LOS ANGELES – Shawn Porter probably will be the aggressor Saturday night, but Errol Spence Jr. went on the offensive during their press conference Wednesday.
When Porter suggested Spence’s easy but uneventful victory over Mikey Garcia gave fans a right to complain about a lack of action, Spence harshly criticized Porter’s style.
“Nobody complain about my fights,” Spence said from the dais at the Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown hotel. “Nobody complain about my fights. You wild. You fight like a football player. You an in-shape street fighter. You an in-shape street fighter. That’s what you are. You fight like you drowning. You fight like you drowning, and you don’t know how to swim.”
Porter asked Spence to repeat what he said.
“You fight like you drowning and you don’t know how to swim,” Spence repeated. “You wind-milling. You wild, man. You have no technique or anything.”
An incredulous Porter refuted Spence’s criticism.
“Did you watch my swimming on the – everybody has seen everything that I’ve done to this point,” Porter said. “All right? So, that was a dumb statement for you to make. Everybody seen me out there, swimming, and knows that I can swim.”
That prompted Spence to continue ridiculing Porter’s technique.
“You in shape,” Spence said. “You in shape. You an in-shape street fighter. You an in-shape street fighter.”
The prideful Porter went back at Spence.
“Everybody knows that I’m in shape,” Porter said. “Everybody knows that I can take a punch. Everybody knows that I’m gonna be there from the first round till the last round.”
Spence acknowledged Porter’s reliable chin.
“You can take a punch,” Spence said. “You can take a punch. Your style works for you.”
The 29-year Spence (25-0, 21 KOs) still thinks he’ll become the first opponent to stop Porter inside the distance when they fight for Porter’s WBC welterweight title and Spence’s IBF crown at Staples Center. Porter (30-2-1, 17 KOs) has lost only a majority decision to Kell Brook and a close unanimous decision to Keith Thurman during his 11-year pro career.
“All right, then,” Porter replied when Spence commended his chin. “Everybody know I’m gonna be there from the first round till the last round.”
Spence warned that Porter might not see the last round in this FOX Sports Pay-Per-View main event.
“We’ll see,” Spence said. “You might not make it till the last round. It might not be till the last round.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
