Not a ton of significant damage done. Crawford tends to start a bit slow to gauge exactly how his opponent will be, and that was the case tonight. He mostly countered any shots from Porter, who was his usual aggressive self.

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The friendship vibes didn’t last long, though. Crawford stalked into T-Mobile Arena as early as he possibly could Saturday afternoon. It was 5 p.m. here and still hot as all hell. Now, boxers but especially the best boxers, the elite boxers, the champions among champions, almost never arrive on time for a bout of such magnitude with three others to be held before they can even walk. I’ve never seen someone arrive exactly on time until Crawford did. And this, from a fighter who routinely nods off when reviewing his own fights on his grandmother’s couch in Omaha, Neb.

He was coming off an impressive performance against Errol Spence Jr. in July 2023. In that fight, Crawford dropped Spence three times to eventually score a ninth-round TKO win at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to unify all four major welterweight world titles.

Spence’s team may have been wearing "Smoking On Bud" T-shirts. And Crawford’s confidants may have pulled on their own merch that read, "NEBRASKA/FIST BATTERED/FISH FRY." Both boxers wore black Air Force 1 sneakers on their feet. Both chose those shoes intentionally, as a nod to a street code of sorts. Crawford spied Spence’s kicks and laughed. But when it came time for the menace, for two boxers who have traded insults and appraisals of their superiority for months now, to talk trash and clench teeth and inch closer, nothing of the sort actually happened.

There’s also the possibility that Terence Crawford stays at 147 for a bit and inch closer to Floyd Mayweather’s 50-0 record. At 40-0 he can clear out that division and fight Boots, Eimantas Stanionis, who is the WBA mandatory, Kell Brook, and Roiman Villa. Then there is the chance that Teofimo Lopez gets bored should he unify super lightweight and move up for his third undisputed division as well. He’s got Haney coming up, Regis Prograis, and Subriel Matias to clear out for that first. Should Lopez come up to 147, that would be another true super boxing fight ppv for both men and the biggest fight of the era.

Crawford doesn’t land clean with a jab but is pressing forward and lands a big counter that puts Porter down! Porter gets up and is ready to continue. Check hook lands for Crawford who wants to press the advantage. Porter ducks a big hook from Crawford. Combination from Crawford puts Porter down again! Porter gets up and says he wants to continue but Kenny Porter throws in the towel!

Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs), 34, of Omaha, Nebraska, won the undisputed junior welterweight championship with a third-round KO victory over Julius Indongo in 2017. He then moved up to welterweight, and in his first fight in the division, Crawford won the WBO title from Jeff Horn in 2018. He has made four successful defenses since, including a fourth-round TKO victory over Kell Brook in November 2020.

"I’ve been fighting the best for a long time. When you see all the legends of the sport, they fought each other and made historic fights. That’s what I want to do. Terence is one of the best fighters in the world and I’m one of the best fighters in the world, so we had to make this happen.

Conlan, who claimed an Olympic bronze medal in 2012, was a medal favorite in 2016, when he met Nikitin with the winner guaranteed at least a bronze medal. Conlan appeared to easily defeat Nikitin, but the judges did not see it that way. They gave Nikitin the shocking victory, but he was so busted up from the fight that he withdrew from the tournament because of injuries and was unable to fight in the semifinals.

Round 8: Kalajdzic bouncing on his feet as the round opens. But Morrell staggers him with a right hook and he’s on the attack. Morrell ate a big right, but still comes forward. Kalajdzic connects with a series of jabs again. Morrell 77, Kalajdzic 75.

LAS VEGAS — Roughly 28 hours before their career- and sport-defining clash, Terence "Bud" Crawford and Errol "The Big Fish" Spence Jr. walked into an empty T-Mobile Arena from opposite sides, through lit tunnels, toward the clearest of clarity with their futures. Crawford’s entourage was so large it resembled a football team and hid him somewhere in the middle of a few dozen bodies. Spence’s group was smaller and leaner, but no less ready or intense.

Crawford’s 2011 consisted of a first-round TKO of Anthony Mora in February and a second-round TKO over Derrick Campos in July before ending the year with an eight-round unanimous decision over Angel Rios.

Round 1: Bakole looks flabby and Anderson chiseled. Let’s see if it matters. Despite a paunch, Bakole looks quick enough with the jab. Anderson connects with body shots, then snaps back Bakole’s head. Bakole lands a brutal uppercut and drops Anderson with a powerful right! Anderson is up and survives the round. Bakole 10, Anderson 8.