porter maintains that even if he was informed that his son was ahead on all three judges’ scorecards, his thought process would’ve remained the same.

“If somebody came up to me and said ‘hey Kenny, Shawn’s ahead’ and the same thing happened, I would’ve made that same decision.”

Posted on 11/21/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Terence Crawford begged and pleaded with the best fighters in the welterweight division to take him on. Yet, despite having a world title tucked underneath his arm, and recognition as a pound-for-pound star, he continued to face lesser competition.

With the rest of the world waiting to see how he would fare against one of the elites, Crawford proved his worth.

At the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Crawford answered every single question thrown in his direction. On the night, Crawford found himself standing across the ring from easily the best fighter he’s faced in Shawn Porter.

Though Porter admitted that he needed this victory to stamp his case as a future Hall of Famer, Crawford simply wanted it more.

As the opening bell tipped off, Porter aggressively came forward. Crawford, on the other hand, waited patiently and refused to engage in the sort of fight that the former two-time belt holder wanted. While Crawford did his best to stay on the outside and box, he was given no choice but to step into Porter’s wheelhouse and fight fire with fire.

In the following round, Porter continued his nonstop aggression and relentless attack. Although Crawford attempted to hold his ground more firmly this time around, he continued to fight off his back foot.

Throughout the course of his career, Crawford had grown accustomed to having things his way. However, on this night, Porter would hear none of it.

As the third period rolled by, Crawford began finding his rhythm. He bobbed back and forth and began tagging Porter with hard shots. Proving that his chin was made from pure granite, Porter absorbed the shots well.

As the action continued, both men seemed to exchange winning rounds. Porter’s volume attack seemed to overwhelm Crawford at times, while the WBO belt holder, in other instances, fought a disciplined fight to nab several close rounds.

As the eighth period was announced, Porter appeared to be fresh out of ideas. His swarming attack and punch selection from every angle had no effect on the pound-for-pound star as he was picked off on his way in.

With the momentum firmly in his corner, Porter attempted to wrestle it away. Nevertheless, that proved to be a faulty mistake.

In an exchange in the middle of the ring in the 10th, Porter connect with a huge leaping right hand that rocked the head back of Crawford. Though he was physically forced back, Crawford landed a one-two combination of his own, the latter represented the first knockdown of the night.

Though he was placed on the canvas for the first time in the fight, Porter bounced back and appeared just fine. In the immediate aftermath, Porter landed several hard straight right hands. Even with the former titlist fighting back valiantly, Crawford had him just where he wanted. He connected with a huge right hand on Porter and followed it up with several unanswered blows.

Once Porter hit the deck, he was irate. He violently punched the canvas three times before rising back to his feet. Although he appeared more than willing to continue, head trainer and father, Kenny Porter, stood on the apron and waved off their contest.

While it might be considered the biggest win in Crawford’s career, he quickly took a moment to embrace his long-time friend before celebrating with his family in the ring.

Posted on 11/20/2021

By: Hans Themistode

For much of the build-up between Shawn Porter and Terence Crawford, trainer Brian “Bomac” McIntyre has remained mostly quiet.

Much like Crawford, Bomac is more interested in silently putting in the work in behind the scenes. However, with fight night mere hours away, the long-time trainer didn’t hold back when asked what he expects to happen at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, tonight.

“We gonna beat the sh*t out of the boy,” said Bomac to a group of reporters.

Crawford, 34, as well as his trainer, have long been irritated by the same mundane narrative. While the Omaha, Nebraska, product has claimed world titles in three separate divisions and is currently in the midst of a three-year title reign at 147 pounds, he’s yet to face any of the elite welterweights. Nevertheless, with Porter next up on Crawford’s docket, things are expected to change.

All things considered, Porter has established his reputation through the all-out wars he’s experienced in the ring. Though he’s been able to wrap welterweight gold around his waist on two separate occasions, he’s come up short in some of his biggest fights.

In August of 2014, after already establishing himself as a world champion, Porter saw his title reign come to an end at the hands of Kell Brook via majority decision. Two years later, the Akron, Ohio, native found himself in a fight of the year contender against former unified champion, Keith Thurman.

Although Porter had his moments, he would be forced to settle for a close unanimous decision defeat. Following that disappointing outcome, Porter went on to pick up wins against former two-division champion Danny Garcia, former welterweight star Andre Berto, and current WBA belt holder Yordenis Ugas.

With now his second world title reign, Porter attempted to unify the division against Errol Spence Jr. However, the now 34-year-old sauntered out of the ring in disbelief, as he was the recipient of a split decision loss.

Though he’s competed against the best of the best at 147 pounds and is considered elite, Bomac isn’t convinced that Porter has what it takes to truly test his pound-for-pound star. As fight night slowly approaches, Bomac is asking for those who will be in attendance, as well as those who will be watching around the world, to simply juxtapose the performance of Crawford later on tonight, to his fellow peers that have struggled with the relentless pressure of Porter.

“All of those close losses that he got against Spence and Thurman, Crawford is going to make him look like a B level fighter.”

Posted on 11/19/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Shawn Porter took a moment to relish in the moment.

The long-time welterweight contender and former two-time champion, was hopeful that a clash between himself and Terence Crawford could come to fruition. And while it took longer than he anticipated, the 34-year-old scored the fight he was looking for.

With months of hard work now behind them, all that was left for both men before throwing down, was to weigh in.

First up on the scales was Porter. The 34-year-old quickly stripped off his sweatsuit and stepped onto the podium. He flashed a bright smile and flexed his incredible physique. Moments later, he was officially announced at a trim 146.6 pounds.

Following Porter’s weigh-in, a stoic Crawford stepped onto the scales. He appeared emotionless, yet confident in his ability to make the 147-pound limit. He was correct as he came in at 146.4 pounds.

With both fighters facing off shortly after, Crawford walked off, seemingly ready to go for his championship fight.

For the current WBO welterweight belt holder, he’ll finally be given the chance to face one of the true elite 147 pounders. Although he’s successfully defended his crown on four separate occasions, the 34-year-old continued to hear nonstop chastisement surrounding his resume.

Most recently, Crawford easily took care of business against long-faded former champion Kell Brook, stopping him in the fourth round in November of 2020.

As for Porter, while he’s always expressed an extreme amount of pride in what’s he accomplished thus far in his career, he’s openly admitted that his resume is lacking that one humongous win. In his biggest showdowns to date, Porter came up just short against the likes of Keith Thurman, Errol Spence Jr., and Kell Brook.

With a win this Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Porter is of the belief that he’ll stamp his ticket to the boxing Hall of Fame.

Posted on 11/19/2021

By: Hans Themistode

For a number of years now, Bob Arum has sung the praises of current WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford. Not only does the long-time promoter believe that Crawford is the best fighter at 147 pounds but he’s also convinced that he’s amongst the top two fighters in the world, along with Canelo Alvarez.

While Arum is confident that Crawford wipes out everyone in the division, he’s fully aware of the monumental task that will be standing in front of him tomorrow night.

In what is expected to be a sold-out crowd at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Crawford is set to square off against former two-time titlist, Shawn Porter.

When asked how he views their contest shaking out, Arum, without a moment’s hesitation, quickly sided with Crawford. However, although Arum is expecting him to snag the win this Saturday night, he’s conscious of how big a threat Porter is to the undefeated title reign of Crawford.

“The one guy in the welterweight division that has the tools to give Crawford a very uncomfortable night, is Porter,” said Arum to BoxingInsider.com. “If Terence is able to knock out Porter then it would be a major, major accomplishment.”

Porter, 34, has long been known for his rough and rugged style. Despite suffering a handful of defeats in his stellar career, the long-time contender has never been outclassed. Before easily outpointing journeymen Sebastian Formella in August of 2020, his most recent ring appearance, Porter engaged in a back and forth war with unified champion Errol Spence Jr.

While ultimately, Porter would forfeit his WBC welterweight crown via split decision, Arum still considers him amongst the top names in the division.

With Spence Jr. holding two world titles in his possession, as well as a spot on virtually every pound-for-pound ranking, Arum thinks extremely highly of the Dallas native. In fact, at one point, Arum considered Spence Jr. the only true test for Crawford at 147 pounds. Nevertheless, after being given more time to think and analyze the styles of both men, Arum now has a change of heart.

“Spence narrowly beat Porter, he knocked him down. So obviously, the Spence fight, just based on that basis, would be more of a test than the Porter fight. But that doesn’t mean Porter is not a more difficult opponent than Spence is. I think Porter is a more difficult opponent for Terence than Spence is.”

Posted on 11/18/2021

By: Hans Themistode

For the past several years, the number one spot in the pound-for-pound rankings has caused great debate. Although there are several notable names, both Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford have gone back and forth as the consensus best fighter in the world.

However, as of late, Alvarez has seemingly separated himself from the pack. With the 31-year-old recently capturing every world title at 168 pounds, most, if not all, consider the Mexican native to be the best fighter around.

While Crawford is still confident in his own ability, even he admits, that with what Alvarez has just accomplished, he can’t deny his status.

“Canelo earned that spot right now,” said Crawford during an interview with Max Kellerman. “Being that he just conquered the whole division within the year.”

As Crawford eludes to, Alvarez is fresh off picking up his fourth and final title in the super middleweight division. While Caleb Plant, Alvarez’s most recent foe, proved to be tricky in the early rounds, the Mexican star systemically broke his man down before scoring the stoppage win in the 11th.

Though Crawford admits to playing second fiddle to Alvarez at the moment, he views his placement as only temporary. On November 20th, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Crawford is set to take on former two-time welterweight champion, Shawn Porter.

Regardless of Crawford being considered a sizable favorite, many expect Porter to bring out the best in him. Even with three losses currently saddled to the resume of Porter against the likes of Keith Thurman, Errol Spence Jr., and Kell Brook, neither of those fighters have been able to decisively take care of business against the highly ranked contender.

With Crawford on the verge of facing whom many consider to be his first elite welterweight, the 34-year-old views his upcoming showdown as an opportunity. If a statement can be made in the form of a stoppage victory, Crawford believes that the discussion concerning who is the best fighter in the world will be wrapped up.

“It depends on my performance this weekend. If I go in there and look spectacular and get Shawn Porter out of there, then we got a discussion to talk about.”

Posted on 11/18/2021

Terence “Bud” Crawford has set his sights on defeating Shawn Porter on Saturday night.  There’s no hate but mutual respect for their respective journeys. 

Crawford is relaxed, speaking to BoxingInsider.com on Wednesday ahead of a final press conference with Porter and their respective teams. Instead of responding to the standard resume/camp-related questions, Crawford shares his insights on his team and how proud he is of them. Additionally, he says negotiations for Saturday night’s fight were “fairly easy” and how he respects Porter’s stacked resume. 

BI: Something that I’ve always admired is the strong team surrounding you. What are you most proud of when you look at BoMac (trainer Brian Mcintyre), Red, and Esau?

TC: I’m just happy and proud that they can share this light here with me. It’s been a long, tough road to get to this point. And we all made it. And we all made huge sacrifices. And I’m just happy to be the one to bring them to this point.

BI: A lot of sacrifices, a lot of long nights go into coordinating fights negotiations? Was this an easy negotiation? 

TC: Negotiations were fairly easy far as I can remember. As far as Top Rank and PBC, I don’t know. But as far as my side, it was nothing.

BI: The narrative of the fight has been Shawn smothering aggressive style versus Bud’s, pure technical ability boxing abilities. Those are the discussions that people are having. What do you think people observe about your boxing style are equally as strong as your technical ability?

TC: I think by now, and everybody knows that I’m strong, I can punch, I can box, I can bang, I can brawl. So, I think it’s out there now. And I think that’s something that a lot of people know now.

BI: I’ve admired the mutual respect you both have for each other. When I talked to Shawn before, he admired how you completely dominated your opponents in previous fights. There’s never been a victory of yours where it was close. What is something about Sean’s victories that you’ve admired?

TC: Well, you know, me and Shawn are two guys that are students of the game. I admire the fights he has won, you know, in the fashion he has won in it. Being that he fought his fight. No, he got his opponents off their name, and he did what he had to do to rattle them and get in their head to force a clean-cut victory in most cases. For others, it was close. 

Sometimes you get the nod, and sometimes you don’t. But, you know, those are the things that I admire from Shawn Porter because he always kept his head high. He never let that get to him or, you know, make him less of a fighter.

BI:  What are some narratives that you hear that you wish would die about you, your career, or anything?

TC: You know me. I don’t care what type of narrative they say about me or how they view me. Because they gon keep talking about you regardless. So, it’s not my job to care or follow behind what the next person is saying about me.

BI: Lastly, I saw a video going around the internet from a party you had in Omaha. Everybody was dancing in the street, and you’re getting down. Does boxing make you a better dancer? Does dancing make you a better boxer?

TC: [laugh] I think both.

Posted on 11/15/2021

By: Hans Themistode

There was a long list of names Shawn Porter could have faced for his first trip to the ring this year. Yet, despite holding a high ranking in virtually every sanctioning body, and his pick of the litter in terms of current champions, Porter opted to take on WBO welterweight titlist, Terence Crawford.

Now, this upcoming weekend on November 20th, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, the two will officially square off. While Porter enters their contest as a sizable underdog, he’s paid no attention to the voices of the betting market.

Porter’s ever-growing self-confidence in his upcoming showdown against Crawford stems from multiple resources. For starters, Porter has built his name and reputation on facing some of the best fighters in the welterweight division. With wins against the likes of Danny Garcia, Adrien Broner, and current WBA belt holder, Yordenis Ugas – Porter believes that his resume is far and away better than Crawford’s.

In addition to Porter’s reputation in the ring, the former two-time 147-pound titlist believes he knows Crawford inside and out. Having spent countless hours with the Omaha, Nebraska native as amateurs, both Crawford and Porter have forged a strong friendship. And while he knows good and well that Crawford has the utmost confidence in his own skills, Porter believes he knows something else about the pound-for-pound star.

“I think he knows that I’m the only one in the world that can beat him,” said Porter.

So far, the 34-year-old Crawford has created an indelible and unbreakable aura of invincibility. In his most recent trip to the ring, Crawford made quick and easy work of former IBF belt holder, Kell Brook, violently stopping him in the fourth round.

Although Crawford has continued to rack up the wins, he’s urged the likes of Errol Spence Jr., Keith Thurman, and Yordenis Ugas, to share the stage with him.

While it’s unclear if Crawford will ever get his wish, Porter is fully convinced that if Crawford successfully defeats him this Saturday night, no one else will have a chance.

“Terence Crawford knows that if he beats me, there’s nobody else in the world that can beat him.”

Posted on 11/09/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Terence Crawford has bided his time on the sidelines.

For a number of years now, the WBO welterweight belt holder has destroyed every and anyone who was placed in front of him. However, despite making it look incredibly easy in the ring, Crawford has continued to hear his name dragged through the mud.

The consistent chastisement of Crawford has nothing to do with his otherworldly skills but more so to do with the level of opposition he has faced thus far. With that said, the newly turned 34-year-old will be taking on who many believe is his toughest fight to date in former multiple time welterweight champion, Shawn Porter. The two are officially set to throw hands on November 20th, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Though Crawford acknowledges that a matchup against Porter is a big fight, Crawford still craves bouts against the likes of Errol Spence Jr., Keith Thurman, and Yordenis Ugas. Yet, with all of those aforementioned fighters, including Porter, aligned with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) as opposed to Top Rank, consistent promotional issues have stood in the way of making those fights a reality.

Before Crawford is afforded the matches he yearns for, the pound-for-pound star believes PBC is using Porter as a measuring stick of sorts to test out the waters.

“They trying to use Shawn as a pawn because they know Shawn is going to fight anyone,” said Crawford to Timothy Bradley.

While it’s unclear if Crawford’s words ring true, he’ll look to make a state in less than two weeks. In his most recent trip to the ring, Crawford made quick work of Kell Brook, stopping the former 147-pound belt holder in four rounds.

Since making the move to the welterweight division in June of 2018, performances such as the one he put on against Brook, have become the norm for Crawford. With five straight stoppage wins at 147 and eight overall, Crawford believes that he’ll make an example out of Porter.

“I’m a show why they been ducking me.”

Posted on 11/02/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Having spent the better part of the past decade as either a welterweight contender or a world champion, Shawn Porter knows a great fighter when he sees one. Jaron Ennis, the highly touted Philadelphia contender, has that look.

This past weekend, at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Ennis squared off against veteran contender Thomas Dulorme. As the multiple-time belt holder sat back and witnessed the one-sided beating Ennis dished out on the night, stopping his man in the first round, Porter’s jaw seemingly hit the ground.

At the age of 31, Porter doesn’t view Dulorme as a fighter who’s on his last legs. In fact, Porter respects the skillset of the Puerto Rican title challenger. Although Dulorme headed into their showdown on the heels of two fairly close decision losses, never before has he been ran through like he was this past weekend.

As Porter continues to dissect the overall skills of Ennis, he’s almost dumbfounded with his great this 24-year-old truly is.

“He’s too much. He’s just too much,” said Porter during an interview with FightHype.com. “When you have somebody who’s so intuitive in the ring, so intelligent in the ring. And then got the speed, the quickness, the agility, the power clearly. Just everything to back it up, he’s just too much. He’s amazing man. Dulorme’s not washed up, Dulrome’s not over the hill. I think if Dulorme had the opportunity, he would have fought and made it a fight but Jaron was too much.

Following his second straight knockout win over a highly ranked contender, Ennis has turned his attention towards a world title opportunity. The smooth switch hitter is currently ranked in the top five in three of the four major sanctioning bodies. Ideally, Ennis would quickly sign his name to take on any of the current titleholders.

However, matchups against Errol Spence Jr., Terence Crawford, or Yordenis Ugas – would be considered massive step-ups in competition. With that said, Porter believes a championship opportunity, even at this stage, wouldn’t be overwhelming.

“He’s ready.”

Posted on 10/26/2021

By: Hans Themistode

With arguably the biggest test of his career taking place in just a few short weeks, Terence Crawford is in the midst of putting himself through a grueling training camp. The WBO 147 pound titlist is set to put his championship on the line against former two-time belt holder Shawn Porter on November 20th, at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Despite being a considerable odds on favorite, Crawford refuses to look past Porter. But while the Omaha Nebraska native is focused on shutting down Porter’s attempts at nabbing his world title, the normally stoic Crawford broke into a full-blown laugh when he heard Porter’s recent comments.

Not only is the multiple-time welterweight champion confident that he’ll hand Crawford the first loss of his career, he believes he’ll do so before the sound of the final bell. With Porter continuing to claim that he’ll stop Crawford in front of a jam-packed Las Vegas, crowd, the pound-for-pound star stops and thinks for a moment during an interview with Brian Custer. As Crawford’s mind races, he realizes that he can’t recall the last time Porter laid his opponent out.

“I can’t remember the last time Shawn Porter got a stoppage,” said Crawford on The Last Stand Podcast. “I’m not trying to be funny and I’m not taking him lightly but that’s a long shot for him stopping me.”

In order to find the last Shawn Porter stoppage victory, Crawford will have to pop in the tape from a 2017 encounter against long-faded former champion, Andre Berto. Outside of that, Porter’s five recent trips to the ring resulted in a full day at the office.

While Crawford appears unafraid of the firepower his upcoming opponent brings to the table, he does have a deep reverence for his overall skillset. Even with Crawford claiming world title wins in three different weight classes, as well as holding a universal spot on every credible pound-for-pound list in the world, the newly turned 33 year is fully aware that he’s in for an incredible battle.

“Shawn Porter is one of the best fighters in the world. I’m certainly not taking him lightly.”

Posted on 10/18/2021

By: Hans Themistode

There’s little to no denying that Terence Crawford will face a significant step up in competition come November 20th. On the night in question, Crawford will place both his WBO welterweight title and undefeated record on the line against former two-time champion Shawn Porter, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Despite being a constant staple on every credible pound-for-pound list, Crawford has heard his fair share of criticism for the opposition he’s faced during his 147-pound tenure. In the case of Porter, the Akron Ohio native has swapped fists with just about everyone in the welterweight division, including unified titlist Errol Spence Jr.

But while most are intrigued with how a Porter vs. Crawford showdown plays out, Derrick James, head trainer of Spence Jr., believes the WBO belt holder will be facing a diminished version of the two-time champion.

“I think Terence Crawford is fighting a guy that Errol Spence took a lot out of,” said James on the PBC Podcast. “So we’ll see how that goes.”

On November 28th, 2019, both Spence Jr. and Porter squared off in a fight of the year candidate. From the moment the opening bell rang, there were no feel-out rounds as it bombs away. While Porter had loads of success, he also absorbed plenty of punishment. Of the 745 punches Spence Jr. hurled in his direction, 221 of them found their mark. In the 11th round, in particular, it was Spence Jr.’s most successful and brutal period, as he floored the former titlist.

Although Porter has shown no ill effects of the damage that was inflicted, pitching a shutout in his most recent contest against Sebastian Formella, James simply isn’t convinced that he’s the same ferocious fighter he once was.

Regardless of what could be a diminished version of Porter, James isn’t expecting him to be a pushover or walk in the park. Since suffering defeat at the hands of Spence Jr. and forfeiting his WBC title in the process, Porter has urged the unified champion to face him in the ring once more. While Spence Jr. has elected to move in another direction, James is receptive to the idea of having his fighter take on Porter for the second time in his career.

With that said, James has all but guaranteed Porter that his wish will be granted. If, of course, he can take care of business come November 20th.

“I think Shawn Porter really wants to fight Errol Spence again. In order to face Errol Spence again, he has to beat Terence Crawford.”

Posted on 10/11/2021

By: Hans Themistode

After calling out the top names in the welterweight division for years on end, Terence Crawford was pleased when he discovered that one has decided to take him up on his offer. On November 20th, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Crawford will place his WBO title on the line when he takes on arguably the most difficult test of his career in Shawn Porter.

Crawford, 34, has long watched his resume get ripped to shreds by both fans and media pundits. However, in Porter, Crawford faces not only a former two-time welterweight champion but someone who is still presumably in the prime of their career.

While Crawford is fully aware that Porter is one of the division’s top contenders, he isn’t willing to name him as the biggest fight that can be made at 147 pounds.

“It’s one of them,” said Crawford when asked about the magnitude of his showdown against Porter. “It’s definitely one of them but you still got fighters out there like Keith Thurman and Ugas.”

Porter, an Akron Ohio native, scratched and clawed his way to a number one ranking in both the WBO and WBC sanctioning bodies. Although Porter was tempted with the opportunity to square off against unified champion Errol Spence Jr. once more, losing their September 2019 showdown via split decision, Porter instead opted to enforce his mandatory position with the WBO. Porter would also claim that Crawford is the most versatile fighter in the division and presents a slew of issues in the ring.

Crawford, on the other hand, views Porter as an opportunity to dig deeper into his bag of tricks than normal. With the pound-for-pound star stopping every single one of his welterweight opponents since moving up in weight in 2018, he’s made his opposition look incredibly foolish in the ring.

With that said, Crawford is of the mindset that while Porter vs. himself is a huge fight, a former Porter opponent would be an even bigger event.

“I don’t believe Porter is the only welterweight out there that I can showcase my talent at a high level. I believe Keith Thurman is a bigger fight in my eyes.”

Approximately five years ago, both Thurman and Porter went toe to toe in a fight of the year contender in 2016. Thurman would ultimately eke out a close split decision win and follow things up by unifying the division against Danny Garcia one year later.

Presently, Thurman has been woefully inactive. But, as Crawford looks at Thurman’s past handiwork, he’s steadfast in his belief that once upon a time, Thurman was the man to beat.

“I feel like Keith Thurman was considered the number one guy in the division. Whether anybody likes it or not. Keith Thurman was the number one guy in the division. Pacquiao beat him. Nobody else beat him.”