Terence Crawford finally gets big fight he’s been chasing

When Terence Crawford knocked out Jeff Horn to win a piece of the welterweight title in June 2018, he immediately called for a marquee fight.

“I want the other champions,” he said from the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. “I want the big fights.”

And yet, more than three years later, he still hasn’t been in a so-called big fight. But that changes Saturday at Michelob Ultra Arena, where the undefeated Omaha, Nebraska, native defends his WBO welterweight belt against Shawn Porter in the main event of an ESPN+ pay-per-view card.

In the meantime, Crawford (37-0, 28 knockouts) has been essentially treading water while those big fights have taken place without him. Errol Spence Jr. beat Porter and Danny Garcia. Yordenis Ugas defeated Manny Pacquiao. Crawford has racked up wins against fighters who either no one has heard of, or, in the case of Amir Khan and Kell Brook, no one realized were still active fighters.

Porter (31-3-1, 17 KOs) isn’t Spence, but he’s a legitimate top-five welterweight, easily the best opponent of Crawford’s career. And this matchup comes at a critical time for Crawford, who will be a promotional free agent Sunday and can chase any fight he wants.

“I respect everything that Shawn does,” Crawford said. “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.”

Porter is a throwback fighter with a bulldog, in-your-face style and a mentality that never lets him shy away from a challenge. He has the best resume in the division.

Porter and Crawford were born within a month of each other, but Porter, a Las Vegas resident, has the clear experience advantage.

“There are people you can get to, and there are people that you can’t get to,” Porter said. “I’m one of those people that you can’t get to.”

That should make for an intriguing style clash with Crawford, boxing’s most lethal switch-hitter who possesses a boxing IQ levels above anyone he’s fought. He will often take a few rounds to download information about his opponent, patiently waiting for openings before he turns up the pressure. He’s not normally a one-punch knockout artist, but he’s stopped his past eight opponents.

Crawford is considered one of boxing’s best pound-for-pound fighters. That goes back to his success in the 140-pound division, when he stopped Julius Indongo to become the first undisputed champion in more than a decade.

In the time since, Crawford’s momentum has stalled as others have achieved the same feat. But Crawford doesn’t seem worried. He never does, and rarely expresses himself in interviews.

“Once we signed that contract, the switch was already flipped, and I can’t wait to go out there Saturday to display my talent and look good doing it,” he said. “Until then, right now I’m just chilling.”

Contact Jonah Dylan at jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter.