Spence Jr vs Porter: A Fight For The Ages

Spence Jr vs Porter: A Fight For The Ages

There have been many great welterweight showdowns over the years, we now have another. I have seen many great fights over the years, I will not forget this one quickly. This was what Floyd Mayweather Manny Pacquaio should have been.

Those in attendance at the Staples Center and the millions of viewers around the world witnessed a back and forth thriller. Errol Spence Jr and Shawn Porter gave their all and then some in their welterweight unification clash in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran brawled for 15 rounds in Montreal all those years ago, while I wouldn’t put Spence Porter at that level, but it was that type of fight.

A great fight needs a swing in fortunes, both fighters having moments of dominance, leaving doubt and leaving you wanting more, Spence vs Porter ticked every possible box.

The now unified champion might not agree, but Porter was the perfect opponent for him. Porter had the name, the pedigree and a title, he brought plenty to the party, maybe a little too much. But most of all, we knew he would test Spence, but not many expected or predicted just how tough a fight it would be. The pre-fight odds of 1/10 on a Spence victory now look pretty stupid.

Spence the big odds on favourite was given the test we all wanted to see. Porter’s marauding suffocating style gave him trouble all night long, he was made to work for practically every second of the fight.

Even when Porter briefly touched down in the 11th from a stunner of a left hand that would have finished many, you knew the defiance he had shown throughout would not suddenly stop.

Before that fight turning moment there were genuine moments when you thought he would be too much for his hyped opponent.

Spence needs space, Porter wouldn’t oblige, and it was a desperately hard struggle before Spence eventually prevailed by way of split decision. The judges scored it 116-111, 116-111, 112-115 in favour of Spence, neither scorecard looked out of place, it was that type of fight. You could have scored it a number of different ways for either fighter.

I had Spence edging it, but I had zero confidence I was right, I doubt anybody else could confidently say who had won either. I thought Spence pulled it out in the final two rounds, with the fight very much in the balance at that point.

Yet again Saturday night showed that even if you beat Porter, you don’t do it easily. A style that’s hard to read, even a potential superstar like Spence had immense trouble solving the puzzle in front of him. Porter might have come up short, but he keeps himself very much relavant. A rematch with Spence is a distinct possibility for next year, nobody will complain.

Spence now the WBC and IBF world welterweight champion survived a very tough night at the office, and as he did in beating Kell Brook, he showed he can win ugly, guts and heart to go with his skills, a rare combination.

Did the fight expose him, maybe a little, he’s good, but maybe not quite as good as we thought. But he still is an exceptional talent, and only someone a bit special will beat him.

Danny Garcia is next, but Terence Crawford is the fighter most want to see Spence share a ring with. The unbeaten WBO champion is Spence’s biggest threat to true welterweight dominance, and is a fight that just has to be made. Boxing politics must not get in the way.

Photos from Stephanie Trapp/TGB Promotions