WBO welterweight world champion Crawford and two-time champion Porter met at Las Vegas press conference ahead of their highly anticipated showdown at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (Oct. 9, 2021) — The longtime WBO welterweight king and pound-for-pound star, Terence Crawford, finally has the super fight he craves. Enter Shawn Porter, the two-time champion who has fought most of this generation’s elite welterweights.
Crawford and Porter will fight Saturday, Nov. 20 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The two met face-to-face Saturday for a kickoff press conference, alongside their respective trainers and promoters.
Presented by Top Rank and TGB Promotions, Crawford-Porter will be a Top Rank PPV exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Tickets can be purchased by visiting AXS.com.
This is what the fighters and their teams had to say Saturday in Las Vegas.
SHAWN PORTER
“When I get in the ring, I command the ring. When I get in a room, I command the room.
“I believe this fight is happening right on time. There’s no secret that there is a lot of respect between me and Terence.
“We can talk all about resumes, but when I look at his resume, nobody that has been in the ring with him, knows him as I know him. The best of Terence Crawford will bring out the best of Shawn Porter. What I do know is November 20 is a big day for boxing and it will be a big day for Team Porter.
“I’m sure I’m on the brink of getting into the Hall of Fame. For me, it’s not only win or go home. It’s win, or nothing else. My life right now it’s all about beating and dominating Crawford. My legacy will depend on beating Terence Crawford.
“He is a dominant fighter. Everyone he gets in the ring with, he dominates. I want to be the one fighter that he can’t dominate. Everything that is required to beat Terence, I got it. It’s time to take on this challenge.
“On November 20, the energy will be great. Fight night will be unlike no other. This will be the crazy energy you ever felt and I’m looking forward to it.”
BOB ARUM, Top Rank Chairman
“I want to thank Tom Brown for his cooperation. With the companies that we represent cooperating, it will only be good for boxing, and we can do bigger and better matches.
“Terence Crawford is the only unified champion sitting on this stage. He unified the 140-pound division, and maybe the reason he hasn’t fought other top welterweights, it’s because you guys were hiding them because you didn’t want to put them in with Terence.”
TOM BROWN, TGB Promotions President
“This really is a tremendous fight. I want to congratulate Top Rank for putting this great fight together.
“This is the kind of fight that both the fans and the media have asked for and we were able to deliver it.
“Terence Crawford is a great fighter, and he has fought great fighters, but this guy (Porter) right here is on a whole other level. Shawn Porter is one of the best welterweights in the world, but also one of the best fighters in the sport.”
BRIAN MCINTYRE, Crawford’s Trainer
“On paper, this is the toughest fight of Terence’s career, but we will not know until we actually get in the ring. As a trainer, I want this to be the toughest fight for Terence because you are going to see a better Terence Crawford. The better the fighter, the better that Terence is.
“Something about this camp is very special. We ready. You can’t bring random sparring partners when you are facing someone like Porter. We have to search the world for the best of the best.”
KENNY PORTER, Shawn Porter’s Trainer
“You can’t beat this type of caliber fighter fighting the way you always fought. You have to change everything. You have to be better. Shawn has been away training in the mountains. Secluded. Just himself and God.
“BoMac is a great trainer. Terence is an excellent fighter. We have an enormous amount of respect for him and his team. Every day I’m trying to figure out and see what we can do better. You must change. You must be better when you are facing a fighter of his caliber.”
