Terence Crawford vs Shawn Porter: Crawford to win but not knock out the opponent

The WBO welterweight title fight between American boxers Terence Crawford and Shawn Porter will take place on 21 November in the United States.

The question is whether Terence Crawford can do what several people have tried but failed to do, i.e., to send Shawn Porter to the ground and do it in such a way that he seems to have no point in getting up.

Coming relatively close to this was Errol Spence, who sent him to the ground in the eleventh round and, oddly enough, Adrien Broner, who lost the fight to Porter but managed to puzzle everyone hard by sending him to a knockdown in the final twelfth round.

I’m not questioning whether Crawford could win. Crawford is very talented. And it’s not about the fact that he can work as a lefty or a righty. It’s about a sense of distance and an associated sense of an opponent. It’s very good sense. Unexpected strikes, especially on the right side, only help the cause.

Porter is a very winning opponent. In the sense that the fight with him is always beautiful. It always seems that he is capable of something. You always expect a surprise, a miracle.

But not in this fight. He may be able to upset Crawford in the case, but it will only be a tactical success. He will lose the fight, and that will be clear to himself by the end of the encounter. This gives him an extra chance, but only in theory. In practice, he is unlikely to be able to do anything.

I’ll try to answer the question posed at the beginning: can Crawford knock out Porter? My guess is no. Crawford will probably win one round. He’ll be very close to the winner. Maybe he’ll send Porter to the floor a few times, including the right sidekick. But by some miracle, Porter will hold on and finish the fight on his feet, giving us one last great fight and covering himself with glory.

I respect everything Shawn does. Porter can box, he can punch, he can move and cut corners. I’m not going to sit here and say I don’t respect his skills. I’m just going to say I can do it all much better, and I’ll demonstrate that during the fight. When we signed the contract, the switch was already on. I can’t wait to go out there and showcase my talent. Now I’m relaxed, sitting in my hotel room all day and playing Call of Duty.

Terence Crawford

Jose had skill, speed, agility, some small nuances that didn’t necessarily give Terence problems, but it wasn’t easy for Crawford. I don’t think anyone has ever challenged him as Benavides did. I wouldn’t say Jose won many rounds then. Maybe 2-3, and then he went to the knockout. But he was still behind Crawford in many aspects. I look at that fight and say, “I have everything that Jose has, and even a little bit more.” I need to incorporate that into my fight with Terence, and then I’ll win the rounds.

Shawn Porter

Bookmakers see Crawford as the big favourite, of course, but their line gives a lot of food for thought to the bettor:

• Full Fight - NO for 2.20;
• Full Fight - YES for 1.57;
• Crawford to win by KO/TKO/DQ for 2.50.