An Update On The Status of the Terence Crawford – Shawn Porter World Welterweight Showdown
3KingsBoxing has previously reported that on July 21, the World Boxing Organization ordered a matchup between WBO world welterweight Terence Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) and mandatory contender Shawn Porter (31-3-1, 17 KOs). Here’s an update on our original reporting.
On August 23, the sanctioning body announced the purse bid will take place September 2 at noon at the WBO headquarters in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The purse bid will be made available for the public at large live on their Facebook page.
The minimum bid for this contest is $200,000. Expect the bidding war between Crawford’s promoters, Top Rank, and Porter’s handlers at PBC to far exceed that amount. A purse bid was ordered after the two camps could not agree to a deal.
A CRITICAL FIGHT FOR BOTH MEN
Crawford is in desperate need of a big fight at 147. Since stopping Jeff Horn to capture the WBO title in June 2018, many observers feel his opponents have been substandard.
His last fight was a fourth-round TKO over the faded former IBF world welterweight champion, Kell Brook, in November of 2020. The fighter ranked fifth in the 3KingsBoxing Top Ten fighter rankings, the man nicknamed “Bud” has not fought since. Fans have been frustrated by his inactivity and his inability to land a fight against a big-name opponent. There have been more headlines about his frustrations with Arum than a significant match against a prominent, prime welterweight. So, a fight against a former two-time world champion in Porter is exactly what Crawford needs at this stage of his career.
Porter has been a top-flight welterweight since he won the IBF title in December of 2013. He is also a former WBC champ and has been in the ring with the very best in the division. His resume includes Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, current WBA ‘super’ world champion Yordenis Ugas, and current unified IBF/WBC world 147 pound champion Errol Spence Jr.
The 33-year-old from Akron, Ohio is willing to go to war against anyone and stated Crawford is his number one target. With Arum and PBC competitors on the promotional side, plenty of attention will be on who wins the bidding war. Stay tuned to 3KingsBoxing for further developments.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
