By Keith Idec
NEW YORK – Keith Thurman surprised Shawn Porter toward the end of their press conference Tuesday in Manhattan.
After discussing how much he respects Porter and how much history they share, Thurman turned to Porter and made a prediction for their June 25 welterweight title fight at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center (CBS).
“This is gonna be a fight you don’t wanna miss,” Thurman said. “And I’m sorry to say it, but it’s gonna be a knockout you don’t wanna miss, either. I love you, bro, but I’m gonna have to do my best to put you to sleep.”
Thurman (26-0, 22 KOs), of Clearwater, Florida, has knocked out 85 percent of his opponents since he turned pro in November 2007. Porter (26-1-1, 16 KOs), a seven-year pro from Akron, Ohio, has never been knocked out.
After looking into Thurman’s eyes, Porter doesn’t think Thurman truly believes he’ll become the first fighter to do that.
“Honestly, no,” Porter said. “What I read, and my intuition is pretty good, what I read was he was trying to force me to believe it. He was trying to convince me with his eyes that he believed that he was going to knock me out. But I don’t think he believes it.”
Promoter Lou DiBella joked before the press conference ended about the look of disbelief Porter displayed once Thurman made his prediction.
“More than anything, I was just surprised to hear him say it,” Porter said. “That was my first initial response. It was like, ‘Wow! You just said that.’ And then I really wanted to look him in his eyes, to find out if he really believes that.
“But I know Keith, man. He wants the best for himself. He’s a cut-throat fighter. If he has the opportunity, yes, he will try to knock me out. That’s fighting. I’m looking forward to this fight. I know he won’t knock me out. And I’m looking forward to knocking him out.”
Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
