UNBEATEN TERENCE CRAWFORD made a successful defence of his WBO welterweight title on Saturday, stopping Shawn Porter by knocking the challenger down twice in the 10th round in Las Vegas.
“I was just the better man today,” said Crawford, who improved to 38-0, with 29 wins by knockouts. ”I figured him out in round one. I figured I had the reach and that he had to take chances to get in.
“He was trying to maul and push me back but I used my angles to push him back as well.”
Crawford initially felled Porter with a left uppercut on the button that buckled his knees early in the 10th.
It was all over at 1:21 of the round, when Crawford’s overhand right to the side of the head sent Porter to the canvas for a second time, prompting his father to climb the steps and ask referee Celestino Ruiz to halt the contest.
Porter got up from the second knockdown and appeared to be ready to continue, but his father felt he had enough, saying later his son was fighting “blindfolded”.
“He didn’t prepare like I wanted him to prepare,” Ken Porter said. “It is like fighting this guy blindfolded when you are in a deficit like that.”
Shawn Porter, who dropped to 31-4-1 with 17 KOs, didn’t argue with the decision.
“I didn’t expect it but we have an understanding of that. (Crawford) was catching me clean and my timing was a little off,” he said.
Crawford said it was just a matter of time before he or the referee was going to end it.
“I saw in his face that he was really hurt. His dad did right thing. I was coming with vengeance,” said Crawford, who is now 16-0 in world championship fights.
He hopes to step up in class again as he seeks a title fight with two-belt champion Errol Spence, who was watching from ringside Saturday.
Crawford has the lesser of the four major welterweight titles. Spence holds the IBF and WBC belts and Yordenis Ugas holds the WBA title.
Crawford is considered one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world but, despite his impressive resume, faces persistent criticism over the quality of some of his opponents. This win over former two-time welterweight champ Porter should silence those critics.
He was the undisputed champion at super lightweight, held a lightweight belt and is now 6-0 with six knockouts as a welterweight.
