In front of 11,568 fans in attendance—Including unified WBC/IBF welterweight world champion Errol Spence— at Mandalay Bay, in Las Vegas, NV, WBO welterweight world champion Terence “Bud” Crawford cemented his legacy on Saturday night as one of the best fighters of his era, with a 10th-round stoppage victory against “Showtime” Shawn Porter. Crawford’s greatest strength is his ability to adjust and turn his opponents’ strengths into their weakness. That is exactly what led him to victory, following a strong start from Las Vegas-resident Porter. The former two-time welterweight champion came out very aggressively at the sound of the opening bell, lunging with a left hook to start the bout. He kept up the frenetic pace throughout the first half of the contest. For the most part, Crawford, 146.4 lbs., of Omaha, NE, stayed calm, biding his time and gauging Porter’s style and strategy. At times, Crawford had no choice but to match Porter’s offensive output, engaging his adversary in fiery exchanges peppered throughout the bout. By the seventh round, Crawford had adapted his game plan, finding the proper distance to keep Porter, 146.6 lbs., at bay with sharp jabs, straight lefts and right hooks to the head and body. He was now timing Porter’s reckless aggression with stinging counter shots.
In the 10th frame, after Porter missed with two wild hooks and was squared up, Crawford countered with a left uppercut flush on the chin to score a knockdown. Porter was not seriously hurt and rose to his feet. Moments later, a series of jabs put Porter into position for Crawford to land a left uppercut-overhand right combination that did damage, followed by a quick flurry to deck him once again. A frustrated Porter pounded the canvas with his glove. It was at this point when Porter’s father and trainer, Kenny, alerted the ringside physician and referee Celestino Ruiz to stop the bout, feeling that his son had taken enough punishment. The stoppage came at the 1:21 mark of the frame.
“In round one, I figured that I had the reach and [Porter] had to take chances to come in and he did what he normally does,” said Crawford. “He tried to maul and push me back, but I used my angles and I pushed him back at times as well. Shawn Porter is a slick fighter. He was doing some things in there and made me think.
“I know I caught him with a good uppercut and then, when I caught him with another left hook clean in his face, he was real hurt and his dad did the right thing by stopping it because I was coming with a vengeance.”
Overall, Crawford landed 98 punches to Porter’s 79, though they were near identical in power connects, with Porter edging the champion, 67 to 65. Once Crawford had adjusted, his jab was a key weapon, landing 33 of 159 throughout the bout. At the time of the stoppage, Crawford was ahead five rounds to four on two scorecards, and six to three on the third. Porter, now 31-4-1 (17 KOs), lost for the first time inside the distance.
In the aftermath, Porter summed up the fight by saying, “The punches [Crawford] was catching me with were too clean. I just think my timing was off and he wouldn’t allow me to get my rhythm. That was my game plan going in. He’s a dynamite dude in and out of the ring. Congratulations. He’s the best out of everybody I have been in the ring with. That man hit me with more than anybody I (have fought). He was on point.
“I think my execution was there, but my consistency wasn’t. I got hit a little more than usual against Crawford.”
Comparing this fight to his encounter with Spence, Porter said, “Crawford is different to boxing. He does everything more than exceptionally well. In my fight with Spence, going 12 rounds, it was not as tough as fighting Terence Crawford.”
When told that Spence was ringside, Crawford responded, “Spence was at my fight? No, that boy said he was never going to be at my fights, but now he’s at my fight. You see what I did (against Porter) compared to what he did. Who’s number one in the welterweight division now? You know who I want (to fight next). I’ve been calling him out all day. Maybe Spence will get his tail out of his butt and fight me.”
A fight between the two champions for welterweight supremacy has remained elusive, with neither side backing down from purse split demands.
With the win, Crawford, now 38-0 (29 KOs), made the fifth defense of his WBO welterweight crown, extending his remarkable championship reign that began in 2014. Over the past seven-and-a-half years, Crawford has won 16 consecutive world title fights across three weight divisions. Though Crawford’s level of opposition has been criticized, he has beaten nine world champions from lightweight to welterweight during this impressive stretch of activity. The criticism is what motivated Crawford to seek out a challenge like Porter.
“Everybody was downgrading my competition, but now I got the opportunity to fight another top welterweight (in Porter),” said Crawford. “All of my recent opponents were good fighters, some never lost before. They were hungry, yet were bashed and criticized by the media. I was beating undefeated fighters. People have called my opponents washed up, but have you seen anyone beat Kell Brook the way I did?”
“I was grazing (Porter) because he was rolling, he had good head movement. Once I got him on the ground, I knew that I would come back for the kill,” said Crawford on his performance. “I didn’t think the fight was close at all. I was doing what I wanted to do. Once I got the look that it was close, I had to do my thing and I got the stoppage. Porter was trying to land his overhand right, and I saw that I could catch him in between that shot from the southpaw stance.”
After assessing his victory at the post-fight press conference, Crawford suddenly shifted topics. With Top Rank President Bob Arum sitting next to him on the podium, Crawford announced that he was now a free agent, after having fulfilled the last fight obligation of his contractual term with the promotional outlet.
“Bob (Arum) couldn’t secure me the Spence fight when I was with him,” lamented Crawford. “I am moving forward with my career right now and I wish everybody the best. I will let my headbutt heal then we will go back to the drawing board and see what’s best for Terence Crawford. My plan is to take care of my six kids and give them a bright future to look forward to.”
When asked, Crawford did not specify with whom he would be teaming up with to guide the next phase of his career.
Returning his attention to a fight with Spence, Crawford bluntly stated, “Like I said before, I don’t need Spence. I’ve been the number one guy in the welterweight division since I got here (in 2018). I won my title in my first welterweight fight. Spence can’t compare to what I have accomplished.”
A Crawford-Spence fight must happen, but in the interim, there are plenty of options to keep Crawford busy and well paid. Should unified super lightweight champion Josh Taylor decide to move up in weight, a matchup against Crawford would be a tremendous international mega event. There is dangerous puncher Gervonta Davis and WBA welterweight titlist, Yordenis Ugas, who recently conquered Manny Pacquiao. A move to 154 pounds could lead to a potentially historic fight against unified champion Jermell Charlo. Whatever he decides to do, Crawford’s future is a bright one, full of exciting challenges that would generate a lot of fanfare and interest among boxing fans.
