WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford has waited years to finally face a top name in the division. His opportunity finally arrives on Saturday night when he steps into the ring against two-time former welterweight champion Shawn Porter in a huge pay-per-view showdown.
Crawford, long a staple at the top end of pound-for-pound lists, won his welterweight championship in June 2018 with a TKO win over Jeff Horn. Fighting as a part of the Top Rank stable, he was locked out of fights with welterweight's biggest names, all of whom fight under the Premier Boxing Champions banner. Still, Crawford's skills were on constant display as he made four successful defenses of his championship, all by stoppage.
Porter, a PBC fighter, finally was the man given the task to face off with Crawford when the WBO made him a mandatory challenger. Porter won his first welterweight title in December 2013, beating Devon Alexander by decision. He lost that belt by split decision against Kell Brook two fights later. Porter also suffered a loss in his next bid for a title, dropping a hard-fought, close decision against Keith Thurman in June 2016.
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Porter's staying power in the division was shown in September 2018, beating Danny Garcia by decision to become WBC champion. He would hold that belt until losing a thrilling war with Errol Spence Jr. by split decision in December 2019.
Spence is the biggest item on the menu for either Porter or Crawford, Porter wanting a chance at revenge and Crawford wanting a showdown with the other top dog in the division. The winner takes home the WBO title and may get the Spence fight in the near future.
The undercard fills out with a few interesting names. Former junior featherweight champion Isaac Dogbe is back in a preliminary bout against Christopher Diaz at featherweight. Dogbe, who owns the NABF title at 132 pounds, enters on a two-fight win streak. Diaz is coming off a loss to Emauel Navarrete in April. Plus, middleweight prospect Janibek Alimkhanuly is back as he looks to continue his undefeated run against Hassan N'Dam.
Also on the preliminary card, rising junior lightweight prospect Karlos Balderas is back as he takes on Julio Cortez. Balderas, the 25-year-old from California, is 10-1 with nine knockouts so far in his career. He bounced back from a TKO loss to Juan Rene Tellez in December 2019 with a TKO win in August over Fidel Cervantes. Cortez enters with a 15-3 mark, but coming off a decision loss in his last outing.
Below is the complete info for buying and viewing the PPV event as well as the fight card and latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook.
Crawford vs. Porter viewing info
- Date: Nov. 20
- Location: Mandalay Bay Resort -- Las Vegas
- Start time: 9 p.m. ET (main card) | Price: $69.99
- How to watch: ESPN+ PPV
Crawford vs. Porter fight card, odds
- Terence Crawford (c) -700 vs. Shawn Porter +500, WBO welterweight championship
- Esquiva Falcao -650 vs. Patrice Volny +475, middleweight
- Janibek Alimkhanuly -2500 vs. Hassan N'Dam +1200, middleweight
- Raymond Muratalla -2200 vs. Elias Damian Araujo +1100, lightweight
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