By Keith Idec
LAS VEGAS – Errol Spence Jr. and Shawn Porter apparently have a date and site for their welterweight title unification fight.
The Athletic’s Lance Pugmire reported Wednesday that Spence-Porter will take place September 28 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. September 28 has been the rumored date for their FOX Sports Pay-Per-View main event, but Barclays Center in Brooklyn was a potential spot for their 147-pound title fight as well.
The 29-year-old Spence (25-0, 21 KOs), of DeSoto, Texas, and the 31-year-old Porter (30-2-1, 17 KOs), a native of Akron, Ohio, will fight for Spence’s IBF belt and Porter’s WBC crown.
The Spence-Porter fight could be announced as soon as Saturday, when Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman are set to square off for Thurman’s WBA “super” welterweight tile at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Spence and Porter will be part of FOX Sports’ coverage of the Pacquiao-Thurman weigh-in Friday from MGM Grand Garden Arena (FS1; 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT).
The winners of the Pacquiao-Thurman and Spence-Porter fights could meet early in 2020 for three welterweight titles.
Spence most recently scored a lopsided, 12-round victory over four-division champion Mikey Garcia (39-1, 30 KOs), who moved up two weight classes to oppose Spence on March 16 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. A week earlier, Porter edged Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas (23-4, 11 KOs) by split decision in a 12-rounder at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Their September 28 bout will mark Spence’s second straight pay-per-view main event. Porter will headline a pay-per-view show for the first time in his career.
The Philippines’ Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs) and Thurman (29-0, 22 KOs, 1 NC), of Clearwater, Florida, also will headline a FOX Sports Pay-Per-View card Saturday night. That four-fight telecast is set to start at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and costs $74.95 to view in HD.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.