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A sharp counter kick from Terence Crawford knocked Shawn Porter down early in the 10th round of Saturday night’s World Boxing Organization title fight in Las Vegas. Moments later, a jarring right hook to Porter’s temple started a sequence on the canvas that ended with Porter and his trainer and father, Kenny Porter, signaling to the referee to stop the fight.
The technical knockout put an end to the tense, bitter and dramatic confrontation between the top middleweights. Crawford, currently 38-0, is considered one of the two best fighters in the division along with Errol Spence Jr. Crawford defeated Porter to retain the belt and score a signed win against an outstanding player. Entering the final phase of the fight, Porter, now 31-4-1, still had a chance to win a decision, but Crawford wiped him out with a stunning show of strength.
But then came a plot twist.
Crawford, 34, had wanted to fight Spence for a long time, but boxing business prevented this from happening. Premier Boxing Champions managed Spence, while Crawford signed to the Top Rank. The two teams rarely collaborate, but Crawford’s title defense against Porter, a PBC client, seemed like a sign. I hope the two sides cooperate about future fights
After the fight, however, Crawford, now a free agent according to someone who was not authorized to discuss his contract publicly, spoke about his past tense relationship with Top Rank and its president, Bob Arum. a change in the balance of promotional power.
“Bob couldn’t secure the Spence fight while I was with him,” Crawford said at the post-fight press conference, with a quiet Arum by his side. “How can he secure it when I’m not around?”
Porter, a 34-year-old former champion, pressed Crawford to win the first round on all three scorecards. The fight started in earnest in the second round when Porter took a right-hand shot to Crawford’s face, pulling Crawford into the first of several trades.
By round 7, Porter’s braids, tightly tied with cornrows, were fraying. Another one to the right. Crawford answered his face with one left hand and finished the round with one punch and one left landing.
Crawford’s breathing grew heavy in the eighth lap. He hurled long fists to keep Porter away. Porter has already acquired a number of rights.
Crawford closed the ninth round with a strong left uppercut and landed a similar punch in the 10th round, becoming the first knockout. When Porter fell a second time, his father stopped the fight. The elder Porter, who oversaw Shawn Porter’s education, implied that his son was not properly prepared for Crawford, but gave him credit nonetheless.
“When everything comes together, he can do this,” Kenny Porter said of Crawford. Offense, defense, switching sides. Speed, quickness and power.”
According to CompuBox, Crawford took down 98 of 328 punches, while Porter hooked up with 79 of 347. While Porter connected in two more powerful punches, Crawford’s statistical advantage mainly came from his batting – down to 33 compared to Porter’s 12. 10. Entering Round, led by Crawford, 86-8587-84 on the two official scorecards and the third.
Four career losses, coming in competitive matches against heavyweight champions, Porter announced his retirement after losing to Crawford.
“I gave a lot to this sport,” Porter said. “What else do you do after fighting everyone at the top? I don’t want to be a gatekeeper.”
And Crawford, who won nine games in a row by knockout, said it was too early to choose between his options.
“We’ll go to the drawing board and see what works best for Terence Crawford,” he said.
He didn’t seem inclined to re-sign with Top Rank but it’s possible.
Taking advantage of his status and undefeated record, Crawford could have continued as a free agent to win one-off fights in boxing’s promotional environment. Saúl Álvarez used this formula to become the undisputed super middleweight champion, winning the belts in fights with UK-based promoter Matchroom Boxing, and then making the jump to PBC. To defeat Caleb Plant and merge the header.
Or, Crawford can join PBC, which manages Spence, who holds the titles of the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation, and Yordenis Ugas, the World Boxing Association champion.
“You already know who I want,” Crawford said after the fight.
To beat Danny Garcia last year, he meant invincible warrior Spence from Dallas, who survived a severe car accident in 2019 and had surgery in August to repair a torn retina. Spence watched the fight from ringside and was pictured shaking his head and leaving the arena minutes after the referee declared Crawford the winner.
PBC on the Fox Instagram account shared a post. photo illustration of Spence and Crawford facing each other in the ring. Spence later shared the post on his Instagram Stories feed.
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