Boxing News: Terence Crawford Proves Elite Status By Retiring Shawn Porter Via TKO

Terence Crawford’s star rose to new heights after forcing Shawn Porter’s corner to call off the fight in the 10th round, claiming his first major victory in the welterweight division.

For the longest time, the WBO welterweight champion has been a staple at 147 pounds since 2018, but this fight against Porter can be considered his first marquee fight–a highly-publicized fight that the boxing world had been waiting for Crawford to have.

His status as a champion has been criticized by many as he had yet to face someone who was at par with the division’s greats, and Porter was that hurdle he needed to get past in order to legitimize his reign.

Facing Porter was seen as a “quantum leap in competition” for Crawford as noted by ESPN back in July, and Crawford had everything to prove.

By all accounts, Crawford shattered expectations and performed exceptionally well against the former two-time welterweight champion.

Once he had found his range and angles of attack, Crawford felt comfortable trading shots with Porter, rocking the 2007 Golden Gloves champion multiple times.

In the fifth round, renowned champion Andre Ward was working in the commentary booth and had commended Porter’s game plan of limiting Crawford’s opportunities to attack.

“[Shawn] Porter right now is fighting a perfect fight. Being athletic, using his hand speed, using volume, roughing up Terence [Crawford] on the inside right now, changing rhythms,” Ward said during the broadcast.

However, a body shot from Crawford in round eight would be the turning point.

Porter’s aggression would be turned against him in the tenth round as the southpaw strafed his opponent with lead right hooks and quick shots to the body.

Crawford caught Porter coming in for a combination and dropped him for the first knockdown of the night 30 seconds into the round, with the fight-ending combination happening a few moments later.

Porter heavily complimented Crawford in the post-fight in-ring interview for his abilities and gave him the credibility that he had long sought after.

The Akron, Ohio native later announced that he would be retiring from the sport, putting an end to a 13-year career with a record of 31-4-1, the four losses being in title fights.

With his great performance, Crawford has a ton of options on the table for his next fight.

WBA welterweight titleholder Yordenis Ugas could be next should he be able to defend his title against Eimantas Stanionis in a mini-tournament that the Cuban has since panned.

According to World Boxing News, Spence has been cleared to fight again by the WBC and he could be headed for a titanic unification clash with Crawford in the near future.

Crawford can now afford to make his calls for his next fight after his superb performance against Porter, and the boxing world awaits who he will be facing next.