On Saturday night, Terence “Bud” Crawford became the first fighter to stop “Showtime” Shawn Porter. The end came in the 10th round, as Crawford retained his WBO welterweight world title in front of a sold-out crowd of 11,568 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) made the fifth defense of the title he won in June 2018 and was presented with the stiffest test of his illustrious career. Porter (31-4-1, 17 KOs), who fought every elite welterweight of this era, made things uncomfortable on the inside.
Porter led 48-47 on all three scorecards after five rounds, but Crawford took control in the second half of the fight. After a dominant ninth round, Crawford scored a pair of knockdowns, and Porter’s trainer and father, Kenny Porter, stopped the fight.
In the aftermath of the stoppage, Porter took no issue with his father’s decision and gave high praise to Crawford.
Porter has been in the ring with a who’s who of top fighters at welterweight – like Errol Spence, Keith Thurman, Yordenis Ugas, Danny Garcia, Kell Brook, Paulie Malignaggi, Andre Berto and Adrien Broner.
But, after being in the ring with Crawford, he tabbed the Omaha-native as the best fighter he had ever faced in the ring.
“He’s doing what he know he needs to do. My timing was off and he wouldn’t allow me to get my rhythm,” Porter said. “He’s the best out of everybody I have been in the ring with. He was on point A to Z and he was that good that I would want to do it again. He’s got it, inside and outside the ring.”