By: Hans Themistode
For years now, Bob Arum has been singing the praises of current WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford. The longtime promoter not only believes Crawford is the best boxer at 147 pounds, but believes he’s among the top two boxers in the world, alongside Canelo Alvarez.
While Arum is confident that Crawford will wipe out everyone on the team, he is fully aware of the enormous task that will stand before him tomorrow night.
In what is expected to be a sold-out crowd at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Crawford will face off against two-time former prodigy, Shawn Porter.
When asked how their contest was going, Arum, without hesitation, quickly sided with Crawford. However, although Arum is expecting him to land a win this Saturday night, he is aware of the big threat from Porter to Crawford’s undefeated title reign.
Arum told BoxingInsider.com: “The only person in welterweight who has the tools to give Crawford a nasty night, is Porter. “If Terence can beat Porter it would be a big, important achievement.”
Porter, 34, has long been known for her rugged and rugged style. Despite suffering several setbacks during his stellar career, the perennial candidate has never been more highly regarded. Before easily identifying journeyman Sebastian Formella in August 2020, his most recent ring appearance, Porter was involved in a back-and-forth fight with unified champion Errol Spence Jr.
While Porter will eventually strip him of his WBC title through a split decision, Arum still considers him one of the league’s top names.
With Spence Jr owning two world titles, as well as a spot on almost every pound-for-pound chart, Arum has a lot of respect for the Dallas-born player. In fact, at one point, Arum considered Spence Jr the only real test for Crawford at 147 pounds. However, after more time to think and analyze the styles of both men, Arum has now changed his mind.
“Spence narrowly beat Porter, he knocked him down. So, obviously, the fight between Spence, on that basis alone, will be more experimental than the fight with Porter. But that doesn’t mean Porter isn’t a tougher opponent than Spence. I think Porter is a more difficult opponent to play with Terence than Spence.”
