Bad News For Shawn Porter…..If The Ring Magazine Experts Poll Is To Be Believed

I don’t know about you, but I always have great interest in reading the regular Ring Magazine experts poll that appears before a big, big fight. The collection of experts and the pre-fight picks they give produces a must-read. In the case of this Saturday night’s big welterweight showdown between tough and unrelenting warrior Shawn Porter and unbeaten (some say untouchable) pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford, it’s bad news for “Showtime” as far as the experts poll goes.

Experts can of course get it wrong, sometimes spectacularly so; and what happens in the ring is the only thing that matters. Still, Porter fans (this one included) cannot help but be a little dismayed over the fact that NOT ONE of the experts the folks at Ring spoke with is picking Porter to beat Crawford when they go to war in Las Vegas at the weekend.

Of the 20 experts asked, not one of them is willing to pick 34 year old Porter to pull off the win. Not only do all 20 experts pick Crawford, 37-0(28) to get the win, but four of them predict we will see the never-stopped Porter, 31-3-1(17) get stopped for the very first time in his pro career, this late on in the fight. The majority of experts who were asked their opinion feel 37 year old Crawford will win on points, possibly via a wide margin.

So are the experts, these particular experts, correct? For what it’s worth, I think not. Going out on a limb, I’m picking Porter to fight the fight of his career, in so doing making Crawford fight the fight of HIS career, and pick up an extremely close decision win in a fight that takes plenty out of both champions. Porter has all the tools needed to make a master boxer, a switch-hitter and a beautiful counter puncher, come up just a little short. It’s a brave pick perhaps, but maybe one you agree with?

What we do all know is this: it will be an intense, very possibly great, great fight on Saturday. Whoever wins.