Shawn Porter says Terence Crawford is more easily rattled outside the ring!
There’s one thing we all know about Shawn Porter (30-3-1, 17KOs) which has never been questioned, and that’s his mental game. The two-time welterweight champion has never been rattled outside of the ring, and very rarely inside of it. However, if you ask him, the same can’t be said for his upcoming opponent, WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford (37-0, 28KOs).
Crawford, known to have a temper, doesn’t take too kind to trash talk of any sorts. He’s of the mentality of “let’s talk with our fists instead of our mouths”. Some people may consider that a strength, while others feel it’s a weakness. Boxing is a sport that’s oftentimes more mental than physical. Gamesmanship is a key component of what makes not only the fighter intriguing, but also the sport as a whole. That’s one area where the three-division world champion has lacked over the years.
WORDS ARE WEAPONS!
To support Porter’s claims, back in 2018 Crawford fought Jose Benavidez Jr. The lead up to that fight was very tense, to say the least. Prior to them agreeing to fight each other, both men crossed paths. It would be Crawford who walked up to Benavidez to let him know that instead of talking trash, the two could step outside and handle things in a less verbal manner. Fast forward to the night before the fight at their weigh-in, Crawford swung and missed at a trash talking Benavidez.
Conversely the opposite can be said about Porter. He’s not synonymous with being an excellent trash-talker. However, he’s very even-keeled and mentally in tune with not only his opponent, but also their verbal attempts at throwing him off. Porter, has fought against guys who enjoy trash-talking. Case in point Keith Thurman, Adrien Broner and Danny Garcia. Both Thurman and Broner are excellent in the trash-talking department. However, leading up to both fights, neither guy was able to get under the skin of the Ohio native.
SHAWN PORTER SEES MENTAL WEAKNESS FOR CRAWFORD OUTSIDE OF RING!
At their final pre-fight press conference, Porter divulged why he feels you can easily get under the skin of Crawford.
“You know what, when I said that, and I’m not going to pull back on it, but Terence you know better than I do. I feel like you’ve matured, I feel like people see your character and your personality more now than they’ve ever seen. But I feel like I’m still correct in saying, if the wrong tweet or the wrong Instagram post goes up, you’re going to get upset.”
Crawford responded by saying, “Maybe, maybe not.”
PORTER FEELS HE’S UNSHAKABLE!
“There’s people that you can get to and there’s people you can’t get to. I’m one of those people you can’t get to, and I got a feeling that you can get to him quicker on a microphone than you can in the ring. I think, in the ring, he’s solid, he is a rock. But, there may be something that might be posted or said, here today, that might affect him and that might have an effect on the fight. We shall see.”
While Porter is skilled in his own right, Terence Crawford is the better boxer without a doubt. However, as you see many times in boxing, it’s more mental than physical. If this turns into a war of mental attrition, Porter will absolutely thrive in those moments, and I expect Crawford to do the same.
By: Jerrell Fletcher
Reading time: 3 minutes
