Shawn Porter vs. Terence Crawford
Saturday, November 20, 2021 – 10:04 PM EST
Undefeated WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford will put his belt on the line against two-time former champion Shawn Porter in Las Vegas on Saturday, November 20. Porter is renowned for his aggressive style, punching power, and intensity, so it should prove to be an entertaining fight.
Terence Crawford Background
It is now more than 13 years since Crawford made his pro debut. He knocked out Brian Cummings in the first round of that bout, and he racked up a 19-0 record against unheralded opponents. His first big win came against Breidis Prescott in 2013, and he went on to beat Alejandro Sanabria and Andrey Klimov before claiming the WBO lightweight title with a victory over Ricky Burns in 2014.
He stepped up to light-welterweight and became the undisputed champion in that division, becoming just one of six male boxers in history to hold every available belt. Crawford moved up to welterweight in June 2018, when he beat Jeff Horn in a title fight. Since then, he has successfully defended his belt against José Benavidez, Amir Kahn, Egidijus Kavaliauskas, and Kell Brook. Crawford is now number four in The Ring’s pound-for-pound rankings, behind only Canelo Alvarez, Oleksandr Usyk, and Naoya Inoue.
Shawn Porter Background
Porter is the same age as Crawford, he turned pro in the same year and he has a similar number of fights under his belt. He was the unbeaten IBF welterweight champion until losing to Brook in 2014. Porter, who is nicknamed “Showtime” as a result of his exciting style, beat Erick Bone and Adrien Broner on the comeback trail, before losing a WBA welterweight title fight against Keith Thurman.
Wins against Adrían Granados and Danny Garcia earned him a shot at the WBA title, which he won by outpointing Danny García in New York in 2018. He lost the belt to the unbeaten Errol Spence Jr. the following year, but Porter bounced back with a win against Sebastian Formella in 2020, and now he is bidding to become a three-time world champion.
Key Stats
Crawford’s record is 37-0, and he has won 28 of those fights via knockout. He is 5 ft 8 in, with a 74 in reach. He is a southpaw, but he can switch hit to orthodox, and he has a reputation for devastating counterpunching, rapid hand speed, and defensive prowess.
Porter is 35-3-1 in his career, with 17 knockouts. His reach is 69.5 in, and he has an orthodox stance. He is a lot more aggressive than Porter, and he will probably dictate the pace of this fight in the opening stages.
It is interesting to note that Crawford has always fought Top Rank-promoted fighters in the past, leading some to criticize the caliber of his opposition, as most of the best welterweight elite fight under the PBC umbrella. Porter is a PBC fighter, and it will be interesting to see how he fares.
Betting Odds
FanDuel makes Crawford the -650 favorite for this fight. That is understandable, as he has never been beaten, and he is a former pound-for-pound king. Porter is the +410 underdog. Take this into consideration next time you are looking at our boxing picks.
Pick
Bettors will not be particularly enthused by the prospect of paying $650 just to win $100 on Crawford. You can get much better value by backing Porter has lost three times in the past, but he has never been knocked out in 34 fights. Even Spence, the other big shark in this division, needed a split decision to beat him.
Porter was knocked to the canvas in the 11th round of that fight, but he took an eight-count and continued to entertain in the final round. There is a slight danger that Porter could win this one. After all, Thurman is the only man to ever beat him via a unanimous decision. However, Crawford should ultimately be too slick for Porter in this fight.
He is priced at +190 to win via knockout, so you could hedge your bets with a smaller stake on that if you fear Porter will overextend himself and eat big shots. Crawford has won his last eight fights by knockout, so that might be worth considering.
Boxing Pick: Crawford to win on points at -115 with FanDuel
