Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford finally faced a heavyweight worthy of his talent on Saturday night as he defended his 147 lbs WBO belt against ‘Showtime’ Shawn Porter at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Crawford (37-0) – by general agreement – is one of the sport’s top talents, but since fusing ultralight and switching to welder in 2018 he has stumbled faint objection.
Now 34, the Omaha man is said to face the toughest test of his career in the form of Porter, who has outdone anyone in an incredible 31-3-1 career. Porter only lost to Kell Brook. Keith Thurman and Errol Spence Jr, and all three of those fights were close fights.
Crawford and Porter were born in 1987 a month apart, and whichever of them prevails on Saturday will be in extreme position to face WBC and IBF champion Spence Jr in a blockbuster unification in 2022, assuming the Texan fully recovers from a retinal tear in his left eye that forced him to withdraw from a scheduled date with Manny Pacquiao in August.
Will Crawford finally land a win over a side welder he’s long coveted, or will the seemingly irresistible Porter turn the odds?
Boxing Social’s intrepid writers try to predict the outcome…
I am with the majority here in assuming Crawford extend his unbeaten run, but I believe Porter will prove the toughest test of his career. Porter – to my memory – was never defeated or completely outclassed, and he was always in shape, with a game plan. I think Crawford’s angles and defiance will separate the pair, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were only a few laps between them on the jury’s scorecard. A great war – could bring us closer to the big war? – Craig Scott
All of Porter’s fights against the best in the welterweight division look the same: Porter succeeds, gets his job done, but puts his opponents under constant pressure. His matches against Spence, Garcia, Thurman, Brook, Alexander, and even Broner are all close to cards. Logic dictates that the Crawford fight will likely be similar, with ‘Bud’ winning by razor-thin unanimous decision or split. However, I feel Crawford can make a statement by stopping Porter in the second half of the fight. Crawford has been waiting a long time for a meaningful hit at 147lbs, now that he’s got it, I think he’ll make the most of the opportunity. – John Angus MacDonald
Porter’s tactics are well known and have served him well. Pressure, volume and some raw content. I’m curious to know how Crawford copes and reacts to the latter. If Crawford If he tackles it early, I think he can beat the opponent comprehensively. The champion is a smart and ruthless fighter and it’s time to show the world he’s above a worthy challenger like Porter. Sometimes ‘showtime’ moment but ‘Bud’ is wiser to the majority and will win the decision. – Shaun Brown
The recent big fights seem to have passed without any controversy over the big score, so the pessimistic part of my brain leaning in favor of Porter was awarded a decisive half-infamous victory after a scuffle. Messy fighting can’t break out. The reason why I’ve been upset lately is that Crawford has never fully convinced me in the welterweight division and that Porter has more experience in the big fight than Bud, even if he often seems to be underrated. in the big games. However, I’m trying to stay positive, so my official pick is Crawford finally reaches the age of 147 and dissects Porter’s once-in-a-lifetime game through being the first to stop him. – Luke G. Williams
