By Chris Williams: Shakur Stevenson is warning Shawn Porter that Terence Crawford is a bad style match-up for him if he takes that fight. Stevenson says Crawford is too fast, too strong, and too skilled for former IBF welterweight champion Porter (31-3-1, 17 KOs).
Porter is one of two options on the table for Crawford that his promoter Bob Arum is looking at for his next fight. Manny Pacquiao is the other option, but that’s a match that is unlikely to happen.
Shawn is the most likely fight for Crawford, as long as Arum doesn’t lowball him to get him to go away.
If Arum is worried about Crawford losing, Porter’s lowball offer will make sure he doesn’t lose his ‘O.’
Arum says an overseas country is interested potentially in putting up a big site fee to host the Pacquiao vs. Crawford.
He’ll find out this week if the match can happen. However, Arum has been talking about wanting to get a foreign country to stage the fight between them for a long, long time, and it’s never happened.
For Arum to be talking about a country possibly paying a big site fee for the Pacquiao vs. Crawford clash, it sounds like a pipe dream.
Shakur doesn’t say who he thinks Crawford should fight. He doesn’t want Porter to fight him for some reason.
Shakur Stevenson: Crawford’s style bad for Porter
“I wouldn’t say it’s his toughest fight without seeing them fight each other yet, but Shawn Porter is a fighter that gives a lot of people problems,” said Shakur Stevenson to Fighthype.
“But in my opinion, styles make fights, and Terence’s style is a really bad style for Shawn Porter. Terence Crawford is a sharpshooter, who likes to box, and Shawn Porter runs in and jumps in and tries to be ugly.
“I don’t think that’s a good style for Shawn Porter to fight Terence. I mean, he’s going to get some punches in, don’t get me wrong.
“Shawn Porter is a real good fighter and a bad style. I hope they do fight. Terence needs that kind of fight,” said Shakur.
Many fans would disagree with Shakur about his view of Crawford being a bad style match-up for Porter. It’s actually the other way around. Porter is the one that is a bad style match-up for Crawford.
Porter has that smothering style similar to 154-pounder Brian Castano and makes it impossible for lanky longer-armed fighters to use their reach.
Shawn would take Crawford’s reach away by getting in close and forcing him to fight on the inside for 12 rounds. We could see the 34-year-old Crawford get really old inside the ring against Porter.
Shakur: Brook easily beat Porter
“I can’t say that’s his toughest fight when he fought Kell Brook, somebody that outboxed Shawn Porter as easy as possible,” said Shakur.
“He [Brook] took a lot of punishment with GGG as far as taking that big fight. That kind of messed him up a little bit—he [Brook] still kind of looked good in his fight before that.
“Before Terence, he was boxing real good [against junior middleweight fringe contender Mark DeLuca]. It’s a bad style match-up [for Porter against Crawford].
“Terence is stronger, and he’s faster than Shawn. I think he’s a better and bigger puncher than Shawn. And I just think it’s a bad style for Shawn.
“I think a lot of people need to leave Terence alone. Terence is a hell of a fighter. A lot of people don’t really [want to fight Crawford].
“You got to respect Shawn for that, though. Terence is a savage. That dude is a beast when it comes to boxing.
“I respect that [Porter wanting to fight Crawford]. Shawn knows that too. He says that too. Nobody else says his name, so I will be the one to say it, though. I respect that about Shawn too,” said Stevenson.
It sounds like Shakur Stevenson never actually watched the Porter vs. Kell Brook fight. Porter should have won that fight, as all Brook did was jab and hold all night.
Porter was the one attacking. Brook couldn’t keep him off, so he chose to use the punch & grab technique. Kell arguably should have been disqualified with the high number of clinches he initiated each round.
Porter vs. Brook fight took place in 2014 when Kell was still in his prime before he fought Gennady Golovkin.
When Crawford fought Brook, he was 36, hadn’t fought at welterweight in three years, and had to boil down to 147.
BoMac says Crawford would fight Porter
“If Porter wants to active that mandatory, let’s go,” said BoMac to Fighthype on Crawford being willing to face Shawn Porter next.
“We don’t have a problem fighting Porter as long as the stars line up. It’s time to go.
“That doesn’t surprise me at all that Shawn is stepping up and calling out Bud. He’s considered one of the best 147-pounders, and he’s doing what he needs to do to continue his legacy to continue to get big fights.
“Me personally, I think that’s [Porter] going to be a perfect fight for Terence so you can see a better version of Terence.
“Each opponent that Terence gets that’s better than the last opponent, you always see a better and better Terence.
“So as I’m telling everybody, you haven’t seen the best of Terence Crawford yet. So if the fight does materialize and Shawn brings his A-game, you’re going to see an A+ from Terence.
“I definitely know that because he’s at a point now with his career whoever they put on the chopping block, he’s going to go take care of his business,” said BoMac when asked if Crawford would get motivated for a fight against Porter.
BoMac needs to start preparing for the possibility of Porter being Crawford’s next opponent because the chances of Arum getting Pacquiao to agree to fight him are slim.
The site fee that Arum has been hoping to come in for the Pacquiao-Crawford fight is something that Chris Williams doesn’t see happening.
Terence would make adjustments
“It really don’t matter because we know that Terence knows how to adjust to the fighting style that he fights,” said BoMac when asked if Porter will or Spence will be more difficult for Crawford.
“If it’s Shawn Porter night-A or Errol Spence night-B, you’re going to see the best Terence Crawford.
“I think what Shawn Porter brings is a little bit different than Spence. The IQ level and the ring generalship and the boxing IQ that you’ll get out of Terence will rise above what Porter has to be able to win the fight with ease.
“I’m not saying it’s never going to happen but you got to take heed with what Bud is saying because he’s been calling for the fight, but the fight hasn’t materialized,” said BoMac when asked about Crawford saying he’s never going to ask for the Spence fight ever again.
“I don’t know if it’s from their side or if it’s from Top Rank’s side or if it’s PBC side or ESPN’s side.
“Whatever side, we all know Terence wanted the fight. We can’t keep chasing to be chasing a ghost. I think things can fall in place where that fight [Crawford vs. Spence] can still happen.
“Yeah, it definitely does because ESPN has got to sit down with PBC and Fox, and they got to sit down with Top Rank,” continued BoMac about Crawford-Spence.
There aren’t too many adjustments Crawford would make to try and keep Porter off of him. Crawford could try running, but he’s not going to be able to keep Porter from cutting off the ring and forcing him to battle it out on the inside.
That’s the only adjustment Crawford can make, and it’s not likely going to work. Nobody has ever been able to keep Porter off.
Crawford is a good fighter on the outside, but he’s got a mediocre inside game. We saw that in his fight against Egidijus Kavaliauskas when he was dropped by him on the inside.