Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford is making a big deal about his November 20th title defense against Shawn Porter, believing the fight will show the world that he’s the top dog at welterweight.
This is Crawford’s real live opponent in his 13-year professional career, and it’s forlorn that it’s coming at such a late stage with him on the wrong side of 30.
The truth is, this fight won’t prove anything for the soon-to-be 35-year-old Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) other than can beat a fighter that was already beaten by Kell Brook, Errol Spence Jr, Keith Thurman, and Yordenis Ugas.
Yeah, I know, Porter technically beat Ugas in 2019, but it was a one-sided match, with Yordenis beating Shawn far more convincingly than Spence, Brook, and Thurman did.
Crawford is getting old, nearing 35. A win over a played-out Porter (31-3-1, 17 KOs) on November 20th doesn’t show anybody anything, especially if Terence runs & holds all night as he did in his fights with Ricky Burns and Viktor Postol.
For Crawford to prove he’s the #1 fighter in the welterweight division, he’s going to need to beat these five fighters:
1. Errol Spence Jr.
2. Jaron Ennis
3. Vergil Ortiz Jr
4. Yordenis Ugas
5. Keith Thurman
I just threw in ‘One Time’ Thurman’s name into the mix because if Crawford gets through the first four of those guys, boxing fans will want to see him prove that he can beat the shell of Thurman if he ever gets off the couch.
Crawford will be defending his WBC welterweight strap against the 33-year-old Porter on November 20th on ESPN+ PPV at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas
“They’re going to understand why certain fights haven’t manifested and come to fruition,” said Terence Crawford to ESPN on what the fans will realize after he beats 33-year-old Porter, who has arguably lost 2 out of his last 3 fights.
“It’s because I’m that good,” Crawford continued.”Everything I’ve done, the question is always, ‘Well, what about welterweight?’ This is one of the top welterweights that I’m facing,” Crawford said about the recently beaten Porter.
“This is my time to show the world who Terence Crawford really is in the welterweight division,” said Crawford.
Again, Crawford won’t prove diddly squat by beating Porter because he’s coming into the fight, having lost two out of his last three fights to Ugas and Spence.
At this point, Crawford is so desperate to fight any of the top welterweights. He’s making a big deal out of fighting an over-the-hill Porter. Crawford is like someone thirsty for water, and he’s been given a sip from a canteen, and he’s making a big deal out of it.
Recently, Crawford said he wants to fight Thurman, 32, next and thinks that’ll be a bigger fight than Porter. That right there shows you how bad things are for Crawford.
Thurman hasn’t fought in 2 1/2 years since his loss to Manny Pacquiao, and who knows if he’s ever going to come back? With only two fights in the last four years, Thurman is a relic from a different era.
Crawford seems overconfident going into his match with Porter, and it won’t be surprising if he loses. He can also win and stink up the joint by using the same pull-back style that we saw from Shakur Stevenson in his fights with Joet Gonzalez and Jeremia Nakathilia and wind up getting booed out of the Mandalay Bay.