Crawford stops Porter in 10th round

Terence Crawford made the most emphatic statement of his career Saturday night when he stopped former welterweight champion Shawn Porter in the 10th round of their welterweight title fight.

Crawford dropped Porter twice during the 10th round and caused Kenny Porter, Shawn’s father and trainer, to waive a white towel.

That’s when a Nevada State Athletic Commission inspector instructed referee Celestino Ruiz to stop their 12-round fight for Crawford’s WBO welterweight title.

Crawford caught Porter with a short left that sent Porter to the seat of his trunks just 15 seconds into the 10th round. Porter answered the count in time and instinctively tried to fight out of the trouble.

A determined Crawford made Porter pay for that aggression by sending him to the canvas again after landing a right and a left as Porter was going down again.

A disappointed Porter pounded the canvas with his glove numerous times and finally got up before Ruiz’s count reached 10.

By then, Kenny Porter had walked up the steps in his corner and signified that he wanted the fight stopped.

Crawford, of Omaha, Nebraska, upped his record to 38-0 and recorded his 29th knockout. Porter (31-4-1, 17 KOs), of Akron, Ohio, lost by knockout for the first time in 13 years as a pro.

“I figured that I had the reach and he had to take chances to come in,” Crawford told ESPN.

“And he did what he normally does. He tried to maul and push me back, but I used my angles and I pushed him back at times as well. Shawn Porter is a slick fighter. He was doing some things in there and made me think.”

Porter succeeded at times, but ultimately, he couldn’t contend with Crawford’s crisp counter punches and extremely high ring IQ.

All three judges – Max De Luca (87-84), Dave Moretti (86-85) and Steve Weisfeld (86-85) – had Crawford ahead entering the 10th round.

Porter did not dispute his dad’s decision to stop the bout, but he admitted it surprised him.

“The punches he was catching me with were too clean,” Porter said. “So, I saw it and felt it, so I just think my timing was off and he wouldn’t allow me to get into my rhythm. That was my game plan going in. He’s a dynamite dude in and out of the ring. Congratulations. –Boxingscene.com