Terence Crawford puts his WBO welterweight title on the line this weekend as he looks to extend his undefeated record against Shawn Porter.
Crawford won the belt courtesy of a ninth-round TKO victory over Jeff Horn in 2018 and he has subsequently made four successful defences, beating Jose Benavidez Jr, Amir Khan, Egidijus Kavaliauskas and Kell Brook.
‘Showtime’ is regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters and he has the opportunity to further enhance his reputation in Las Vegas.
Porter represents one of his biggest challenges for some time, but the former WBC welterweight champion is definitely beatable.
‘Bud’ has tasted defeat three times during his career, most recently losing via a split decision to Errol Spence Jr in 2019.
It’s Showtime for Porter
Crawford is the 1/7 favourite with Porter a 4/1 underdog to have his arm raised at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Vegas.
It’s no surprise to see Crawford rated as a heavy favourite when considering the way he has blitzed through all previous challengers.
After beating Horn by TKO, Crawford has won via that route in each of his four title defences and he boasts an impressive 28 victories inside the distance.
Porter’s loss to Brook, who Crawford beat in four rounds last time out, also offers an indication as to how this weekend’s bout, which will take place in the early hours of Sunday morning, might play out.
It’s worth noting that Porter’s three career defeats have all come by decision but Crawford certainly has the skills and power to stop this one inside the distance.
A Crawford win by KO, TKO or DQ is priced at 7/5 and could be a possible avenue to explore when trying to squeeze further value out of a victory for the champion.
Crawford Can End It Late
Crawford hasn’t gone the full distance since earning a unanimous decision victory over Ukrainian Viktor Postol in 2016, winning his last eight fights without any help from the judges.
His victory over Brook came in the fourth round but that is somewhat of an anomaly when assessing his efficiency during that sequence of eight wins.
The 34-year-old has landed five of those eight wins from round seven or later and he offers interest to defeat Porter in 7-12 rounds at 9/4.
Andrade to deliver in New Hampshire
There’s also a title on the line in New Hampshire this weekend when 7/1 Jason Quigley challenges 1/20 WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade.
Andrade is yet to lose during his 30-fight career, winning 18 by knockout and 12 by way of decision.
Quigley, meanwhile, is 19-1 with his lone defeat coming at the hands of Tureano Johnson when he was forced to retire in round nine.
It’s Fight Week for @jay_quigley!
#AndNew
#AndradeQuigley @daznboxing pic.twitter.com/oeqj2JhAfQ
— Golden Boy (@GoldenBoyBoxing) November 15, 2021
There’s little to suggest that Quigley can pull off a major upset but Andrade, who has won five of his last seven fights by decision, might have to take a patient approach.
A fifth successful defence of the belt looks the likely outcome but victory could come late and backing over 8.5 rounds at 20/27 looks attractive.
*All odds correct at time of writing.
