Shawn Porter has assessed his former rival Terence Crawford’s chances of beating Israil Madrimov when the pair come to blows in August this year.
This event marks the first Stateside event put together by Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, and will be held at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Porter and Crawford of course have history as the two American welterweights came to blows back in 2021. Crawford won that fight by stoppage, his ninth in a row at that time, and was the first man to halt Porter inside the distance having also put him down twice in the 10th round.
Crawford retained his belt that night and then went on to his epic showdown with long-time rival Errol Spence Jr back in July of last year.
He was in fine form and eventually stopped Spence in the middle rounds which saw him become the undisputed four-belt king of the division, a feat which he has also piously achieved down at lightweight.
Now, speaking at the launch press conference, Porter was asked for his views on how the fight with Madrimov might go while standing right next to Crawford himself.
“My first time looking at it was just this morning. I watched some Madrimov, I think, that Terence, it always takes you a couple of rounds to see what these guys bring to you. I expect to see Madrimov in your face. I expect the stick to come out from Crawford.
“I expect him to start the fight orthodox. I think this is going to be a fun fight, you’re going to have your hands full, but I think you will handle it, you always handle it. Some people are born to do what they do and this kid is born to do what he do.”
Should Crawford come out victorious in his first tilt at world honours in this new weight class, he will be well on the way towards competing for a chance to come undisputed in an unprecedented third separate weight class.
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