Shawn Porter has felt the wrath of Terence Crawford but is backing his former foe to dethrone Canelo Alvarez.
Crawford is one of boxing’s most talented pound-for-pound fighters now, and his record at world level speaks for itself having won world titles in four weight classes.
Despite his achievements already, ‘Bud’ is set to step beyond the ropes for the biggest examination of his boxing credentials yet.
The American will face fellow modern-era great and boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez in a mega-fight in Las Vegas in September, with huge commercial interest in the event.
It could be a fitting end to a stellar career if he is able to beat the Mexican, but it will be an uphill battle.
Crawford will be giving away size advantages as he prepares to step up to Alvarez’s weight class of 168lbs, a 14lbs increase.
Given the disparity, many boxing experts and pundits make Alvarez the favourite going into their intriguing clash of styles.
But Porter, a former rival of Crawford in 2021 who was brutally stopped in the tenth round of their clash, thinks differently.
The talented American is now a friend of Crawford and knows exactly first hand what it is like to be taken apart by the gifted champion.
But he personally believes that money is best placed on Crawford, given the American’s ability to punch in frightening combinations.
He told talkSPORT.com: “Yeah it’s going to be a massive fight.
“I think that the effect of his punching at 147lbs and the lower weight classes will not be the same.
“But one thing we know, and what I particularly learnt from Crawford is his ability to punch in combinations throughout a fight.
“When you can punch in combinations, you can hit somebody multiple times and do damage.
“Eventually you will have the impact that you want, and I actually give him a great shot of winning that fight.
“I think it is a 50/50 fight, but if I had to bet my last dollar, I would bet him on Crawford.”
Crawford landed a total of 98 punches on Porter, and the American will know exactly what Alvarez could find himself up against.
The Mexican has fought a who’s who of leading names across a number of divisions including Floyd Mayweather, Dmitry Bivol and Gennady Golovkin.
In his defeat to Bivol, Alvarez struggled to jump up in weight and ultimately struggled against the natural weighted fighter in the Russian.
Crawford will hope not to face the same issues, but is already walking around well above the targeted 168lbs weight.
The American has a formidable KO ratio despite not being the biggest puncher with 31 of his 41 wins coming by way of stoppage.
His fast hands and elite boxing IQ will be matched by Alvarez, with a chess-match like battle in the exchanges expected.
But Crawford himself believes his advantages lay in his patient ability to wear down opponents.
He said: “I’m the type of guy who likes to feel my fighters out and adjust to what they’re doing.
“I think that’s my greatest attribute, to be able to figure out every opponent I’ve faced thus far.
“I’m looking to do the same come fight time when the Canelo fight happens…
“People say, ‘You’re too small’ or ‘You’re outmatched’ or ‘You don’t belong in the ring with these types of fighters.’
“That’s when great fighters perform their best…
“I’m going to feel great [at 168lbs]. I don’t need to worry about the weight. I know I’m going to feel great.
“I’ve got a lot of things to prepare on. That’s part of boxing – [meeting] milestones you’ve got to hit.”
Boxing fans can expect a war of attrition in Sin City, with the legacy-defining bout to be arguably 2025’s biggest.
