Terence Crawford and Shawn Porter are both aware that big fights are hard to come by in today’s boxing landscape, and they are determined to make their Saturday showdown a memorable one. The undefeated Crawford puts his WBO title on the line against the second-ranked Porter in the main event of a boxing card from the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. Television coverage of the pay-per-view portion of the card is set for 9 p.m. ET. Booking the fight required the cooperation of two major promoters as Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) is affiliated with Top Rank and Porter (31-3-1, 17 KOs) with Premier Boxing Champions. This type of teamwork is rarely seen in boxing these days, thus explaining the lack of high-profile matchups in the welterweight division. Crawford and Porter have promised to deliver the action-packed classic that fans crave.
Caesars Sportsbook has Crawford listed as the -900 (risk $900 to win $100) favorite in the latest Crawford vs. Porter odds, while the challenger is listed as the +600 underdog. The over-under for total rounds is set at 10.5. Other Crawford vs. Porter props include round betting and if each fighter will win via points, with Porter listed at +900 and Crawford listed at -120 on those lines. Before locking in any Crawford vs. Porter picks, make sure you check out the boxing predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Brandon Wise.
Wise, who is the combat sports editor for CBS Sports, is an experienced boxing analyst. Just two weeks ago, he accurately called a stoppage between rounds No. 10 and 12 for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez against Caleb Plant in their super middleweight unification bout. The prop bet paid +450 and Wise also correctly called the fight to go over 9.5 rounds (-125) as Alvarez stopped Plant in Round 11. His strong 2021 boxing record also includes calling Jamel Herring (+105) to upset Carl Frampton (-125) in April. Anyone who has followed Wise’s combat sports picks has seen massive returns.
Now, with Saturday’s mega-fight in sight, Wise has studied Crawford vs. Porter from every angle and identified the best values in the boxing odds. You can only see his highly confident prop bets and money-line picks at SportsLine.
Crawford vs. Porter preview
Crawford understands boxing has fallen out of favor with some fans in the past few years because of its lack of high-profile matchups, and many point to the welterweight division as a shining example of what is wrong with the sport.
Not long ago, the division had three undefeated champions in Crawford, Errol Spence and Keith Thurman. None of them have ever squared off against each other in a title fight, despite a strong public appetite for all potential matchups.
Thurman (29-1) lost the WBA belt to Manny Pacquiao in July 2019 by split decision and hasn’t fought since, though he recently said he intends to return early next year. Spence (27-0) saw his career interrupted by injuries suffered in an October 2019 car accident, but he has long shown little interest in a mega-fight against Crawford.
However, Porter has faced both Thurman and Spence, pushing both the distance in competitive fights and losing a split decision against Spence in September 2019. Crawford believes those performances make Porter the most qualified opponent for him to face, and believes a dominant performance could help persuade Thurman or Spence to finally agree to the massive showdown he covets.
Many boxing observers believe Porter has a chance to at least be competitive with Crawford because he is a stylistic nightmare for just about every opponent. His high-volume, come-forward approach forces his opponents to react and catches the attention of judges who can’t ignore his volume, even if he doesn’t land with great accuracy or power.
Crawford likes to take his time dissecting opponents and diagnosing their weaknesses within the fight before capitalizing on them. However, if he waits too long Saturday, he could find himself at a deficit on the scorecards and forced to fight at Porter’s pace, out of his comfort zone.
This dilemma played out in Porter’s fight against another undefeated welterweight champion, Errol Spence Jr. Although Spence is naturally more aggressive than Crawford, he had trouble setting up his attacks because he was constantly fending off the surging Porter. Occasionally the combatants engaged in explosive exchanges, and Porter won his share.
Crawford has been criticized in some circles for a style that isn’t particularly fan-friendly, and he could be drawn into a brawl that favors Porter in order to appease an action-hungry crowd.
How to make Crawford vs. Porter picks
We can share that Wise likes the over 10.5 rounds at a price of -250 in the latest Crawford vs. Porter boxing odds. He’s also made the call on a method of victory prop and a money-line pick. You can only see those picks at SportsLine.
Who wins Crawford vs. Porter? And which prop is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Brandon Wise’s best bets for Saturday, all from the CBS combat sports specialist who has crushed his boxing picks in 2021, and find out.