Terence Crawford defeats Shawn Porter in 10th round to keep welterweight title

LAS VEGAS —  Terence Crawford stopped Shawn Porter in the 10th round by technical knockout Saturday night in one of the most anticipated bouts of the year.

Crawford (38-0) retained his WBO welterweight title and extended his streak of KOs or TKOs to nine in front of a sold-out crowd of 11,568 at Mandalay Bay.

Porter (31-4-1), who has risen to become a legitimate top-five welterweight, and was easily the best opponent of Crawford’s career, displayed relentless aggression in the early rounds.

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Crawford’s switch-hitting flex didn’t necessarily work when he turned to southpaw early in the fight, as Porter adjusted accordingly and connected often.

After playing defense and smiling more than punching, Crawford finally showed signs of offense in the sixth round and came alive in the ninth and 10th rounds.

Crawford knocked down Porter early in the 10th round with a left uppercut and then delivered an exclamation point with a devastating right hook to the temple.

Porter’s trainer and father, Kenny, threw in the towel and called for referee Celestino Ruiz to stop the fight.

On the undercard, Esquiva Falcao (29-0) beat Patrice Volny (16-1) by way of a technical decision at 2:18 of the sixth round, after the fight was stopped because of an inadvertent headbutt. Janibek Alimkhanuly (11-0) remained undefeated with an eighth-round TKO over Hassan N’Dam (38-6).

Adam Lopez (15-3) and Adan Ochoa (12-2) fought to a no-decision. The bout was stopped due to a cut to Ochoa caused by a headbutt. Karlos Balderas (11-1) scored his second straight KO win with a fourth-round TKO over Julio Cortez (15-4). In his pro debut, Tiger Johnson had a fourth-round TKO over Antonius Grable (3-2-1).