Terrence Crawford stopped Shawn Porter in the 10th round by technical knockout Saturday night in one of the most anticipated bouts of the year.
Crawford (38-0) retained his WBO welterweight title and extended his streak of KOs or TKOs to nine in front of a sold-out crowd of 11,568 at Mandalay Bay.
Porter (31-4-1), who has risen to become a legitimate top-five welterweight, and was easily the best opponent of Crawford’s career, displayed relentless aggression in the early rounds. Crawford’s switch-hitting flex didn’t necessarily work when he turned to southpaw early in the fight, as Porter adjusted accordingly and connected often.
After playing defence and smiling more than punching, Crawford finally showed signs of offence in the sixth round and came alive in the ninth and tenth rounds. Crawford knocked down Porter early in the 10th round with a left uppercut and then delivered an exclamation point with a devastating right hook to the temple.
Porter’s trainer and father, Kenny, threw in the towel and called for referee Celestino Ruiz to stop the fight. Relive all the action below:
Crawford vs Porter
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Crawford: 37-0-0
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Porter: 31-3-1
05:38 , Tom Kershaw
05:32 , Tom Kershaw
Here were the scorecards at the time of the stoppage:
05:26 , Tom Kershaw
05:22 , Tom Kershaw
Crawford stops Porter in the 10th!
05:17 , Tom Kershaw
Crawford catches Porter with a counter left uppercut and knocks him down! Porter knows he’s facing an uphill battle on the scorecards and goes lunging in trying to make amends. Crawford lands a big right hand that sends Porter down again. He beats the canvas knowing the fight is lost in the cards. Kenny Porter is on the apron and throws in the towel, saving his son from the knockout that was looming. That’s the first time in Porter’s career that he’s been stopped.
Crawford vs Porter: Round nine
05:13 , Tom Kershaw
A clear Crawford round who lands left hands to the head and body. Every time Porter tried to lunge in Crawford was wise to it and caught him.
Crawford vs Porter: Round eight
05:11 , Tom Kershaw
A brilliant eighth round. Crawford starts very strong and catches Porter with a great combination. He follows it up with a streak of jabs but Porter grows back into the round and lands a looping right hand to Crawford’s temple. That was one of his best punches of the fight but Crawford responds with a hook to the body.
Crawford vs Porter: Round seven
05:06 , Tom Kershaw
Porter lunges in and lands a nice right hand as Crawford gets stuck on the ropes. Crawford responds with a sharp left counter as they exchange. Crawford is the more active towards the end of the round and lands two nice left hands. That should be enough to take it on the scorecards.
Crawford vs Porter: Round six
05:02 , Tom Kershaw
Crawford responds to his trainer in the corner and comes out strong at the start of the sixth, throwing snapping shots and, although Porter avoids most, he can’t slip them all and gets caught with a hook. Soon after, there’s an accidental headbutt and this time it’s Crawford who’s cut. Both fighters have marks on their right eye now. Porter comes on strong on the inside at the end of the round, roughing up Crawford.
Crawford vs Porter: Round five
04:59 , Tom Kershaw
A strong fifth round for Porter, who throws in bunches and lands, albeit without any great effect. Crawford pushes him back with a bit of showmanship and attempts to finish strong. It’s a round for Porter, though.
Crawford vs Porter: Round four
04:53 , Tom Kershaw
Crawford starts strong in the fourth and lands a left. Porter felt that one, too. They’re both so sharp but Crawford has the edge in hand speed when they’re up close. It’s been a breathtaking start but Crawford likely leads 3-1 on the cards.
Crawford vs Porter: Round three
04:50 , Tom Kershaw
Porter landed a brilliant uppercut in the third before a clash of heads opens up a cut above his eye. Crawford is really growing into the contest, unleashes a combination at the end of the round, before a wrestling match between the pair on the ropes.
Crawford vs Porter: Round two
04:45 , Tom Kershaw
The fight bursts into life in the second round. Porter takes the upper hand with a fine counter right hand and follows it up with a hook. Crawford responds, though, and lands a great check hook. That enlivens the champion. This is a really high-level contest.
Crawford vs Porter: Round one
04:41 , Tom Kershaw
Porter makes an aggressive start on the front foot, coming in from behind the jab, and does enough to take the first. Crawford, who has been a slow starter occasionally in the past, is taking a look at his opponent and misses with a wild uppercut.
Crawford vs Porter: Ring walks
04:33 , Tom Kershaw
Crawford makes his way to the ring now. The fight may be in Las Vegas, where Porter spends much of his time, but the crowd is clearly in favour of the WBO champion.
04:30 , Tom Kershaw
Crawford vs Porter: Spence takes seat at ringside
04:28 , Tom Kershaw
Errol Spence takes his seat at ringside. He may well step into the ring and go head-to-head with the winner of tonight’s bout.
Crawford vs Porter: Ring walks
04:26 , Tom Kershaw
It will be Shawn Porter to walk to the ring first. His robe is a tribute to Marvelous Marvin Hagler and so is his entrance, as highlights of Hagler’s legendary career play out on the screen above the centre of the ring.
Crawford vs Porter: Next up
04:19 , Tom Kershaw
Next up, it’s our main event! It promises to be a brilliant welterweight contest. Before the ring walks, here’s the last chance to read Steve Bunce’s big preview of the bout:
Terence Crawford takes next step on his long road to greatness
04:17 , Tom Kershaw
Falcao wins by split decision
04:13 , Tom Kershaw
Falcao seals victory on the scorecards.
Falcao vs Volny: Round six
04:07 , Tom Kershaw
There’s a horrific clash of heads in the sixth round, it’s completely accidental, but Volny’s head crashes into Falcao at full force. The Brazilian screams in pain and there’s a deep cut on his forehead. He’s given time to recover but he cannot continue. Due to it being an accidental head butt, the result will be decided by the scorecards after the five completed rounds.
04:01 , Tom Kershaw
Falcao vs Volny: Round five
04:01 , Tom Kershaw
Volny lets his hands go and lands several strong combinations. Falcao is a little one-paced but Volny has managed to find another gear. That being said, they are both taking plenty of shots in there, but neither has shown any sign of being hurt so far.
Falcao vs Volny: Round three
03:51 , Tom Kershaw
A better third round for Volny who’s growing in confidence and throwing his right hand a lot more. He lands one through the guard and follows it up with a flashing shot as Falcao takes a backwards step. Neither fighter has shown knockout power as of yet so these early rounds may well be crucial on the scorecards.
Falcao vs Volny: Round two
03:47 , Tom Kershaw
Volny grows into the bout a little, landing a few sharp jabs in the second but it’s still a clear round for Falcao.
Falcao vs Volny: Round one
03:45 , Tom Kershaw
Falcao takes the front foot and a clear upper hand in the first round, landing 13 power punches. Falcao is the far more distinguished of the two as an amateur, having won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics.
Falcao vs Volny: Next up
03:36 , Tom Kershaw
Next up, it’s the last fight before our main event. It’s a battle between two unbeaten middleweight contenders, Esquiva Falcao and Patrice Volny. Falcao (28-0) most recently dispatched of Artur Akavov, who British fans might remember from a close bought with Billy Joe Saunders, in conclusive fashion. Meanwhile, it is the first time Volny (16-0) is fighting outside of Canada.
Alimkhanuly vs N’dam: Round eight
03:29 , Tom Kershaw
The referee calls the fight off mercifully in the eighth round after N’dam eats another wave of punches on the ropes.
N’dam protests but there can really be few arguments. He was taking far too much punishment in there and wasn’t threatening to land anything of note. “No, no. I’m ready to die,” N’dam says in the corner, evidencing why referees need to know when to step in and save a fighter from their own bravery.
03:15 , Tom Kershaw
Alimkhanuly vs N’dam: Round five
03:11 , Tom Kershaw
Alimkhanuly backs N’dam up onto the ropes and unleashes a barrage of heavy punches, snapping his opponent’s head back. The referee takes a good look but N’dam shakes his head and throws to show he wants to continue. His bravery is doing him no good, though, and he walks onto two huge uppercuts. Somehow he stays on his feet, but it’s getting a bit gruesome now.
Alimkhanuly vs N’dam: Round four
03:06 , Tom Kershaw
N’dam grits his teeth and shows great resilience to keep the fight going. His legs still seemed unsteady when he came back out from the corner and he’s immediately on the receiving end of a few vicious uppercuts from Alimkhanuly. N’dam is still throwing, though, but his punches are having little effect. He’s taking a lot of punishment in there.
03:04 , Tom Kershaw
Alimkhanuly vs N’dam: Round three
03:03 , Tom Kershaw
It’s one-way traffic in the third as Alimkhanuly rocks N’dam with a left hand and then follows it up with an uppercut. N’dam hits the canvas is shaken. He’s saved by the bell. Alimkhanuly is landing at will and it’s a matter of time until the finish.
Alimkhanuly vs N’dam: Round one
02:54 , Tom Kershaw
Alimkhanuly has a very distinguished amateur record, winning the 2013 world championship. He’s immediately on the front foot and is clearly sharper and more technically sound than the 37-year-old N’dam, who has enjoyed a fine professional career but is undoubtedly past his peak now.
Alimkhanuly vs N’dam: Next up
02:50 , Tom Kershaw
Next up, 2016 Olympian Zhanibek Alimkhanuly faces the biggest test of his professional career so far. He takes on veteran former middleweight world champion Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam.
WBC hope winner will face Spence Jr
02:42 , Tom Kershaw
Errol Spence, who perhaps has the strongest claim to being the best welterweight in boxing, was forced to withdraw from his fight against Manny Pacquiao earlier this year due to an eye injury. ‘The Truth’ made his comeback last December against Danny Garcia but has not been able to fight since, however, there was some positive news this week as Mauricio Sulaiman, the president of the WBC, confirmed Spence is back in training.
“I have been in communication with Errol,” Sulaiman said. “He is a fantastic human being, a miracle man who survived an accident. Now he is having a retina problem and had to pull out of fighting Manny Pacquiao. It has been a difficult time for him but he is very strong mentally and physically. He has begun training.”
02:38 , Tom Kershaw
Porter relishing Crawford fight more than any other
02:26 , Tom Kershaw
“He’ll have his mind where it needs to be when the fight starts, but I expect to make it as easy as can be,” Porter said in the run-up to his fight tonight. “Simply put, Terence has met his match. It’s not up to me to say things to convince anybody of that.
“The closer we get, I feel it every day. I haven’t been this excited about a fight in a long time. My fight with Errol Spence Jr, I got excited the week of. This one, I’ve been excited since the WBO made that tweet, so it’s coming.”
02:17 , Tom Kershaw
02:16 , Tom Kershaw
Porter’s last loss
02:06 , Tom Kershaw
Porter lost his WBC welterweight title in a thrilling split decision defeat by Errol Spence Jr in 2019. If you missed that fight, relive the highlights below. It wasn’t one to be missed.
01:53 , Tom Kershaw
Dogboe wins via majority decision
01:52 , Tom Kershaw
Dogboe takes a majority decision victory on the scorecards: 97-93, 96-94, 95-95.
01:50 , Tom Kershaw
Dogboe vs Diaz: Final bell rings
01:49 , Tom Kershaw
The final bell rings after another tight round. Both fighters raise their hands believing they’ve won. We’re heading to the scorecards.
Dogboe vs Diaz: Round nine
01:45 , Tom Kershaw
Diaz starts strong but Dogboe responds with a series of hard body shots. It’s another close round to call. We’re heading into the tenth and final round.
Dogboe vs Diaz: Round eight
01:41 , Tom Kershaw
Diaz is the aggressor in the eighth and likely does enough to nick the round. The American may just slightly be ahead on the scorecards. Dogboe is warned for a second accidental headbutt and needs to be careful he isn’t docked a point. Both corners issue their Rocky-style speeches. They know this fight will be decided in these last two rounds.
Dogboe vs Diaz: Round seven
01:36 , Tom Kershaw
Diaz rallies and makes a strong start in the seventh. His momentum fades, though, and Dogboe lands a series of stiff jabs. A tricky round to call. Hunter tells Dogboe to win the last three rounds.
01:34 , Tom Kershaw
Dogboe vs Diaz: Round six
01:33 , Tom Kershaw
A significantly better round for Dogboe, who ups the pace and catches Diaz reaching in with the right hand. He lands nice combinations to the body, too. Hunter is delighted in the corner. Dogboe is likely behind on the cards, though, and needs to make sure he maintains that assertiveness.
Dogboe vs Diaz: Round four
01:25 , Tom Kershaw
The pattern of the fight remains the same and Dogboe’s corner attempt to rally him at the end of round four. “It’s time to go now, short shots,” his trainer, Barry Hunter, says.
Dogboe vs Diaz: Round three
01:21 , Tom Kershaw
Again it’s Diaz who lands the best shot of the round, a fine counter left hook that halts Dogboe in his tracks.
Dogboe vs Diaz: Round two
01:17 , Tom Kershaw
The second round follows a similar pattern. The volume is coming from Dogboe, who’s landing nice jabs, throwing punches in bunches and attempting to draw Diaz into a rougher fight. The American is landing the cleaner punches, though, with a fine one-two forcing Dogboe to take a backwards step.
Dogboe vs Diaz: Round one
01:12 , Tom Kershaw
Dogboe takes the front foot in the first round and lands a series of nice jabs. It’s Diaz who lands the most eye-catching shot, though, a right-hand counter as Dogboe leant in.
Dogboe takes on Diaz
01:06 , Tom Kershaw
Next up, former super bantamweight world champion Isaac Dogboe faces Christopher Diaz. Dogboe, who was born in Ghana but grew up in south London, spoke to The Independent last year:
Isaac Dogboe: ‘We can talk about racism, but it doesn’t mean it will end’
Lopez-Ochoa ruled no contest after head clash
00:58 , Tom Kershaw
Adam Lopez, who suffered a majority decision defeat against Isaac Dogboe earlier this year, was hoping to get his career back on track against Adan Ochoa in the first main undercard bout of the evening. However, an unfortunate accidental clash of heads caused the bout to be ruled a no contest.
Crawford takes next step on road to greatness
00:45 , Tom Kershaw
Here is Steve Bunce’s preview of tonight’s big fight in Las Vegas. From being shot in 2008 to becoming an undisputed champion nine years later, Terence Crawford has taken the long road to boxing greatness:
Terence Crawford takes next step on his long road to greatness
Crawford defends WBO title against Porter
00:34 , Tom Kershaw
Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage as Terence Crawford defends his WBO welterweight world title against Shawn Porter in Las Vegas.
Crawford, who unified the 140lbs division before stepping up to welterweight, is widely considered one of boxing’s best fighters, but is facing arguably his toughest test against Porter.
Nevertheless, the champion will enter the ring at the Mandalay Bay Casino as a strong favourite against an opponent he’s known since he was a teenager, owing to their time in the US amateur setup.
“I respect everything that Shawn does,” Crawford said earlier this week. “Shawn is athletic, he can box, he can bang, he can move around in the ring, he can cut corners and take angles.
“I’m not going to sit here and say that I don’t respect anything that he does. I’m just going to say that I do a lot of things better than Shawn. I’m going to show him come Saturday.”