Shawn Porter feels there will be more at stake when he encounters Errol Spence Jr. than two welterweight titles.
Porter contends that the winner of their 12-round, 147-pound title unification fight should be considered the best welterweight in boxing. The 31-year-old Porter (30-2-1, 17 KOs), of Akron, Ohio, and the 29-year-old Spence (25-0, 21 KOs), of DeSoto, Texas, will meet September 28 for Porter’s WBC welterweight title and Spence’s IBF belt at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
“I think that myself and Errol Spence are the No. 1 and No. 2 guys,” Porter said Tuesday during a conference call. “You call who you want to be No. 1 and No. 2. But the best part about it is 1 is about to fight 2, and one [of us] is about to get eliminated. I think that after I beat Errol Spence, especially the way I beat Errol Spence, I think that this will keep me as the No. 1 guy in the division.”
Spence and WBO champion Terence Crawford (35-0, 26 KOs) are commonly considered among media and fans as the top two welterweights in boxing. Crawford, of Omaha, Nebraska, typically is listed within the top three on credible pound-for-pound lists as well.
Nevertheless, Spence agreed later on the aforementioned conference call with Porter’s perspective on the outcome of their fight determining boxing’s best welterweight.
“Definitely,” Spence said. “There’s no way around it. The winner is the unified champion, so I definitely think [he] should be considered the No. 1 welterweight in the world. But I already consider myself as the No. 1 welterweight in the world, anyway. So, I mean, [having] two belts just makes it by a landslide.”
The Spence-Porter winner will be the only welterweight with two titles. Crawford and WBA champ Manny Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) each own one.
Most sports books list Spence as at least a 10-1 favorite over Porter. They’ll headline a four-fight FOX Sports Pay-Per-View telecast a week from Saturday night.
–boxingscene.com
