Is Shawn Porter the Guy Who Can Rattle Terence Crawford?
By Charles Jay
Opinions among boxing fans are somewhat divided these days as to who the top fighter in the world is on a pound-for-pound basis. There are a healthy number of people – and we’re sure some BetOnline customers are a part of this – who look upon Canelo Alvarez as the #1 guy. But Terence “Bud”Crawford, who holds the WBO welterweight championship, is right there in the conversation.
Yet he’s taken a rap for fighting a low-end roster of opponents.That won’t be said after Saturday night, as Crawford goes face-to-face with Shawn Porter, a former champion who has a reputation for being solid as a rock.
This is a pay-per-view bout, which will be carried through ESPN+ (the app). It will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. They’ll ring the ball sometime after 11 PM ET.
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WBO Welterweight Championship — Setting the table
Crawford, who hails from Omaha (also hometown of Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Fred Astaire and Henry Fonda, for you movie fans) is a spotless 37-0 with 28 knockouts. He has held titles at lightweight, junior welterweight and welterweight, for a continuous period of over 7-1/2 years. He has longed for worldwide recognition,but hasn’t proven himself as a major PPV draw. His contract is running out with Top Rank, which may not seek a new deal because they say they don’t make money with him.
Porter (31-3-1,17 KO’s) has fought a Who’s Who of people in and around his weight class, including Danny Garcia, Adrian Broner, Keith Thurman, Kell Brook, Andre Berto, Yordenas Ugas and Errol Spence. He has lost to Brook, Thurman and Spence, who like Crawford, is a southpaw.
WBO Welterweight Championship — Here are the numbers….
In the boxing odds that have been posted on this game by the folks at BetOnline, Crawford is a big favorite:
Terence Crawford -700
Shawn Porter +450
Over 10.5 Rounds -240
Under 10.5 Rounds +190
WBO Welterweight Championship — What Crawford has to do
Crawford is unquestionably the superior technical boxer, and he has to put that on display. His objective should be to keep Porter at a distance, peppering him as much as possible with the jab, and on those occasions when Porter rushes him, he has to be in a position to land a potent straight left hand. He has the speed and footwork to do it, and the guy can fight backing up as well.
Obviously there is the possibility that Crawford can “chop down the tree” if he lands enough blows. But he should prepare himself to execute a game plan to win this over the 12-round distance.
WBO Welterweight Championship — What Porter has to do
Well, one thing he should NOT try to do is outbox Crawford. Rather, he needs to out-hustle him if he can’t knock him out. When he fought Spence, Porter came forward relentlessly, and threw punches from everywhere as he was coming in. It’s crude, by comparison, but it can be effective if it takes Crawford out of his “script.” The more awkward, the better. Smother the guy. Of course, he needs to be prepared to get hit as he tries to close the distance.
It’s all about making this a war of attrition; that is, if he isn’t so completely out-boxed and outclassed that such a thing isn’t even a factor. One consideration, even though Porter has a relatively low KO percentage, is that he may be physically the biggest guy to land a punch on Crawford. While “Bud” started his pro career as a lightweight and moved up, Porter was a middleweight, and even won an NABO title at 154 pounds, before coming down to welterweight. So his frame is bigger. And he is a tough guy to hurt.
WBO Welterweight Championship — Other ways to bet
You can do a lot of different things with boxing props at BetOnline. You can bet on the exact round and result, as well as the precise method of victory, like this:
METHOD OF VICTORY
Crawford by Decision or Technical Decision -135
Crawford by KO, TKO or DQ +155
Porter by Decision or Technical Decision +850
Porter by KO, TKO or DQ +1000
Draw or Technical Draw +1800
You can also wager on the fight going the full distance (as opposed to just over 10.5 rounds). At -135, we like that prop.
BetOnline is your go-to location for everything related to wagering on combat sports, as you can find a huge number of props on boxing, and coverage of every meaningful MMA organization….. Remember that you can get the ball rolling with a credit card, Bitcoin (where you get a 5% boost on your deposit) or other “altcoin” methods. They remove all the obstacles!
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