Shawn Porter is wholeheartedly gunning to KO Terence Crawford!
There is no question that Shawn “Showtime” Porter (31-3-1, 17 KO’s) stands as WBO world welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford’s (37-0, 28 KO’s) stiffest competition at 147. Even still, on November 20, many will still view him as the firm underdog. Porter has tangled with the best in the division and gave unified 147-pound champion Errol Spence Jr all he could handle. Despite all that, the general perception is that Crawford is still the more solid product.
Thankfully, Showtime is very used to being counted out and thought a bit less of. Over the years, he has consistently received a firm razzing from a healthy contingent of fans. The heckles generally are aimed at Porter’s oftentimes rough and tumble style of fighting. There is no denying that he is known for making fights extremely rough and overtly physical. While, for many, this style of combat is not the most eye-pleasing, it has proven to be very effective. No one has ever gotten in the ring and had a casual night with Showtime. So, in this sense, his style has been tremendously beneficial.
HE’S GOING DOWN!
Shawn Porter has found success competing with this form of pugilism. Therefore, its very unlikely that Porter will alter anything major with Terence Crawford. Well, that is not entirely true. When he heads into the ring with Bud, more than just the ‘win’, Showtime will be looking to knockout the champ. Realistically speaking, this should not come as a grand shock to anyone. To date, a number of close decisions have not gone his way. It’s only logical that he would want to keep the judges out of the final outcome. And that is exactly what he shared with Fight Hype in a recent interview.
“We’ve been really working on the delivery, we’ve been working on the foundation and the fundamentals and how to make that all happen and get that pop that we need to get guys out of there. And let me say this, I remember when I was going to fight Keith Thurman, there was a lot of talk about us being friends. So much so that I was a little annoyed by it. And I think I may have done an interview where I said, ‘listen we are friends but when we get in the ring, we are not friends anymore.’
And I think I felt like there was a part of me that had to prove that through the course of the night or in the fight or something like that. With this one, I don’t have to say ‘yeah I am going to knock this dude out’ or ‘I’m trying to knock this dude out,’ just to sell tickets or just to get people to believe that I don’t consider us friends once we get in the ring. I’m flat out trying to knock this dude out because he is where he is, he is who he is, he’s done everything that he’s done and I got to have that!”
THE GLOW!
Yet, there is a greater motivation at play in Porter’s mind. Sure, Crawford has an overabundance of talent and skill which separate him from the pack in countless ways. At the same time though, Demetrius Andrade and Shakur Stevenson are also dripping with ring IQ, skill and ability. Even still, they are largely denigrated by a huge section of the boxing populace.
Said to say, undeniable talent alone doesn’t guarantee that a fighter will be upheld or exalted by the fans. Therefore, in the case of Crawford, Porter accurately comprehends that Bud is immersed in a greater aura than most fighters…even the top-flight competitors. This is precisely why he wants to commandeer that special aura that Terence Crawford is engulfed in. In the end, we will just have to wait to see how all the action plays out in the ring!
“I just did an interview and I said ‘this dude has a glow around him,’ I really am [but] I’m used to that glow. The boxing world may not know about that glow but my family, my friends, people close to me, they know that there is a glow. There is something special about Shawn Porter. So, I don’t know how to share that glow. I’m going for that glow!”
By: Bakari Simpson
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