With the bulk of who mattered at welterweight over the last few years falling under the PBC umbrella, Terence Crawford has been an island unto himself. Over five fights at welterweight, Crawford has made a living but top competition hasn’t been there. No matter who one finds most culpable, it’s hard not to see the last three years as a significant waste of prime. 

What hasn’t been doesn’t matter on Saturday (ESPN+ PPV, 7 PM EST). Crawford has one of the toughest outs of this era in Shawn Porter. It’s a great fight for both guys. For Crawford it’s a chance to begin putting a closing statement on his best years as a professional. For Porter, who faces his third straight undefeated opponent, it’s a chance to win another belt and, win or lose, restate a special case.

Porter may not have been the best welterweight in the world over the last half a decade or so, but he might be the most important. Porter is the guy who it feels like really will fight everybody. Sometimes he wins. Sometimes he doesn’t. He’s made this welterweight generation better, and more whole, because Porter keeps showing up. 

Saturday he does it again.     

Let’s get into it. 

Stats and Stakes

Terence Crawford

Age: 34

Title: WBO welterweight (2018-Present, 4 defenses)

Previous Titles: WBO Lightweight (2014-15, 2 Defenses); Lineal/TBRB/Ring Lightweight (2014-15); WBO Light Welterweight (2015-17, 6 Defenses); Lineal/TBRB/Ring/WBC Jr. welterweight (2016-17, 3 Defenses); WBA Super Lightweight (2017); IBF Jr. Welterweight (2017)

Height: 5’8 

Weight: 146 ½ lbs.

Stance: Orthodox/Southpaw

Hails from: Omaha, Nebraska

Record: 37-0, 28 KO

Press Rankings: #2 (TBRB, Ring, ESPN) 

Record in Major Title Fights: 15-0, 12 KO

Last Five Opponents: 138-6-2 (.952)

Notable Outcomes, Ring/TBRB Rated Foes: UD12 Ricky Burns; TKO9 Yuriorkis Gamboa; UD12 Ray Beltran; TKO6 Thomas Dulorme; TKO10 Dierry Jean; UD12 Viktor Postol; TKO8 John Molina; RTD10 Felix Diaz; KO3 Julius Indongo; TKO9 Jeff Horn; TKO9 Egidijus Kavaliauskas

Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: Jose Benavidez TKO12; Amir Khan TKO6; Kell Brook TKO4 

Vs.

Shawn Porter

Age: 34

Title: None

Previous Titles: IBF welterweight (2013-14, 1 Defense); WBC welterweight (2018-19, 1 Defense)

Height: 5’7 

Weight: 146 ½ lbs.

Stance: Orthodox

Hails from: Las Vegas, Nevada

Record: 31-3-1, 17 KO

Press Rankings: #4 (TBRB, Ring, ESPN)

Record in Major Title Fights: 4-3, 1 KO

Last Five Opponents: 122-9-2 (.924)

Notable Outcomes, Ring/TBRB Rated Foes: Devon Alexander UD12; Paul Malignaggi TKO4; Kell Brook L12; Adrien Broner UD12; Keith Thurman L12; Adrian Granados UD12; Danny Garcia UD12; Yordenis Ugas SD12; Errol Spence L12 

Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: Julio Diaz D10, UD10; Andre Berto TKO9

The Case for Crawford: While Crawford’s opposition in the last few years hasn’t been what it could be, no one else in his years from lightweight to welterweight has been as consistently dominant. When opposition has been better, Crawford elevates. If there is a theme, it is the occasional slow start. Porter at his best presses and disrupts opponents. Porter could be the strongest opponent Crawford has seen and Crawford has to be ready to counter those attacks. Porter is hittable and Crawford is able to generate offense from odd angles. Crawford has to be more accurate and take advantage of countering opportunities to make Porter pay for charging forward. With underrated body work, a seamless switch hitting capacity, and good finishing instincts, Crawford has a chance to use Porter’s aggression against him after the first few rounds and really take over the fight.

The Case for Porter: No one has had an easy night with Porter. The easiest for the men who have defeated him was Brook’s use of smart punching and negating clinches to stop Porter from getting into a full pressure offense. Crawford is unlikely to employ that approach and this could well play out a lot like Porter’s fight with Spence. Porter was in that fight all night, a late knockdown allowing Spence to pull away for the split decision. Porter has to make every round hard for the judges to score, forcing Crawford backwards where he can and using physicality to make an impression even if some of his punches are off the mark. If the fight slows down, the better counter puncher and more relaxed competitor will be Crawford. Porter can’t let him relax all night. If Porter can do that, he can win.    

The Pick: Almost no one is picking Porter to win here. It says something about the impression Crawford has made at his best but could it also say something about group think? There were a lot of naysayers when Porter faced Spence and that was a hell of a fight. It says here we get another excellent battle in this one. Porter feels due but it may be the case that his due already came in defeating Danny Garcia. Crawford has heard the whispers about his level of opposition and may be the man with more to prove. Crawford also appeared to be the better, more rounded talent and he’s one of the best finishers in the sport. A decision feels most likely but if Crawford can get Porter in trouble the way Spence or Broner did, he might be able to be the first to stop Porter. Either way, Crawford is the pick here.   

Rold Picks 2021: 40-12

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com