LOS ANGELES – The tension between Errol Spence Jr. and Shawn Porter was apparent Wednesday during the final press conference to promote their welterweight title unification fight.
That friction was even more evident Thursday, when their trainers got into a heated argument that started inside the media center at the Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown hotel. Ken Porter, Shawn’s father and head trainer, confronted Derrick James, Spence’s trainer, for comments James made Wednesday about Ken Porter’s professional partnership with his son.
Ken Porter was bothered because James made matters personal in an interview with Fight Hub TV. James stated during that interview that Shawn Porter “get treated like trash by his father.”
James and Ken Porter had to be separated inside the media center, before they left the large ballroom to further discuss their issue. Barry Hunter, Shawn Porter’s assistant trainer and Ken Porter’s close friend, played peacemaker and tried to help Ken Porter and James work through their disagreement.
James downplayed the incident later Thursday, but Ken Porter clearly didn’t appreciate James’ critical comments of his relationship with Shawn Porter, the WBC welterweight champion. James also told Fight Hub TV in the interview that appeared on its YouTube channel that he would welcome the opportunity to train Shawn Porter after Spence knocks him out Saturday night at Staples Center.
“I think that he’s gotten to a point to where he’s not getting any better,” James said of Shawn Porter. “He’s in a horrible situation, with somebody that doesn’t respect him. He forgets the way this thing works. The trainer works for the fighter, right? The manager works for the fighter. So, what happens is regardless of whatever you think about the father thinks he is, you don’t have to let your employee talk to you like that. You understand? We have a order, where we are. So, if he wanna get treated like a real man, somebody gonna respect him, come over here. That’s where he need to come – hands down. He wanna be treated like a real person – not yelled at, not belittled, not demeaned – he can come over here, with us.”
When asked it that meant he wants to train the 31-year-old Porter, James made the most inflammatory statement in the brief interview.
“I’m saying he get treated like trash by his father,” James said. “If he wanna get treated like a real fighter, he can come over here.”
Whomever trains him, James believes Porter (30-2-1, 17 KOs) will have no choice but to change corner men after Spence stops him. Spence (25-0, 21 KOs), the IBF 147-pound champion, has repeatedly predicted he’ll become the first fighter to knock out Porter when they square off in a FOX Sports Pay-Per-View main event at Staples Center.
“He’s gotta do something,” James said. “Because after this knockout, what is he gonna do? I’m asking you what is he gonna do? Where is his relevance at? You wonder why they go to every fight. They wanna be relevant. They wanna be relevant. They wanna be relevant. After this fight, what do you do?”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
