Why do so many people conveniently gloss over Crawford's win against Porter? That ain't right.

Porter was in excellent shape against Crawford too he would have been a champion if he wasn't in such a stacked weight class

 

Thats just a joke, expected though, unfortunately.

 

I certainly don't.

I say it's his best win which is not good considering he was faded and had a foot out the door

 

0-4 losing to Brook, Thurman, Spence, and Crawford. 0-5 if you don't count the Ugas robbery. Dropped by bum ass Broner.

Porter was really just a tough gatekeeper.

 

Porter was a tough gatekeeper but Crawford best him up more than the other guys. Porter gave Spence a great fight. Crawford would have knocked him out if they didn’t throw in the towel. I’m frustrated the Spence fight never happened and doesn’t look to be happening but Boots and Ortiz are in the wings. One of these fights will happen. He and Spence can’t duck each other and the young guns forever. Probably.

 

You know something, it's crazy that you mentioned Porter vs Crawford since I went back and watched all of Porter's big fights. I always felt that Porter could've been a much better fighter had he had a better catch but none of the less he made do with what he had. Now, I think the Porter that Crawford fought is not the same Porter that fought Spence, Thurman, Ugas, Danny Garcia, or Brook. Not to take anything away from Crawford, but the Porter he fought was already halfway out of boxing. Hell, even Shaw's father, Kenny Porter, admitted that he didn't like what he saw from Porter in training camp. As others have mentioned, it's still to use Porter as a measuring stick since he lost to all the top fighters he fought( Outside of Danny Garcia which should've been a draw in my opinion. Plus, I think Ugas schooled Porter).

If I had to rank from best to worse on who handled Porter the best, this would be my list:

1. Ugas: Yes, I understand that Porter got the nob in the matchup but anyone with a set of eyes can see that Ugas was robbed. Ugas was in control from the second round and literally neutralized Porter's pressure with his jab and counter-punching ability. He also dropped Porter which was called a slip. I know it's a stretch, but I had it 9-3 Ugas.
2. Brook: This was a Brook at the height of his powers. He did an exceptional job, using his jab to keep Porter at bay and following it up with a right hand. The only knock against Brook was his consistent clinching and allowing Porter to out-muscle him at times. In the end, I had it 8-4 for Brook.
3. Keith Thurman: Personally, I think this was the best version of Porter. He did a great job combining fundamental boxing, physicality, stamina, and relentless pressure all-in-one. What made me so impressed with Thurman was the fact that he barely clinched and did a tremendous job defensively. He showed that he can fight at all ranges and knows how to use his athleticism to escape danger in the pocket. All in all, there were many people that thought this fight was a draw. I had it 8-4 for Thurman due to the fact that he outlanded Porter and had the more "flashy" punches compared to Porter.
4. Spence or Crawford: Yes....Crawford handled Porter slightly better but this was not the same Porter that fought Spence. The Porter that fought Spence was argubally the same Porter that fought Thurman(dedicated, smart-pressure, elite inside fighting, and non-stop pressure). I always felt that Spence could've handled Porter a lot better but Spence wanted to prove a point. Spence played into Porter's hands and it almost cost him the fight( even though I had it 7=5 or 8-4 before the knockdown for Spence). Crawford did a tremendous job neutralizing Porter's pressure, but Crawford was losing all the way up to the 6th round IMO.
5. Danny Garcia: I though this fight was a draw but I couldn't be mad at the decision. If Danny was a little more busy, I think he would've won the bout but he allowed Porter to match him in outpoint and play into his style.

All in all, I don't think Porter was ever a great fighter but with the right coach he could've been a lot better. Anyone using Porter as a measuring stick is foolish, since Porter never beat the cream of the crop in the WW division.

 

And he lost to Ugas in their fight but was conveniently awarded that decision as well.

 

ESPN always trash going back almost two decades,

The only good thing to come out of them since has been the Last Dance documentary & even that most likely didn't have any of their involvement I bet.

 

The Danny fight was extremely close with alot of peeps thinking it was a draw too.

 

Yes, yes, yes & yes.

 

Excellent post, rare to agree on so many points all in great detail.

 

Spot on. For instance when Loma “Struggled” against Ortiz The same people that talk about ‘Bud’ getting “Hate” for the Porter fight are sure quick to Point Loma’s competitive win against Ortiz out.

“He ain’t elite with that performance!!”

 

I’d say it’s definitely his best win at 147, so it’s obviously a good win. But on the other hand, the fact that it is his best win at 147 is also part of the problem. Porter was a very good fighter, though I think he was probably a tad bit overrated. He never really won over any elite fighters that I can remember, but he did beat the guys he was supposed to beat. He didn’t seem to have a whole lot of power, which limited his chances to pull off upsets over the top guys.