Errol Spence Jr. has the ingredients to be a great fighter, but Shawn Porter wants to pump the brakes on his adversary’s ascending career.
“I respect and admire his dominance. Both of us are supposed to be great that night, punch-for-punch. I’m going to open his eyes,” Porter told BoxingScene.com. “My energy and presence in the ring on Saturday is going to be one that’s going to be remembered for a long time. There is nothing that’s going to happen to stop me from being successful.”
The 31-year-old Porter will walk into the ring with a 2 ½ inch height disadvantage, three-inch reach disadvantage and will be two years more senior than Spence.
“Most southpaws are not aggressive and powerful the way he is,” said Porter. “You need to have patience and intelligence in the ring and make sure your reflexes work.”
Porter will be depending on his quick twitch muscles to muster out the victory. Size has never mattered for the WBC welterweight champion Porter, and he’s not concerned about the physical advantages Spence will be sporting.
As a 165-pound amateur, Porter once knocked out a 6-foot, 6-inch tall Colombian during the Pan American Games. At 16, he was sparring with former unified champion Kelly Pavlik. He has fought exclusively at the 147 division, beating the likes of Adrien Broner and Danny Garcia.
"Errol and I are likeable and respectable guys, but we give it all in the ring. Fights like this are going to help the sport of boxing,” said Porter. "Spence is a tactical fighter. I know they'll have a good game plan but I'm confident in my abilities and in my corner.
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.