By Jake Donovan
It’s often said that it’s not what you know, but who you know.
For the past couple of months, Shawn “Showtime” Porter knew and shared ring space with the sport’s pound-for-pound king, brought in to help Manny Pacquiao prepare for last month’s destruction of Miguel Cotto.
The mere mention of Pacquiao’s name instantly generates hundreds of thousands of hits, which means that much more attention paid to anyone and anything associated with said news entry.
Simply put, more attention was paid to Porter’s every move during his time in Pacquiao’s camp than any other point in his life, at least to date.
Who he knew helped give a career boost not often seen for a 22-year old in just his second year as a pro and with minimal television exposure.
But in boxing, who you know rarely if ever is of any service in the ring. Once the bell ring, it becomes all about what you know.
A nationally televised audience gets to find out this weekend exactly what Shawn Porter knows. The undefeated super welterweight prospect makes his Shobox debut when he faces fellow unbeaten Jamar Patterson at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota this Friday.
It’s Showtime for the man also known as “Showtime” – a fitting way to end what has been a spectacular introduction to the professional ranks.
“This year has been unbelievable, but it’s not over yet,” acknowledges Porter (11-0, 9KO). “We’re well prepared for Friday night on Showtime, ready to show the world what I got.”
The fight will already be his second following his time spent in Pac Land. A week after Pacquiao’s big win over Cotto, Porter returned to his home away from home, scoring a fourth round stoppage of Jerome Ellis in Tunica, Mississippi.
Making his sixth appearance at Fitzgerald’s Casino in the span of exactly 52 weeks, Porter has already developed a following in the southeastern gambling hot spot. But there was no question that added attention came with this particular bout.
It had little to do with the fact that it was his first scheduled eight-rounder (though he only needed half of that amount); instead, the night was less about what he knew than it was about who he knew – and how many more know him as a result.
“It’s crazy how that experience continues to follow my career,” says Porter of the experience that has seemingly taken on a life of its own. “It’s cool that people acknowledge me, and plus he got the big win, so I get that much more shine for helping him get to that point.”
The experience also gave Porter a chance to view the sport from a different angle, perhaps pick up a thing or two that wouldn’t have come with a normal training camp with his father and trainer/manager Kenny Porter, in his home state of Ohio.
But what he knows certainly isn’t limited to what he learned during that time. Nor does he believe it should define who he is as a fighter.
“I learned more in that camp, no question. But I’m still the athlete that I am.”
During his teenage years in Stow, Ohio, Porter was quite the standout athlete, and not just limited to the squared circle. He also dabbled in basketball in track, but where he stood out the most – beyond the ring – was on the gridiron during his years spent at Stow-Munroe Falls High School. It’s the same school that produced NFL Hall of Fame running back Larry Csonka, whose four-decade school rushing record Porter broke during his senior year in 2005.
Porter was good enough for the NCAA level, though his size (5’7” and a listed 175 lb. during his playing days) made him a long shot for the NFL. Having been blessed with enough talent to excel in two sports, he chose the one in which he saw the longest and brightest future.
“Growing up in both sports, I thought it was a better decision to become a boxer. At one point, I saw myself going to the NFL, as it’s every player’s dream. But I believed I’d be a better pro boxer than a pro football player.
“At the end of the day, boxing is one-on-one. I can control what goes on in the ring.”
His 11 pro fights are proof of that, having yet to be extended beyond the fourth round, and with all but two ending inside the distance.
Even more impressive was his run on the amateur level, where he won an eye-popping 99% of his 290 fights in a career that began at age eight.
You name the honor, and chances are Porter achieved it during his time spent in the non-pay ranks – under-19 National Champion; two-time Golden Gloves National Junior Division Champion; national and world championships in the Junior Olympics, as well as the 2007 Golden Gloves.
For all of his accolades in the amateurs, Porter was only afforded an alternate slot on the 2008 US Olympic boxing squad. He owns wins over two of the team members – Demetrius Andrade and Shawn Estrada, the latter occupying the 165 lb. slot for which Porter served as a backup.
An untimely and disputed loss to Daniel Jacobs – whom Porter had also previously defeated – early in the 2008 Olympic Trials was enough to convince the committee to look elsewhere.
“I wasn’t who the Olympic squad wanted,” Porter believes. “ But I never let it get to me. I had a stellar amateur career, and proud of what I was able to accomplish.”
What he accomplished was enough to catch the watchful eyes of Brian and Russ Young, who head Prize Fight Promoters, the leading promotional outfit in the mid-South.
Now a decade into the game, Prize Fight has earned a reputation for its ability to think outside the box in signing young talent. They expertly guided the careers of Lamont and Anthony Peterson, both of whom were amateur standouts but fell short of making the 2004 squad. In that same vein, Prize Fight wisely invested into its future late last year, signing Porter, Fernando Guerrero and Dominic Wade in establishing its “Camp of Champs” slogan.
Time will tell if any of their young stars will go on to become world champions. Peterson fell short last weekend in a spirited effort against top 140 lb. boxer Tim Bradley. Anthony figures to be in the title hunt sometime in 2010, while there is plenty of time for Prize Fight’s current trio of rising stars.
While there’s no time like the present for Porter’s Q-rating, everyone on his team is on the same page when it comes to career goals. There is the temptation to cash in on his newfound fame-by-association, but Porter gladly takes the headlines that come with it, leaving the rest up to a team that has more than earned his trust.
“Russ and Brian are great. They’ve worked hard for me from the moment they signed me and help whenever I’ve needed it. I’m pleased to be a part of Prize Fight.
“It means a lot that I stand out with them. My goal is to help them build up and make them a stellar promotional company.”
By helping put his promoter on the map, he’ll have also helped earn extra shine for another key figure on his team, in fact the driving force.
“I have good management. There’s nobody in the sport I can trust more than my father, who has always done right by me.”
Father-son relationships in the sport have been historically hit-or-miss. Some are able to get through an entire career without tripping over one another. Others fall apart the moment they don’t see eye-to-eye on the smallest detail.
Porter firmly believes he and his father will fall into the first category, simply because both know their role – Shawn’s job is to fight, Kenny’s is to teach, and also to look out for his son’s best interests.
“The balance is great for my father and me. When things are said that need to be said at home, it is said at home. Gym talk is saved for the gym; the line is never blurred. We have a special relationship that can’t be matched. When we believe we’re ready for that next level, I’ll fight on that next level. Until then, I take what’s offered and keep doing my thing in the ring.”
Few have done it more frequently in the past year and change. Friday will mark his 12th pro fight in just 14 months as a pro. Should he survive this weekend’s test, his next date is already booked – February 19 in Cleveland, less than an hour from his Akron hometown.
That bout will mark his third appearance on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights and fourth nationally televised fight overall, though all that matters for the moment is his current assignment.
“There’s no pressure at all,” says Porter of the need to win on Friday in order to set up next February’s homecoming. “I’m focused on the task at hand. It will be a fun, exciting time.”
If anything, the greater stress factor lies with those who’ve watched his every move from the moment he first laced ‘em up 14 years ago.
“I have a lot of friends and family that support me, who will be watching on TV very closely this weekend. They can’t wait for me to get this one over with so they can see me in person.”
Until then, they’ll have to settle for the same view as everyone else – tuning in to Showtime this weekend, so Porter can show the world that what he knows exceeds who he knows.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com .