Boxing
Shawn Porter warns Terence Crawford about this aspect of Errol Spence's fight game
Watch Spence vs. Crawford on Showtime (US only)
Shawn Porter used his rugged style to pressure Errol Spence Jr. when the two fought in September 2019. Instead of wilting, "The Truth" stood right there, stuck to his game plan and uncorked a flash knockdown in the 11th round en route to a split-decision victory.
It's that firsthand experience that Porter is warning Terence Crawford about before Crawford and Spence vie for undisputed welterweight championship glory Saturday night in Las Vegas.
In particular, Porter pinpoints Spence's ability to remain a stringent practicioner despite turbulence and how that could lead to growing momentum that Crawford cannot allow the unified welterweight champ to build.
"Errol is going to stay focused, he's going to stay locked and loaded no matter what happens," Porter began explaining to Showtime Sports on Tuesday.
"He'll go down five rounds and he'll stick with his game plan and work it and work it and work it until it works! That's what so special about Errol — you can't get him rattled.
"If Errol's finding success, getting to the body, finding success hitting the shoulders, the arms, whatever it has to be ... Errol just wants to touch you," he continued.
"I think for Terence, it's just a matter of controlling the range and the distance and not allowing Errol to see success moving forward.
"I've had people ask me 'how is it that Errol gets stronger as the fight goes on?' I said that it's not necessarily that he gets stronger. It's that momentum that he builds round after round, along with breaking down his opponents," Porter tacked on for good measure.
"It looks like he's getting stronger. He's really not. It's that momentum is building and it becomes this avalanche of snow and it's hard to stop that."
