Former two-time world welterweight champion Shawn ‘Showtime’ Porter 31-3-1 (17) is confident a deal will be reached for his mandated shot at WBO 147-pound champion Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford 37-0 (28).
“I love the rumours,” Porter said to Behind The Gloves. “I hear them after everybody else hears them. That is the rumour. It’s more than a rumour. That fight better happen.”
The WBO ordered a purse bid to take place on September 2 but the promoters for both fighters – Top Rank for Crawford and Premier Boxing Champions for Porter – requested an extension for negotiations.
The Puerto Rican sanctioning body approved the request with the new date for the purse bid now September 14 if the two sides cannot reach a deal prior to that.
Porter remains confident the purse bid will not be required.
“We have a purse bid coming soon,” he said. “I do know that my promotional team and his promotional team are still trying to come to an agreement, so the fight will happen.”
Last week Top Rank chairman Bob Arum was equally bullish about the fight getting made without the need for a purse bid.
“We talked to PBC as late as yesterday and it looks like Porter is on board or close to being on board and hopefully Terence will be on board and we’ll announce that fight next week hopefully,” Arum told ESNews.
“We want it in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay and we’re holding the arena for November 20.”
Porter, who works as a boxing analyst for broadcaster Showtime, knows the value of publicity.
“I’m really in the exact position I’ve always wanted to be in when I said I wanted to be a professional fighter,” he said.
“I wanted everybody talking about me. I wanted everyone to come to see me and everyone is excited. Not just about Shawn Porter, but Terence Crawford and Shawn Porter.
“I’m exactly where I want to be in life. Everybody should be split [on who will win the fight].
“Enjoy the fight. Come out and watch. Buy it if you’re going to buy it, I don’t know what’s going to happen, but that’s one you don’t want to miss,”
The 33-year-old Porter is a seasoned pro having faced numerous current, former or future world champions including Errol Spence Jr, Yordenis Ugas, Danny Garcia, Andre Berto, Keith Thurman, Adrien Broner and Kell Brook, amongst others.
He says that despite the undefeated Crawford’s sublime ability, the 33-year-old southpaw will not be showing him anything he hasn’t seen before.
“Nothing but greatness is going to happen on that night whenever that fight happens,” Porter said.
“Hopefully, it happens before the end of this year, but I feel like I’ve been through it all and I’ve had every experience that needs to be had.
“I really don’t think [Crawford] has anything that I haven’t seen before, but on the other side of it, I think I do.
“I think that’s where my success lies, but it’s up to me to prepare and it’s up to me to go in there and do everything I’ve done up to this point.
“It was looking great in April and then things started to happen. But I really do think it’s starting to get back to the greatness that we saw early on in this year.
“If you put me in the ring with Terence Crawford before this year ends, it will end with a bang.”
