TV: ESPN+ PPV
Time: 9:00 PM
Tonight’s the night! This is our Christmas in the boxing world. We’ve been waiting on a fight of this magnitude for the past few years. No, I’m not talking about that linear Heavyweight wrestling match between “Fury versus Wilder” or “Canelo vs Plant”. I’m talking about two fighters that have taken the weight class and carried it since Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather and Pernel Whitaker created the buzz in this division. Who’s the king of this division? My answer would be Terrence “Bud” Crawford. Can Shawn Porter dethrone the champ and win back his title? Allow me to break down this fight and give you my prediction for tonight’s WBO Welterweight Championship.
Who is the WBO and what is a welterweight?
The WBO is the World Boxing Organization. The WBO was formed in 1988 and is recognized as one of the four major championship groups by the International Boxing Hall of Fame along with the WBA, WBC and IBF. They sanction professional boxing bouts. A welterweight is the weight in boxing between a light weight and middle weight. The weight ranges between 140 to 147 pounds.
Terrence “Bud” Crawford
Terrence Crawford has a record of 37-0, 28 KOs with wins over the best in the division. If we take a look at Crawford’s last five fights you would see the dominance in his fight game from the 3rd round to the 6th round. He has stopped all but three opponents before the 12th round distance. He’s beaten Amir Khan, Jose Benavidez, Jeff Horn (Championship fight), Julius Indongo and Felix Diaz. His last six fights were all championship fights. The tougher the fighter, the better he shined. “His hands speed in and outside his arm reach makes him a different animal”, Amir Khan shared after their fight in 2020.
Shawn Porter
Shawn Porter’s boxing record is 31-3-1, 17 KOs. He is a warrior. He reminds me of a smaller Evander Holyfield. He can box, scrap and get himself into a slug match and be ok with that. “Shawn has a tough chin and his movement inside makes him difficult to knock out”, Crawford shared in a pre-fight interview Thursday. The only losses and tie came to the hands of Kell Brook (2014) where he lost the welterweight belt, Keith Thurman (2016) and Errol Spence, Jr as of late. Remember he’s been a boxing analyst for the last 18 months. This fight will place him where he wants to be back on top of the division where he once was king.
Prediction
I’ve watched boxing basically all my life. The more heated the rivalry, the better. You want to see guys with bad blood between them go at it and prove who’s the better fighter. In this case, these guys are actually friends. Tonight, the king will take center stage with the WBO welterweight belt strapped around his waist. I’m taking Terrence “Bud” Crawford in the 7th round.
