by David P. Greisman
Shawn Porter is a naturally bigger fighter — a former 165-pound amateur who has mostly been a junior middleweight and welterweight as a pro. But when he steps in against Adrien Broner this Saturday at a fight with a contractual catch-weight of 144 pounds, Porter isn’t concerned about the speed that the former 130-, 135- and 147-pound titleholder will bring into the ring.
“Yes, he is skillful and fast. We haven’t really done that much different to try to offset that or anything, the reason being because we know I’m just as fast and just as quick as he is,” Porter said on a June 15 media conference call. “There haven’t been any special workouts that we’ve incorporated in this camp or anything like that different to offset his speed.
“We just really focused moreso on my skills and also on the different techniques that are required to cut off and slow down a fast fighter like him,” he said. “It’s always what we’ve been doing, just at a higher level. We’re not overlooking his speed. We’ve just done more of what we need to do to prepare for it, which is what we’ve always done.”
Kenny Porter, Shawn’s father and trainer, pointed to the experience his son has accumulated in the ring against opponents and in sparring sessions.
“I think Devon Alexander is one of the fastest boxers in boxing, period,” Kenny Porter said, citing the fighter Porter beat for a world title in 2013 before losing the belt last year. He then referenced sparring: “I know that Manny Pacquiao is one of the fastest boxers in boxing. I know that Andre Dirrell is one of the fastest boxers in boxing. Shawn has been able to compete against those type of guys in professional fights, in sessions, in camps.
“We aren’t going to have a problem with anyone’s speed,” Kenny Porter said. “He’s just as fast as anyone that goes in the ring with him. When you talk about a guy’s speed, that’s not something we’re concerned with. The problem that guy will have to deal with is we’re fast — and we’ve got power to come along with that.”
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