Porter vs Crawford – Syndication Server

Pound for pound: How did things shake out after Canelo, Crawford wins?

Boxing Junkie decided to wait until after the recent Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford fights to update its pound-for-pound list.

Alvarez delivered another impressive performance, stopping Caleb Plant to become the first undisputed super middleweight champion on Nov. 6. And Crawford, facing the biggest test of his career, took out Shawn Porter in 10 rounds this past Saturday.

So how did those performances impact the ranking? It didn’t.

Crawford, who has been No. 1 since Teofimo Lopez Jr. knocked Vasiliy Lomachenko from his perch in October of last year, retains his position. In fact, he strengthens it. And Alvarez, No. 2 since Lopez-Lomachenko, also stays put.

The one knock against Crawford was that he had never fought anyone at Porter’s level. Now he has. And he performed beautifully, patiently breaking down the former two-time titleholder and then stopping him in 10 rounds.

We can debate who should be No. 1 – Crawford? Alvarez? Naoya Inoue? Oleksandr Usyk? – but everyone must agree that Crawford now has a stronger case.

Here’s how the list looks:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
Canelo Alvarez– Announced that he plans to challenge WBC cruiserweight titleholder Ilunga Makabu but no date or site is set.
Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to defend his IBF and WBA bantamweight titles against Alan Dipaen on Dec. 14 in Tokyo.
Oleksandr Usyk – Expected to fight Anthony Joshua a second time in the spring but no deal is in place.
Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
Teofimo Lopez Jr. – Scheduled to defend his lightweight titles against George Kambosos Jr. on Nov. 27 in New York.
Tyson Fury– No fight scheduled.
Vasiliy Lomachenko – Scheduled to fight Richard Commey on Dec. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Juan Francisco Estrada – In talks to defend his WBA and WBA junior bantamweight titles in what would be a third fight against Roman Gonzalez in November.
Gennadiy Golovkin – Scheduled to fight Ryota Murata in a middleweight title-unification fight on Dec. 29 in Japan.
Jermell Charlo – Expected to face Brian Castano a second time in February but no deal is in place.
Josh Taylor – Scheduled to defend his undisputed junior welterweight championship against mandatory challenger Jack Catterall on Feb. 26 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to defend his light heavyweight titles against Marcus Browne on Dec. 17 in Montreal.
Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to face Isaac Cruz in a lightweight bout on Dec. 5 in Los Angeles.
Jermall Charlo – No fight scheduled.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Mairis Briedis (scheduled to fight Artur Mann on Oct. 16 in Riga, Latvia); Kazuto Ioka (in talks with Jerwin Ancajas for a junior bantamweight title-unification bout); Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (expected to meet Carlos Cuadras as part of a junior bantamweight tournament but nothing is official); Yordenis Ugas (no fight scheduled); and Oscar Valdez (no fight scheduled).

*-Because of an editing error, Kazuto Ioka was removed from the list when he shouldn’t have been. He returns in this version.

Pound for pound: How did things shake out after Canelo, Crawford wins?

Boxing Junkie decided to wait until after the recent Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford fights to update its pound-for-pound list.

So how did those performances impact the ranking? It didn’t.

We can debate who should be No. 1 – Crawford? Alvarez? Naoya Inoue? Oleksandr Usyk? – but everyone must agree that Crawford now has a stronger case.

Here’s how the list looks:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
Canelo Alvarez– Announced that he plans to challenge WBC cruiserweight titleholder Ilunga Makabu but no date or site is set.
Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to defend his IBF and WBA bantamweight titles against Alan Dipaen on Dec. 14 in Tokyo.
Oleksandr Usyk – Expected to fight Anthony Joshua a second time in the spring but no deal is in place.
Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
Teofimo Lopez Jr. – Scheduled to defend his lightweight titles against George Kambosos Jr. on Nov. 27 in New York.
Tyson Fury– No fight scheduled.
Vasiliy Lomachenko – Scheduled to fight Richard Commey on Dec. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Juan Francisco Estrada – In talks to defend his WBA and WBA junior bantamweight titles in what would be a third fight against Roman Gonzalez in November.
Gennadiy Golovkin – Scheduled to fight Ryota Murata in a middleweight title-unification fight on Dec. 29 in Japan.
Jermell Charlo – Expected to face Brian Castano a second time in February but no deal is in place.
Josh Taylor – Scheduled to defend his undisputed junior welterweight championship against mandatory challenger Jack Catterall on Feb. 26 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to defend his light heavyweight titles against Marcus Browne on Dec. 17 in Montreal.
Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to face Isaac Cruz in a lightweight bout on Dec. 5 in Los Angeles.
Jermall Charlo – No fight scheduled.

*-Because of an editing error, Kazuto Ioka was removed from the list when he shouldn’t have been. He returns in this version.

Shawn Porter announces his retirement at post-fight new conference

Shawn Porter announced his retirement at the post-fight new conference after losing to Terence Crawford.

Shawn Porter says he’s finished.

The former two-time welterweight titleholder, who won fans worldwide with his pressure-fighting style, announced after he was knocked out by Terence Crawford on Saturday that he is retiring at 34 years old.

“I was prepared to announced my retirement tonight, win, lose or draw,” he said at the post-fight news conference. “Even if it was a draw. We had a date. They were telling us we were going to have to do it again. I was not going to do it again.

“I’m announcing my retirement right now.”

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Porter (31-4-1, 17 KOs) was an elite 147-pounder for a decade, including a 2-3 record against arguably the five best active fighters in the division. He beat Danny Garcia and Yordenis Ugas but lost to Keith Thurman, Errol Spence Jr. and now Crawford.

Crawford was the only man to stop him.

Porter won his first world title by outpointing a prime Devon Alexander in 2013. He lost the belt the following year to Kell Brook by a majority decision after one successful defense, a fourth-round knockout of Paulie Malignaggi.

He narrowly lost a decision to Thurman in his next title fight, in 2016, but won the vacant WBC title by outpointing Garcia in 2018. He successfully defended once, defeating Ugas by a split decision, but then lost a split decision and his belt in a title-unification bout with Spence in 2019.

His performance against Spence was arguably the best of Porter’s career, one that enhanced his reputation as one of the better fighters of his era.

Porter has already embarked on a successful career as a television analyst, which included an assignment covering the Tokyo Olympics. He presumably will focus more of his time on his second career.

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Shawn Porter announces his retirement at post-fight new conference

Shawn Porter announced his retirement at the post-fight new conference after losing to Terence Crawford.

Shawn Porter says he’s finished.

“I’m announcing my retirement right now.”

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Crawford was the only man to stop him.

His performance against Spence was arguably the best of Porter’s career, one that enhanced his reputation as one of the better fighters of his era.

Porter has already embarked on a successful career as a television analyst, which included an assignment covering the Tokyo Olympics. He presumably will focus more of his time on his second career.

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Kenny Porter says son didn’t prepare properly for Terence Crawford

Kenny Porter said his son didn’t prepare properly for his fight against Terence Crawford on Saturday.

Kenny Porter didn’t provide details but he made it clear that he wasn’t happy with his son’s preparation for his fight against Terence Crawford on Saturday, which he lost by 10th-round knockout.

The elder Porter stopped the fight after the second of two knockdowns to save his wounded son from further punishment.

He was asked in the ring immediately afterward, with the Mandalay Bay crowd listening, why he made that decision.

“Honestly? His preparation. He didn’t prepare like I wanted him to,” said Kenny Porter, which drew boos from the spectators and a smile from an embarrassed Shawn Porter. “That just makes me say, ‘You know what? I don’t want him in that situation.’

“He fought a great fighter. The guy’s super sharp. And [Shawn is] at a deficit. It’s like fighting this guy blindfolded when you’re in a deficit like that. So I wasn’t going to let that happen to him.”

The trainer was asked how his son could’ve been better prepared.

“When guys get to a certain level they believe they know what they’re doing and they don’t necessarily take all the information,” he said. “So this is where we’re at with it. And I had to make that decision.

“I was an easy decision for me. Easy. He lives right across the street from me. I’ll be having breakfast with him in the morning.”

Easy, indeed. He didn’t hesitate to end matters when things looked bleak.

“Shawn was hurt,” he said. “And moving forward, this guy, like I said, he’s a sharp fighter. And my kid is at a deficit at that point. He can’t defend himself like he should. And I had to protect him.”

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Kenny Porter says son didn’t prepare properly for Terence Crawford

Kenny Porter said his son didn’t prepare properly for his fight against Terence Crawford on Saturday.

The elder Porter stopped the fight after the second of two knockdowns to save his wounded son from further punishment.

He was asked in the ring immediately afterward, with the Mandalay Bay crowd listening, why he made that decision.

The trainer was asked how his son could’ve been better prepared.

“I was an easy decision for me. Easy. He lives right across the street from me. I’ll be having breakfast with him in the morning.”

Easy, indeed. He didn’t hesitate to end matters when things looked bleak.

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Shawn Porter says Terence Crawford is best he has faced

Shawn Porter said after losing to Terence Crawford that Crawford is the best fighter he has faced.

Shawn Porter has fought more of the top welterweights of the current era than anyone else. And he said Terence Crawford, who stopped him in 10 rounds Saturday, is the best of the bunch.

Porter has fought arguably the five best active 147-pounders, beating Danny Garcia and Yordenis Ugas but losing to Keith Thurman, Errol Spence Jr. and now Crawford.

The former champ gave arguably the best performance of his career against Spence in September 2019, losing a split decision. On Saturday, Crawford, defending his WBO belt, overcame a spirited effort from Porter to become the first to stop him.

Porter didn’t hesitate when asked to name his toughest opponent.

Shawn Porter went down twice before the fight was stopped. AP Photo / Chase Stevens

“There’s no doubt,” he said. “That man hit me more than anybody I’ve been in the ring with. He was on point, A to Z. … He’s got it. And I said that multiple times in interviews.”

Father/trainer Kenny Porter had similar praise for Crawford, who had a narrow lead on the scorecards when he put Shawn Porter down twice. Kenny Porter stopped the fight to save his son from further punishment.

“You know what? To name just one thing (about Crawford), I can’t,” the elder Porter said. “But all things combined, he can do everything that needs to be done … offense, defense, switching sides, speed, quickness and power.”

Shawn Porter was surprised when the fight was stopped but didn’t question his father’s decision.

“He’s doing what he knows he needs to do,” he said. “I didn’t expect that. We never had a conversation about that. We just always kind of had an unspoken understanding that if he sees what he needs to see, he’s going to do what he did.

“… The punches he was catching me with were too clean. And I think that’s what my dad saw.”

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Shawn Porter says Terence Crawford is best he has faced

Shawn Porter said after losing to Terence Crawford that Crawford is the best fighter he has faced.

Shawn Porter has fought more of the top welterweights of the current era than anyone else. And he said Terence Crawford, who stopped him in 10 rounds Saturday, is the best of the bunch.

Porter has fought arguably the five best active 147-pounders, beating Danny Garcia and Yordenis Ugas but losing to Keith Thurman, Errol Spence Jr. and now Crawford.

Porter didn’t hesitate when asked to name his toughest opponent.

“There’s no doubt,” he said. “That man hit me more than anybody I’ve been in the ring with. He was on point, A to Z. … He’s got it. And I said that multiple times in interviews.”

Shawn Porter was surprised when the fight was stopped but didn’t question his father’s decision.

“… The punches he was catching me with were too clean. And I think that’s what my dad saw.”

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Terence Crawford stops Shawn Porter for first defining victory

Terence Crawford stopped Shawn Porter for his first defining victory Saturday in Las Vegas.

Now we know for sure.

Terence Crawford, the fighter who many believed had a flimsy resume, proved that he can deliver a dominating performance against an elite-level opponent Saturday at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Shawn Porter gave him hell for most of the fight but Crawford ultimately seized control and finished with a bang, putting Porter down twice and stopping him the 10^th round.

Thus, Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) retained his WBO welterweight title. More important, he finally has his defining victory and a stronger argument for being the top 147-pounder and best fighter in the world pound-for-pound.

“Who’s No. 1 in the welterweight division now?” Crawford bellowed to the spectators in Las Vegas, who responded with cheers.

That was a shot at Errol Spence Jr., who holds the IBF and WBC welterweight titles. If comparisons matter, Spence defeated Porter by a split decision in September 2019.

That doesn’t mean that Crawford had an easy time on Saturday. No one can cruise past Porter, who fought with controlled and effective aggression that kept the fight competitive almost until the end.

Crawford held his own from the opening bell but had difficulty separating himself from his slick, experienced opponent.

It wasn’t until the second half of the fight when Crawford seemed to find a groove and begin landing his power shots with consistency, which allowed him to claim the momentum down the stretch.

Porter started to slow down in Round 9, when it seemed as if he was preserving energy. However, Crawford’s punches might’ve begun to take a toll on him.

Still, the ending came suddenly. About 15 seconds into Round 10 Porter lunged at Crawford, who unloaded a short left uppercut that put Porter on his behind in the first truly dramatic moment of the fight. He got up but there was more trouble ahead.

About a minute later Crawford landed a hard right and followed with a three-punch combination, which sent Porter to the canvas again. He pounded the canvas in frustration but was able to get to get to his feet again before referee Celestino Ruiz reached the count of 10.

Only this time his father/trainer Kenny Porter, had seen enough. He signaled to the referee that he wanted to stop the fight and that was that. It ended at 1:21.

“Shawn was hurt. Moving forward, like I said, [Crawford is] a sharp fighter. And my kid is at a deficit at that point. He can’t defend himself like he should. And I had to protect him,” said the elder Porter, who also was critical of his son’s preparation.

Crawford said he had no doubt Porter was finished after the first knockdown.

“I seen in his face that he was real hurt,” he said. “And you know his dad did the right thing by stopping because I was coming with a vengeance.”

It’s no secret who Crawford wants next. He was unaware that Spence was in the crowd until an interviewer told him so. That’s when he asked the fans in attendance to tell him and the world who they believe is the best welterweight.

He would love to prove it in the ring.

“You already know who I want,” he said. “I’ve been calling him out all day, you know what I mean? Maybe I’ll go up to 154. Maybe Spence with get his tail out of his butt and fight me.

“Whatever, I mean whatever,” he added, sounding exasperated.

One thing is certain: A showdown between Crawford and Spence would be bigger than ever after Saturday night.