After the fight: Terence Crawford bested Porter but isn’t best welterweight

After beating Shawn Porter, Terence Crawford has many boxing pundits changing their pound-for-pound lists, but there’s a better welterweight out there.

WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford pulled off his greatest victory on Nov. 20, when he became the first boxer to stop Shawn Porter. Many question whether he deserves to be recognized as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, but that’s a tough sell for me, considering that he’s not the best welterweight.

That last line is likely driving some people nuts. However, it’s an opinion I’m standing by.

All rankings are subjective, but I get why Crawford is receiving such pound-for-pound hype. He is undefeated, a former undisputed champion, and a three-weight world champion. He’s a reigning champion who took out a force in Porter.

Crawford is one of the best boxers in the world, but the welterweight division is loaded.

The longstanding debate for best welterweight has been divided between Crawford and WBC and IBF champion Errol Spence Jr. Each has a case for the pound-for-pound rankings, but Crawford pulled ahead of Spence with his win over Porter.

Spence fought Porter to a split decision in 2019, where Crawford took him out in round 10 via TKO. That’s one reason to elevate Crawford over Spence, but they didn’t fight the same Porter.

Porter’s father and trainer, Kenny Porter, took a lot of criticism on social media after saying that he threw in the towel because his son didn’t put in all the work he needed to do during training. Many saw Kenny’s words as unnecessary and hurtful. Regardless, they were the truth.

Terence Crawford shouldn’t be the pound-for-pound number one and may not be the best welterweight

In the weeks leading up to Crawford vs. Porter, this reporter heard rumors swirling around Porter’s sphere that Porter’s training wasn’t going smoothly. Details weren’t given, but talk about a disappointing camp was out there. Kenny’s words confirmed those rumors.

Even though Crawford may have stopped a less than 100 percent Porter, that doesn’t devalue his accomplishment. Spence is undefeated, but his recent torn retina, which caused him to withdraw from a bout against Manny Pacquiao, may show signs that he’s breaking down physically. A torn retina is a serious injury. Who knows if Spence will ever be the same.

https://twitter.com/ShowtimeBoxing/status/1454649916433838081?s=20

Yes, Crawford deserves to be placed ahead of Spence, but there’s a lot of young talent in the welterweight division. Jaron Ennis has never won a world title, but he already has the skills and the talent to beat Crawford, Spence, and anyone in the welterweight division.

People have short memories. Calls for Crawford to be the top-rated pound-for-pound fighter come weeks after Canelo Alvarez stopped Caleb Plant to become the undisputed super middleweight champion. Alvarez is the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, and if Crawford fought Ennis, he would lose.

When Ennis defeated Thomas Dulorme via round 1 TKO, many were impressed enough to call him the best welterweight. He doesn’t have the achievements of Crawford, but Crawford is 34, and Ennis is 24. Also, no one wants to fight Ennis, Crawford included.

Crawford deserves his recognition, but not at the expense of Ennis’s growing star. Ennis wants all comers, whereas Crawford most likely wants Spence, Ugas, or Josh Taylor. Ennis would take any of them on in a heartbeat. None of them are willing to fight Ennis, from what I can see.

At 5-foot-10, Ennis has a two-inch height advantage over Crawford. Ennis is 10 years younger, has faster hands, and fights out of both stances like Crawford, but he does it even better. Crawford has an amazing 76 percent KO rating, but Ennis’s is 89 percent.

Compare Ennis to Crawford, and you will see that Ennis is the winner in every category except experience. Crawford has 218 professional rounds compared to Ennis’s 77.

Crawford clamored for a big fight and finally got one of PBC’s top welterweights in the ring with him. Ennis is also making noise for a big fight, but nobody is answering his call. He doesn’t have a title, but that’s not the primary reason people aren’t looking his way. Ennis’s talent and potential has people steering clear of him at all costs.

Crawford deserves a lot of praise, but look at the welterweight division completely. Look beyond the superficial stats and compare Crawford’s and Ennis’s films. Ennis’s clearly jumps out at me beyond all others. You might be surprised at the difference when you do the same.