By: Hans Themistode
At times, boxing comes down to one-upping your fellow rivals. Oftentimes, fighters who are at the top of their respective weight class, face off against similar opponents. In cases such as those, the performances of both stars will be juxtaposed.
On November 20th, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Terence Crawford will be placed in that same scenario. On the night, Crawford will defend his WBO welterweight crown against former two-division titlist Shawn Porter. Having given current unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. all he could handle in their September 2019 showdown, losing a close split decision, Porter is mostly viewed as the biggest test in Crawford’s career.
While many are fascinated with how things will ultimately play out, the consensus surrounding their showdown is that Crawford will pull off the win. Should the pound-for-pound star do what many are expecting, he’s well aware that his performance against Porter will be compared to his fellow champion.
Crawford though, is sick and tired of everyone placing his name and Spence Jr.’s in the same sentence.
“Who is he to outshine?” Asked Crawford to a group of reporters. “I’m tired of everybody trying to compare me to somebody that’s only had two belts in his whole career.”
Crawford, 34, has dominated every weight class he’s stepped foot in. With world titles at 135, 140, and now 147, Crawford routinely finds himself amongst the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Spence Jr., on the other hand, while also a staple on every credible pound-for-pound list, has yet to achieve championship status in multiple weight classes.
Most recently, Spence Jr. dominated former multiple-time belt holder Danny Garcia, winning a wide unanimous decision in December of 2020. Spence Jr.’s reward for pitching a near shutout was a showdown against future first ballot Hall of Famer, Manny Pacquiao. Although Spence Jr. described their upcoming showdown as his “dream fight”, he was left incredulous when he was forced to withdraw from their contest due to a torn/detached retina.
Crawford, like many, acknowledges that Spence Jr. is a masterful technician in the ring and would have likely defeated Pacquiao if not for his injury. With that said, the Omaha, Nebraska native simply views himself as being a cut above Spence Jr. all across the board.
“He’s talented, but there’s levels.”