By: Sean Crose
“This is what I love,” Shawn Porter says. “All systems go. I love it.” Porter appears relaxed yet determined in a recent FightHype interview, presented less than a month before his November 20th throwdown with WBO welterweight king Terence Crawford. The fight, which will be a pay per view event, will go down at the Michelob Ulta Arena in Paradise, Nevada. Not surprisingly, its one of the most anticipated battles of 2020. Although he’s not undefeated like his opponent, the 31-3-1 Porter is viewed as the greatest challenge the 37-0 Crawford has yet to meet in the ring.
“I’m prepared to throw all the heat necessary to get this guy out of there,” Porter says with confidence, knowing that this is perhaps the biggest battle of his own illustrious career. “The mechanics can make the difference in certain situations,” he claims after pointing out how Sugar Hill Stuart trained Tyson Fury to add power to his shots before rematching Deontay Wilder. Does this mean Cleveland native Porter is going for the knockout against Crawford? “I’m flat out trying to knock this dude out,” he states. A bold statement, but not really a surprising one coming from one of the most exciting fighters in the game.
Now 34, Porter has been a major player in the fight game for close to a decade. Danny Garcia, Andre Berto, Paulie Malignaggi, Devon Alexander and Yordenis Ugas have all been defeated by the man known as “Showtime.” What’s more, Porter’s only loses are to Errol Spence, Keith Thurman, and Kell Brook – each one unquestionably a high level ring practitioner. Porter’s rough, come forward style has made him a must see attraction. The man is virtually never in a boring fight.
As for Crawford, the Omaha native has been dying for a match of this caliber for a long time now. He’s definitely already had a Hall of Fame level career for himself, but Crawford has never faced anyone like Porter. Now the guy known simply as Bud has a chance to show the world just how impressive he can be in the ring. Of course the same goes for Porter. The question is – how will each man perform while pitted against the other? Serious fight fans are no doubt eager to learn the answer. Yet Porter aims to stay cool under the pressure.
“The best fighter,” he tells FightHype, “is a happy fighter.”