Errol Spence Jr v Shawn Porter: a preview

1️⃣ MONTH TO GO!! This has #FightOfTheYear written all over it. Don’t miss it!!! #SpencePorter #PBConFOX #Blessed #ThePorterWay pic.twitter.com/LtgF2u8y8w

— ShowtimeShawn Porter (@ShowtimeShawnP) August 28, 2019

An all-American clash for welterweight unification takes place on Saturday 28^th September at the iconic Staples Center in Los Angeles – as Shawn Porter (WBC welterweight champion) and Errol Spence Jr (IBF welterweight champion) meet. If you’re a fan and looking to bet on Errol Spence Jr v Shawn Porter with Paddy Power, you’ll know that Spence is the overwhelming favourite for victory in this clash – but ahead of the bout, let’s see how these two match up on paper.

Stats

‘The Truth’ has a marginal height and reach advantage over his opponent, at 1.77m tall and with a reach of 72 inches, to ‘Showtime’ Porter’s 1.7m height and 69-inch reach. But what Porter lacks in size and power, he more than makes up for in experience – with more fights under his belt. Porter’s record boasts 30 wins from 33 fights; however only 17 of those have been by knockout. That said, Spence boasts a 100% record, winning all 25 of his bouts to date and 21 of those coming by knockout. Now, let’s take a look at both boxers’ most-recent bouts.

Shawn Porter

3. November 4^th, 2017: unanimous decision v Adrían Granados

After losing to Keith Thurman in June 2016, Porter made it back-to-back victories and claimed the vacant WBC Silver welterweight title via unanimous decision, over Granados. But he had to work hard for his victory – and come the tenth-round bell, was deemed the more accurate, landing 36% of his punches. He won 117-111.

2. September 8^th, 2018: unanimous decision v Danny García

With Keith Thurman vacating his WBC welterweight title, Porter took on García, a former WBC champion. ‘Showtime’ opted for his usual power approach but it was García who was more clinical with his punches – and believed he had won the bout. The judges’ scores were in Porter’s favour: 116-112, 115-113, 115-113.

1. March 9^th, 2019: split decision v Yordenis Ugás

In his most recent outing, Porter scraped past Ugás and successfully defended his WBC title. It was a close-run thing, with neither really taking control of the fight for long periods and it could have gone either way. But the Cuban (and the crowd) felt aggrieved at the decision which fell in Porter’s favour: 116-112 and 115-113 to 111-117.

Errol Spence Jr

3. January 20^th, 2018: retirement v Lamont Peterson

In defeating Peterson, Spence defended the IBF welterweight title he had won in his previous knockout victory against Kell Brook. It was an easy enough defence, with Spence dropping Peterson in round five, before his trainer stepped in to stop the fight a second into the eighth round. At the time of the stoppage, all three judges had their scorecards at 70-62 for Spence.

2. June 16^th, 2018: knockout v Carlos Ocampo

Ocampo was considered an up-and-coming prospect, also with a 100% record – that was until Spence joined him the ring. In front of a sell-out crowd, Ocampo hit the canvas in the first round, within three minutes. It was also Spence’s 11^th consecutive stoppage in four years.

1. March 16^th, 2019: unanimous decision v Mikey Garcia

Undoubtedly, Spence’s biggest win to date came against Garcia, a four-division world champion. However, it was Garcia’s welterweight debut and ultimately, Spence dominated him – retaining his IBF welterweight title for a third time. In total, Spence landed 345 punches to Garcia’s 75 and won by unanimous decision (120-107, 120-108, 120-108).

Prediction

As the favourite and buoyed by his recent win over Mikey Garcia, we just can’t look past Spence. As well as the advantages he has in stature, ‘The Truth’ will be wanting to hold on to that 100% record as well as gain unification in the division.