By Keith Idec (photo by Ryan Hafey)

LAS VEGAS – Errol Spence Jr. has advised against Shawn Porter approaching their fight the way he did against Andre Berto.

Porter beat Berto by ninth-round technical knockout in April 2017, but Berto called that bout “a lot of bullsh*t” because he feels Porter purposely head-butted him numerous times before their fight was stopped.

Berto, a former WBC welterweight champion, took an extended break following his loss to Porter because he suffered a concussion in their fight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Spence promised during a press conference Saturday at MGM Grand that he is more than prepared to deal with Porter’s physical tactics in their welterweight title unification fight September 28 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

“You know, he’s a rough and rugged guy, but I can get rough and rugged, too,” Spence said. “His dad know it. He seen me in the amateurs. He seen my sparring sessions, things like that. You know, I can do the same thing with the elbows and heads and [get] dirty, too. So, if it goes down to that, you know, he try to fight me like he did Andre Berto, and elbows and head-butts and try to rough me up, then we will do that, too.

“So, it really doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, I feel like I’m mentally stronger than him, I’ve got more athleticism than him, I’m more skillful than him. All across the board, I’m just a better fighter, boxer, whatever you wanna call it.”

The 31-year-old Porter pays no mind to how Berto and Spence perceive that fight. Porter points to the fact that he dropped Berto three times in it as evidence that Berto couldn’t handle his power and physicality.

While well aware of Spence’s capabilities, Porter (30-2-1, 17 KOs) is confident he’ll surprise Spence (25-0, 21 KOs) when they fight for his WBC title and Spence’s IBF belt in a FOX Sports Pay-Per-View main event.

“Hey, man, that fight with Andre Berto went the way it went,” Porter said. “He couldn’t handle it and eight rounds later, I got him out of there. This fight with Errol Spence, it’s gonna go the way it’s gonna go. He knows I’m a dog. He knows I’ve got plenty of heart. I’ve got heart to give. And he know I bring it all into the ring. But he’s saying it’s gonna be a man down.

“I’m not focused on that. I’m focused on being prepared. I know I’m gonna be prepared. I’m looking forward to it. I know in some ways he thinks he can make it an easy fight. Trust me, myself and my team, we’re looking at the exact same thing. And no surprises on September 28th, when I knock him out. It’s been said.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.