By Jake Donovan
Try to tell Shawn Porter that some risks just aren’t worth the reward, and he will respond in kind that such a way of thinking has no place in the pro ranks.
The two-time welterweight titlist from Ohio has proven that throughout his career, willingly accepting the tough challenges that few of his divisional peers seem in a hurry to grab. As much is evident in the first defense of his second tour as a welterweight champ, when he defends versus Yordenis Ugas in their March 9 Fox headliner in Carson, California.
Plenty of his peers would’ve dumped a belt in the trash in pursuit of far more lucrative options in the talent-rich welterweight division. Instead, the 31-year old titlist views Ugas as the same as anyone else he’s faced since his pro debut more than 10 years ago—as the next threat to where he next wants to go in his career.
“I'm going to ignore that perception of this fight, even that perception of Yordenis Ugas,” Porter admits of his mandatory challenger. “Every fight is a dangerous fight. Every fight is a must win fight and for anyone that doesn't realize that, it starts when you turn professional.
“This fight is just like my very first fight. It's just like my second, my third and my last fight. This is a must win fight and it's definitely a dangerous fight, but they are always going to be dangerous when you get in the ring with the high-level caliber fighters that I fight.”
It’s shown both in wins and defeat for the squat boxer, who now lives and trains in Las Vegas. Each of his career defeats came versus unbeaten top welterweights, ending his first title reign in a 12-round decision to England’s Kell Brook in Aug. ’14 and then coming up just short in his June ’16 thriller with Keith Thurman, who remains unbeaten and very much back in the mix after returning to the ring this past January.
Porter would love nothing more than a second crack at Thurman, along with a first shot at unbeaten titlist Errol Spence and legendary eight-division champ Manny Pacquiao. In the past, he’s sacrificed ring activity while waiting for similar opportunities to pan out, along with natural body weight such as his June ’15 win over Adrien Broner at a catchweight of 144 pounds, by far Porter’s lightest weight as a pro.
None of those decisions were his first plan of action in agreeing to such fights, but he played the good soldier while of the belief that bigger and better things would come along. Now, he’d rather just train to fight, even if it means taking on the welterweights nobody else wants to face. Entering each fight with that mindset avoids any concern of putting a “bigger picture” at risk.
“You do the best you can to put yourself in line to win every fight, to climb the ladder and get to the point where I'm at right now,” explains Porter. “I didn't do all that and look at all those fights like they were must win fights and then get here now and look at this fight like it's any different.
“I'm simply saying then that every fight is a dangerous fight. Every fight is a must win fight, as far as this being low risk, high reward, I'm going to get paid what I deserve to get paid. Outside of that, this is another fight that I have to win and do what I have to do. So after the fight I expect my hand to be raised and move on from there.
"Keith Thurman, Errol Spence Jr. or Manny Pacquiao. Those are all big fights that people want to see. If this fight goes the way we want it to go, those guys are the goal for the next fight."
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
