By: Hans Themistode
Terence Crawford has long been considered one of, if not the best, pound-for-pound fighter in the world. That said, the multiple division titlist lacked the resume to justify those claims. For years, the current WBO welterweight champion urged the biggest names in or around his division to take him on. Now, after hammering out a deal behind the scenes, Crawford has officially gotten his wish.
As first reported by Mike Coppinger of ESPN, Crawford and Shawn Porter are set to square off on November 20th, at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
After moving into the number one ranking in both the WBC and WBO sanctioning bodies, Porter (31-3-1, 17 KOs) had the option to either take on unified titlist Errol Spence Jr. or, the aforementioned Crawford. Having swapped fists with Spence Jr. in 2019 and coming up short via split decision, Porter revealed that he was more inclined to take on Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs), citing the desire to face a new foe.
While Crawford was Porter’s preference all along, the former two-time 147-pound belt holder admitted that a showdown between the pair was unlikely. Most of Porter’s doubts stemmed from promoter Bob Arum going on record stating that he wouldn’t offer Porter more than one million to face Crawford, something Porter scoffed at.
The two sides ultimately pushed their differences to the side and sat down at the negotiating table thanks to the WBO sanctioning body ordering a purse bid, something that was set to take place later this afternoon. Now, with both parties agreeing to terms, their previously scheduled purse bid has been canceled.
For Crawford, Porter represents the toughest opponent he’s faced thus far. Earlier this year, the 33-year-old Nebraska native scored a predictable early stoppage against long-faded former champion, Kell Brook.
As for Porter, the highly ranked contender has picked up several notable wins during his 147-pound tenure, including against the likes of Danny Garcia, Yordenis Ugas, Adrien Broner, and Devon Alexander.
Most recently, after losing his WBC crown via split decision to Spence Jr., Porter found himself back in the win column. The Cleveland product handed a one-sided beating to fringe contender Sebastian Formella in August of 2020.
Crawford vs. Porter will officially be offered on ESPN+PPV as opposed to a joint PPV.