LOS ANGELES – Ken Porter appreciates Errol Spence Jr.’s greatness.

He has respected Spence since he worked with the powerful southpaw when Spence was an aspiring Olympian, a dream Spence realized in 2012. Porter fully understands, too, that his son, Shawn, has signed up for what likely will emerge as his most difficult fight as a pro.

Shawn Porter’s father/trainer just doesn’t think Spence has ever encountered the type of fighter he’ll oppose Saturday night at Staples Center. With that in mind, Ken Porter cannot wait to see Spence’s response to what could become a grueling, troublesome battle for Spence’s IBF and Porter’s WBC welterweight titles.

Ken Porter assured a group of reporters Wednesday following a press conference at the Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown hotel that Spence will be pushed like never before when they square off.

“I tend to believe that, of course, you go to a boxing match and a fight breaks out,” Ken Porter said. “And I fully expect that to happen. And I know that Errol is a great not just boxer, but a fighter. But I just don’t believe that he’s been in that dogfight, that he’s had that adversity, that he’s had to come back from something or deal with something, or even deal with a guy that gave him the resistance.

“Because most of the guys that we’ve seen him be dominant against, he was dominant to the point that they were giving him no resistance. Like they literally backed up to the ropes and covered up and allowed him to just tee off on them. That’s not happening on Saturday night.”

Porter, 31, has fought a more accomplished group of opponents than the 29-year-old Spence. The Akron, Ohio, native has lost only close decisions to ex-champions Kell Brook (majority) and Keith Thurman (unanimous), and has beaten former champions Devon Alexander, Andre Berto, Adrien Broner, Julio Diaz, Danny Garcia and Paulie Malignaggi.

Spence beat Brook in the former champion’s hometown of Sheffield, England, in May 2017. Ken Porter and Shawn Porter attended that fight to support Spence, who battered Brook before knocking him out in the 11th round.

The Porters feel Spence showed something memorable in that bout because he traveled to a foreign country, withstood what was a competitive fight at times and knocked out the defending champion. They’re also certain that the younger Porter’s pressure will render Spence uncomfortable in ways he hasn’t experienced.

“It needs to be a dogfight, but it has to be when we choose to make it a dogfight,” Ken Porter said. “It can’t just be, ‘OK, the bell rings and we go right at the guy, and it’s a dogfight.’ There’s strategic things going and positioning going on, and looking for certain spots where we feel we have an advantage, and then that dogfight happens.”

The 29-year-old Spence (25-0, 21 KOs), of DeSoto, Texas, is a 10-1 favorite to top Porter (30-2-1, 17 KOs). Their 12-round, 147-pound title unification fight will headline a four-fight FOX Sports Pay-Per-View show set to start at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT ($74.95 in HD).

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