Two-time welterweight champion Shawn Porter seemingly remains the only fighter to have shared the ring with both Oleksandr Usyk and Terence Crawford in the amateur and pro circuits.
Porter fought Usyk as an amateur when they both competed at middleweight back in December of 2006, defeating the Ukrainian icon on points at the conclusion of their tournament bout.
Fast forward 15 years and Porter challenged Crawford for the WBO welterweight title in November of 2021, suffering a 10th round stoppage defeat to their clash at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, which proved to be the final fight of Porter’s career.
In an interview with The Ring Magazine, Porter made no mistake in naming Crawford as the best fighter that he ever shared the ring with, overlooking the legendary Usyk.
“That would be Terence. I’ve never been in the ring with anyone who could do all the things I could. When we fought, Usyk was a southpaw, a tall rangy counter puncher, he wasn’t a dig to the body type of guy.
“He’s a well-rounded fighter but he can’t do everything, Terence can do everything, I could do everything, and I’ve never been in the ring with somebody, who had it all. That’s what makes him the best fighter I’ve been in the ring with.”
Crawford wrote his name into the boxing history books with his iconic victory over Canelo Alvarez last month, leading to many fans and analysts whether it is ‘Bud’ or indeed Usyk that is the current pound-for-pound number one fighter in the sport.
