LOS ANGELES—One of the story angles that’s been discussed ahead of the Errol Spence Jr. versus Shawn Porter fight on Fox pay per view this Saturday is that both fighters and camps are familiar with one another because their paths and careers have crossed at several points throughout their lives.
Shawn’s father and lifelong trainer, Kenny Porter, was the technical director for the U.S. men’s national boxing team and coached Spence for a year ahead of his unsuccessful 2012 Olympics run.
Much of the fight’s “good guy versus good guy” promotion has been handled with respectful remarks and civility due to the yearslong relationships between both camps, and the verbal gloves haven’t fully come off even as both fighters made their grand arrivals Tuesday in Los Angeles outside Staples Center.
When Spence was asked what he learned from the elder Porter in and out of the ring during his amateur and pro career, he said nothing.
“I don’t think he’s done anything to help me with my amateur or professional career,” Spence told BoxingScene.com. “It was other coaches like [Andy Ruiz trainer] Manny Robles who I worked mitts with during international [amateur] competition rather than Kenny. There’s really nothing that I learned from him. He can’t tell Shawn anything that even matters.”
“He’s fighting Shawn, so he has to downplay everything,” Kenny told BoxingScene.com. “He can’t take himself off that plane that he was with me in Russia when I was the head coach. He can’t stop the fact that I was the guy in the corner when he lost that night. I didn’t make him lose. I also didn’t make him lose in Azerbaijan. And of course, he’s been to the Olympics and lost there too.”
Porter and Spence have sparred in the past together for four rounds in 2011 when Porter was 17-0 as a pro and Spence was still an amateur. But neither seem to have any recollection whatsoever of that encounter in the ring.
Both Porters even went to England together for Spence’s IBF title-winning fight in 2017 against Kell Brook.
“We went to support Errol in England. Shawn went because I was going to support Errol. That’s when we both said, ‘we’re going to be fighting together at some point,’” said Kenny.
In 2013, with the absence of Spence trainer Derrick James, Kenny was in Spence’s corner when Spence was a 4-0 fighter sparring with Floyd Mayweather.
“He gave Floyd a very good, rough, hard sparring session,” said Kenny.
Porter and Spence have even played basketball together at Porter’s church in Las Vegas, but all parties played down their friendly relationships as their big fight inches closer.
Spence said the build-up of the fight for the rest of the week “could get nasty, but I don’t expect to get nasty on my side.”
“All of the talking for me is over with. Kenny has a mouth on him, so if it gets nasty, it will probably come from him,” said Spence.
“I don’t have any concern right now with who [Errol] is, what he’s done or who he is to the family,” said Shawn. “It’s all about winning Saturday, and moving forward.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist and member of the Boxing Writers Assn. of America since 2011. He has written for the likes of the Guardian, USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, Men’s Health and NFL.com and currently does TV commentary for combat sports programming that airs on Fox Sports. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan or via email at manouk.akopyan@gmail.com.