Shawn Porter had already determined that his fight with Terence Crawford would be his last. This fact would remain the same whether the fight result was a win, loss, or draw. The two-time former welterweight champion made his retirement official minutes after his 10th round TKO loss to Terence Crawford.
Shawn Porter was doing well against the WBO champion for most of the fight. Porter’s trademark aggression bothered Crawford and forced him to backpedal to create punching space. But as the rounds passed, Crawford found his rhythm and began to score more solid punches.
A perfectly timed uppercut dropped Porter in the 10th round. He took to his feet once. But found himself on the canvas again just moments later. Porter pounded on the canvas in frustration while referee Celestino Ruiz administered the count.
Shawn Porter beat the count. But Kenny Porter, Shawn’s father/trainer, had seen enough. The official time for the stoppage was 1:21 in the 10th round.
One judge scored the fight 86-85 when the stoppage happened. The third judge had a score of 87-84.
Shawn Porter Ready for Next Career Path
Shawn Porter is a proud man. And at 34 years old, he is too proud to play the gatekeeper role in the welterweight division.
“After you’ve fought everybody at the top, what more could I do?” Porter presented media members with a rhetorical question following the fight. “I’m not going to be the gatekeeper. That’s not the life I want to live.”
Shawn Porter says he was close to retirement after his split decision loss to WBC and IBF champion Errol Spence. He said he continued fighting because the lure of sharing the ring with Terence Crawford was too much to ignore. He also says he is sure it is time now to call it quits.
“I’ve been fortunate to be in some really big fights against some really good guys,” Porter explains. “And I have always had my health at the end of the night.”
Shawn Porter leaves the sport with 31 victories in 36 fights. He lost four times, and one contest ended in a draw.