Errol Spence Jr and Terence Crawford are finally fighting – and Shawn Porter is one of the best placed men on the planet to break down what might be about to happen.
Spence and Crawford have all welterweight world titles between them – Spence the WBC, IBF and WBA, Crawford the WBO – and their clash will crown the first four-belt champion of the division.
They’ve had some impressive wins to get to this point, and, unsurprisingly, shared opposition.
Porter tried and failed to take Spence’s WBC title in 2019, putting his IBF belt on the line in the process. He was knocked down in the penultimate round and lost a unanimous decision.
His contest with Crawford didn’t get as far. In 2021, ‘Bud’ retained his world title via a tenth round stoppage after flooring Porter twice. The former champ would announce his retirement soon after.
Now comfortably in his punditry and podcaster chair following a good fighting career, Porter is in a unique position to analyse the upcoming undisputed bout.
On The PorterWay, Roy Jones Jr asked him who had the better ring IQ – and there was no hesitation in his answer.
“Crawford [has the higher ring IQ]. I fought Errol in 2019. It’s 2022. So, by far back then? Yeah by far.”
The undefeated pair will step through the ropes on July 29 in Las Vegas. They’re well aware the magnitude of the event, both admitting that the winner has a right to claim he is the best fighter on the planet.
It’s a ‘pinch me’ moment for boxing fans, who have watched this fight – alongside many others – fail to materialise plenty of times over the years.