Shawn Porter looking to fight Terence Crawford

By Boxing News - 04/12/2020 - Comments

By Jeff Aronow: Shawn Porter feels a fight between him and Terence Crawford will be a big event when boxing restarts. Porter (30-3-1, 17 KOs) views a battle between him and WBO 147-pound champion Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs) being on par with last February’s pay-per-view clash between WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.

Wilder and Fury were an example of two fighters that compete on different networks that were willing to fight each other. Porter, 32, maintains that he and the Top Rank promoted Crawford can do the same thing that Fury and Wilder did by coming together for a dual-network pay-per-view broadcast.

Compared to Crawford’s recent matches, Porter should bring in a lot of pay-per-views. If the match takes place inside of a studio, then there will be less money to be made.

Porter needs a fight against Crawford because he’s starting to feel like he’s being avoided after his hard battle with Errol Spence Jr. Crawford might be one of the few welterweights that are willing to fight him. However, Crawford’s promoters at Top Rank might have other ideas with who they want to match him against.

Image: Shawn Porter looking to fight Terence Crawford

Porter: Crawford fight can be made

“I think I’m one of those fighters that you have to beat and have to fight to be part of greatness,” said Porter to IFL TV. “And I do know there’s more out there for boxing. I do think there are big fights to be made when you cross the road, particularly in the welterweight division.

“Even after that fight, I thought to myself, ‘Who could do this again exactly as those guys?’ I said, ‘Me and Bud [Crawford] can do this,’ I don’t know if Bud can do that with anther fighter and it would be the same type event, but I do know myself, and Bud can do it.

“We haven’t had any conversations in some time, but that’s still a fight that can be made out there,” said Porter about Crawford. “For me personally, it’s a fight that I never saw myself having, and now recently in the last two years with him moving up to the welterweight division. I thought to myself, ‘Wow, I can fight this dude.'”

Porter would be an improvement over the guys that Top Rank has been matching against Crawford since they started promoting him. The question is, will Top Rank be willing to risk putting Crawford in with an opponent like Porter?

The promotional company has sunk a lot of money into Crawford bringing him this far, and he’s failed to become a star. If they put Crawford in with Porter, he could lose the fight, and then foil the plans for Top Rank.

Danny Garcia lost a 12 round decision to Porter in 2018, and Errol Spence squeaked by Porter in winning a 12 round split decision last September. When Spence was asked last week if he’d be interested in fighting Porter again, he quickly said ‘NO.’

Porter wants to start Crawford negotiations

“I don’t think it’s a secret anymore that we’ve had a conversation that probably two or three years ago, ‘Hey, we’ll get together, and we’ll talk and see if we want to make this thing happen.’

“That conversation hasn’t happened yet, but after this quarantine, something big has to happen for sports, has to happen for boxing, and has to happen for the business. We’ll see if Terence and I can get together and talk and make it happen. If not, then Shawn Porter is going to need to make something big happen with someone else,” said Porter.

It would be a good idea for Porter not to put too much time and effort into facing Crawford. If the interest isn’t there on Crawford’s part, Porter should move on towards fighters that he has a better shot at meeting.

It’s already common knowledge that Top Rank is interested in matching Crawford against former IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook in his next fight. Brook has a lot of boxing fans in the UK, and Crawford can expand his fan base in that country by facing him.

Crawford can make good money against Brook with arguably less risk involved than a fight with Porter. Brook has a fighting style that will be easier for Crawford than a battle with Porter, who would make it tough for him with his inside fighting.

Image: Shawn Porter looking to fight Terence Crawford

Is Porter being avoided by top fighters?

“When I fought Errol Spence, it seemed like everyone after the fight wanted to name a lot of the big names in the division, and I know I’m not invisible, so I’m like, ‘Why isn’t my name being said?'” said Porter. “I kind of took pride in it and thought, ‘I must be the Candyman because no one wants to say my name.’ You know what happens when we say Candyman’s name.

“So I kind of feel that way right now. There is an avoided fighter right now in boxing, and it is Shawn Porter. I think the reason is because these fighters know one way or another, you’re in for the fight of your life. There may be a fighter out there that feels he can beat me.

“But he also knows after he beats me, he’s not going to be able to go to the club after that fight. He’s going to be going to the hospital. And if he doesn’t go to the hospital, he’s going to go back to his hotel room to go to bed.

“It’s just going to be a long night when you get in the ring with me. In one way, I understand those fighters not saying my name, but at the same time, I think the world should be about greatness. Every fighter from the time he starts to the time he retires is trying to get to greatness,” said Porter.

The combination of Porter’s power, inside fighting style, size, and roughhouse fighting style contributes to him being a guy that few fighters want to face. Errol Spence Jr. and Danny Garcia were two of the brave ones that were willing to fight Porter, but they had it tough.

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