Terence “Bud” Crawford is just under a month away from his return to action, as he’s set to defend the WBO welterweight title against Shawn Porter in an ESPN pay-per-view main event on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Crawford (37-0, 28 KO) stopped by the ESPN set during tonight’s Herring-Stevenson card to speak with Mark Kriegel about that fight, which involves two friends of his, as well as the matchup coming with Porter (31-3-1, 17 KO) next month.
On Porter being his toughest fight to date
“On paper, it is my toughest test. Shawn Porter has been in the ring with all the champions and everybody in the welterweight division except Manny Pacquiao. This is a big fight, he does have a lot of experience. Shawn Porter has tremendous talent, skills, and he’s going to come to fight.”
On what Porter does best
“He makes fights ugly. He’s got a style of winning by any means necessary. If he’s gotta go in there and stink it up just to get the victory, he’s gonna stink it up to get the victory. That’s somebody that you’ve got to worry about, because he’s gonna do everything in his will to win the fight.”
On how he expects Porter to attack
“Shawn Porter can box, he can brawl, he can mix it up. We’re just preparing for whatever Shawn Porter brings to the table.”
On whether or not he can stop Porter
“If it’s there, then yes. If it’s not, as long as I get the victory. He’s never been stopped, he’s very tough. He’s never been on the brink of being stopped.”
On what the fight will mean for his career
“This fight is really going to show the caliber of fighter that I am and the skill set that I (have). They’re going to look at me and say, ‘Oh, this is the reason why certain fights haven’t manifested or come to fruition, because he’s that good.’”