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Mike CoppingerESPN
LAS VEGAS — Terence Crawford jumped up and down in jubilation. Or maybe it was an exorcism. For years, he has been hounded by questions surrounding his resume — no more.
Crawford notched the biggest win of his career on Saturday at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay with a 10th-round TKO victory over Shawn Porter to retain his WBO welterweight title.
The stoppage came at 1 minute, 21 seconds.
Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) made his fifth consecutive title defense, but it didn’t come easy — far from it. Porter (31-4-1, 17 KOs) applied relentless pressure in a rugged, tit-for-tat battle before Crawford scored two knockdowns in Round 10, leading Porter’s father and trainer, Kenny Porter, to throw in the towel.
Crawford’s first knockdown resulted from a counter left cross to the face as Porter swung wildly. Moments later, a barrage of punches punctuated by a right hook sent Porter to the canvas again before his father jumped up in the corner to grab the ref’s attention.
Crawford outlanded Porter 98-79 in total punches and 33-12 in jabs, according to CompuBox. He has a nine-fight knockout streak dating to December 2016.
