Top Rank boss Bob Arum is bullish that a fight between WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford and Shawn Porter can be made without the fight heading to a purse bid on Sept. 14.

“We talked to PBC as late as yesterday and it looks like Porter is on board or close to being on board, and hopefully, Terence will be on board and we’ll announce that fight next week hopefully,” Arum told ESNews in an interview published Sept. 9. “We want it in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay, and we’re holding the arena for Nov. 20.”

The Top Rank-promoted Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) and Porter (31-1-3-1, 17 KOs), who is affiliated with Premier Boxing Champions and Tom Brown’s TGB Promotions, were ordered to fight by the WBO, and a purse bid was announced Aug. 23 and originally set to take place Sept. 2.

But on Sept. 1, Arum and company requested an extension, which led to the new date of Sept. 14.

Both sides will now have to sprint to the finish line to make the fight happen. 

Arum added that more palatable fights like Crawford vs. Porter need to be made in order for boxing to flourish. 

"If we are going to survive as a sport, you have to have the talented guys fight each other because that's what people want to see," said Arum. "We've got to do that on a regular basis and hopefully that's what's going to happen in the months and years ahead."

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com