By Chris Williams: The fight that fans have been waiting for is finally here with the WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford vs. Shawn Porter fight has been officially announced for November 20th.
The fight card will be streamed on ESPN+ at the Mandalay Bay’s Michelob ULRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Crawford-Porter event starts at 9:00 p.m.ET/6:00 p.m. PT on ESPN+.
In other words, boxing fans will need to subscribe to ESPN+ at $6.99 per month to see the Crawford vs. Porter fight. If fans want the whole bundle, they can subscribe for $13.99 per month to get ESPN+ along with Hulu and Disney+.
Crawford, 34, has been pushing to fight one of the PBC 147-pounders for years, and he finally has one in former IBF/WBC welterweight champion Porter(31-3-1, 17 KOs). Unfortunately for ‘Bud’ Crawford, this isn’t the PBC guy that he wanted to fight.
Porter is the guy that Crawford arguably didn’t want to fight due to him having a terrible style for his counter-punching, switch-hitting manner of fighting.
Crawford has been pushing for fights against Manny Pacquiao and Errol Spence Jr. Those are fights that would have given Crawford a massive payday, but instead, he’s going to have to face Porter, who might be a nightmare for him.
We don’t know what we’re going to get with Crawford because he’s unproven at welterweight. Yeah, he’s won world titles in three weight classes, but he’s beaten no one of real talent.
Crawford shows how it’s possible in this era for a fighter to glide through weight classes, win world titles without fighting anyone of quality. Bud’s experience at welterweight is limited to these fighters:
- Amir Khan
- Jeff Horn
- Jose Benavidez
- Kell Brook
- Egidijus Kavaliauskas
Crawford is ready to prove himself
“I’ve been calling out the top welterweights since I moved up to 147 in 2018, and I’m excited that Shawn stepped up,” Crawford said.
“This fight will bring out the best in me and showcase parts of my game that the world hasn’t seen yet. On November 20, I will silence my doubters and prove that I am the best welterweight in the world.”
“For Bud, this is his opportunity to get in with a top three, top two guys to prove himself,” said Shawn Porter’s strength & conditioning coach Larry Wade to Fighthype.
“Even with the knockdown, I consider it a draw, and we didn’t get the win that night, and we have to live with it,” said Wade about Porter’s loss to Errol Spence Jr. in 2019.
“What it boils down to now is legacy for Shawn. To cement himself in history as one of the best welterweights ever, and being in front of Bud Crawford gives him that opportunity,” said Wade.
It’s too bad that Crawford is only now getting a chance to prove himself for the first time in his career because he’s long in the tooth at 34 to be fighting his first elite opponent.
The fact that Crawford is only now fighting his first elite guy in his career is more a product of how promoters guide their fighters’ careers. Nowadays, it’s become the norm for promoters to steer their fighters around the quality guys, matching them carefully to ensure they don’t lose or get worn down quickly against talented opposition.
However, it’s still quite unusual to have a fighter that has been guided to three world division world titles and 13 years without ever fighting an elite guy.
Why did Top Rank choose to match Crawford in this way? The obvious answer is they saw that Crawford was vulnerable early on. They ensured that he didn’t get exposed by matching him carefully against opposition like horn, Khan, Julius Indongo, Dierry Jean, and Brook.
Porter’s punch output could be too much for Bud
“If you look at his [Crawford] punch count, he’s usually between 35 and 50. So when you have a lower punch count, it’s easier to preserve yourself and have conditioning through 12 rounds.
“When you’re in there with a guy that is going to throw 60, 80, 90 punches and you have to match that, that’s something we’re going to have to see if he [Crawford] can handle. Even if I knew what the plan is for the fight, which I do, I wouldn’t share it with you guys.
“You’ll see what Shawn Porter does best, and that brings 150% to what he does, and we’re going to see if Bud Crawford can deal with that.
“You’re going to see a great fight that night for sure. Shawn has amazing genetics. Even if they gave us two weeks, if that’s the amount of time that it takes, that’s what we’re going to do.
“You can chomp at the bit all you want to, but you still got to get in the ring with that man [Porter]. It doesn’t really matter. I guarantee you that you’re going to see two hungry wolves in there.
“Shawn does not like to lose. Shawn has shown he’s extremely competitive and very, very athletic and will get it done. He’s tough enough,” said Wade.
It’s interesting how Crawford’s low work has gotten worse as he’s aged. With the weak opposition that Top Rank has been feeding Crawford, no one could take advantage of his low work rate until now.
If Porter averages 80 to 100 punches thrown per round, it’s going to be up to Crawford to raise his anemic 35 punch output to that level to try and match him. Crawford won’t do well if he can’t throw more punches than what we’ve been seeing from him in the last 13 years.
I don’t think Crawford can throw more punches, and he doesn’t have it in him to throw many shots, perhaps because he’s hiding stamina issues.
Shawn more athletic than Crawford
“Absolutely,” Wade said when asked if Porter is more athletic than Crawford. “Don’t misunderstand. Terence is talented, too; I’m not knocking him.
“I think he’s a great talent, but I’ve seen firsthand working with Shawn Porter some of the things he can do. So, I would have to put that in Shawn’s direction.
“So you’re going to see a good fight, and you’re going to see one guy [Porter] that is trying to etch his name in stone and be one of the best there is in Shawn Porter.
“You’re going to see Bud Crawford on the other end, trying to show the world that he deserves to be looked at as one of the top welterweights. We’re going to find out that night.
“The top 10% for sure because when you see a guy like Shawn Porter and a guy like Caleb Plant, these guys can do anything,” said Wade when asked if Porter is a great athlete.
“They can dunk the ball. He has amazing vertical,” Wade said of Plant’s ability to jump. “His vertical is amazing, trust, and he’s jumped on boxes as tall as I am in height.
“He is that gifted. So you got guys that are that talented, they can do almost anything they want,” said Wade of Porter and Plant.
It’s debatable whether Porter is more astheletic than Crawford. In a 100 meter sprint, Crawford might come out ahead, but it’s unclear if he’s a superior athlete than Porter, and it might not matter.
Porter is obuviously going to be attempting to mug Crawford by pressing the attack in close, and getting physical.
Shawn isn’t going to allow Crawford to have any separation at all to land his counter shots, jabs, and run around the ring. Unless Crawford literally runs from Porter, which will lead to a lot of booing, he’s going to have to fight him on the inside.
That means you forget about Crawford impressing the broadcasters with his switch hitting, and his counter punches will be useless. You can only counter punch when you’re given space, and Porter isn’t going to let Crawford have that space.