Trent Reinsmith
- Date & Location: Saturday, November 20 at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, NV
- Odds: Terence Crawford (-650) vs. Shawn Porter (+425) via BetOnline.
- Prediction: Crawford to beat Porter via knockout
Terence Crawford, who is the No. 4 ranked pound-for -pound fighter according to The Ring, was ordered to put his WBO welterweight title on the line against former champion Shawn Porter. The sanctioning body sent a letter to the fighter’s promoters about the mandatory title fight in July. The bout was finalized in September and scheduled for November 20 at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.
Crawford is 37-0 and coming off a November 2020 knockout win over Kell Brook. Porter has a career record of 31-3-1. His most recent fight was an August 2020 unanimous decision win over Sebastian Formella.
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Crawford vs Porter Prediction & Pick
Crawford won the WBO welterweight crown in 2018 with a ninth-round TKO win over Jeff Horn. Crawford has defended the belt four times. He’s won all four of those fights by TKO. His fourth round stoppage of Brook was the shortest of those fights, ending in the fourth round. He’s also defeated Egidijus Kavaliauskas (9th round), Amir Khan (6th round) and José Benavidez Jr (12th round) during his title run. Crawford has not gone to decision since 2016 when he defeated Viktor Postol.
Porter won his first major title in 2013 when he beat Devon Alexander to win the IBF welterweight title. He successfully defended that title against Paulie Malignaggi, before losing to Brook. In 2017, Porter won the vacant WBC silver welterweight title and in 2018 he captured the vacant WBC welterweight crown. He lost the WBC title to Errol Spence Jr. in 2019. In 2020, Porter defeated Formella to win the vacant WBC silver welterweight title. Porter is 9-3 in his past 12 fights. Besides losses to Brook and Spence, he dropped a 2016 decision to Keith Thurman (for the WBA welterweight title). The Ring has Porter ranked as the No. 4 welterweight. Crawford is ranked No. 2 behind Spence. Yordenis Ugas is ranked at No. 3.
This fight will be a test for Crawford, but I think he’ll pass that test with flying colors and keep his belt.
Pick: Crawford to win -650 via BetOnline.
Who has the edge?
Crawford is one of the best finishers in boxing. He can punish his opponent from orthodox or southpaw stances and has both power and speed. Porter is not a fighter who will let Crawford control the contest and he will not back down. What Porter will need to watch out for is that Crawford’s power works off his back foot nearly as well as if he is coming forward.
I think Crawford might allow Porter to think he’s leading the dance in this fight and then box him like Thurman did, which is using his counters off the back foot to accumulate points and damage.
Crawford is the more talented fighter, but he needs to keep Porter from getting in close and working on the inside. If he can keep the fight at distance for a long period of time, he has a good chance of getting the stoppage.
If Porter can work in close via Crawford allowing him to or the referee not separating the two fighters when things get close, Porter has a chance to make things interesting.
Prediction: Crawford to win via knockout -700 via BetUS.
Betting Value With Crawford
I think Crawford will win this contest, but I also believe that Porter is going to give him a big test.
The value in Crawford comes down to how the fight ends. If Crawford can keep the fight at distance via his style or if the ref is quick to split them up, I think he can win via stoppage. If Crawford or the referee allows Porter to get in close and score with power, I believe the fight goes the distance. As for rounds, pick the over on this one and enjoy the action.
Porter to defeat Crawford +400 via Bovada.
Tale of the Tape: Crawford vs. Porter
| Terence Crawford | Category | Shawn Porter |
| 34 | Age | 34 |
| 37-0 | Record | 31-3-1 |
| 28 | Knockout Wins | 17 |
| 9 | Decision Wins | 14 |
| 0 | Draws | 1 |
| 5’8″ | Height | 5’7″ |
| 70″ | Reach | 69″ |
| Orthodox | Stance | Orthodox |
What’s at Stake
Crawford has gone from lightweight champion, to super lightweight champion, to welterweight champion between 2013 and 2018. He went the distance four times during that 17-fight span.
His time as the welterweight champion has not been without controversy. The question of just how good Crawford is will likely be put to rest against Porter, who is the toughest opponent Crawford has faced at welterweight.
This is the fight that could define Crawford’s title run and set him up for a match with Spence or Ugas.
Pick: Crawford to win -650 via Sportsbetting.
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