Shawn Porter vs Terence Crawford Boxing Picks, Best Bets and Odds 11/20/21

Terence Crawford and Shawn Porter fight Saturday for the WBO welterweight title at the Michelob Ultra Arena. Crawford enters this fight with a 37-0 record that includes 28 knockouts. Porter enters this fight with a 31-3-1 record that includes 17 knockouts.

This will be Crawford’s fourth fight since 2019, and he’s coming off a November (2020) win over Kell Brook. Crawford is coming off a rather easy victory where he produced a fourth round knockout and was in control from start to finish. Crawford now looks to defend his belt for a fifth time. Crawford is a 34-year-old southpaw who stands at 5’8” and has a 74-inch reach. Crawford is one of the best technical fighters in the sport, as he’s polished defensively with great head movement and shoulder rolls, and he allows very few rounds for his opponent to get comfortable. Combine Crawford’s defense with his ability to fight out of either stance, he’s very tough to figure out. Crawford is a terrific counterpuncher and has a very strong right hand. Crawford is an underrated power puncher and has finished each of his last eight fights. Many consider Bud to be the best pound for pound boxer in the sport and a victory here may solidify that spot. This will be Crawford’s ninth career fight in Nevada.

Porter has won five of his last six fights, and he’s coming off an August (2020) win over Sebastian Formella. Porter is coming off a decision victory where he won the WBC Silver welterweight title, and he won every round on all three judges cards. Porter hasn’t produced a knockout since his 2017 victory over Andre Berto. Porter is 34 years old, stands at 5’7”, has a 69-inch reach and an orthodox stance. Porter is truly one of the more underrated boxers in the world, as he may not have the sexy style casual fans prefer, but he’s technically sound and has a high IQ. Porter is a quality defensive fighter who bobs and weaves punches well, and he’s highly effective with his counters. Porter doesn’t have elite punching power, as he has just three knockouts in the last eight years. However, Porter is usually the aggressor and his work rate makes up for the lack of pop. Porter is going to let his hands go. This will be Porter’s third career fight in Nevada.

Porter is good enough to be worth a look in the underdog role, and you can argue he outboxed Keith Thurman back in 2016. You rarely get a boxer this quality at this price. With that said, Crawford is simply the better boxer here from a defensive perspective, he can switch stances comfortably, and he’s the bigger fighter with the longer reach and more punching power. There’s a reason why Crawford is this big of a favorite. Porter is going to put up a fight, and he’ll eat some quality shots, but it’s Crawford who will remain unbeaten.

Give me Crawford in a decision.