After reigning as IBF champion for more than two years, undefeated welterweight Errol Spence Jr. finally has the opportunity to add another belt to his collection. ‘The Truth’ faces WBC counterpart Shawn Porter in a unification showdown at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on September 28th.
Spence produced a dominant display in March against Mikey Garcia, comprehensively shutting out the four-weight champion, who had jumped up two weight divisions in an audacious effort to dethrone the Desoto native. Many regard Spence as currently the most formidable fighter in the division.
Although Spence’s size and strength advantages were obvious from the outset, he was able to showcase his skills and intelligence by adopting a conservative approach throughout the fight. In spite of a relatively small number of fights, his ability to soundly outbox someone as decorated as Mikey Garcia certainly vindicates his lofty position in the pound-for-pound rankings.
Meanwhile, Porter’s last two showings have been decidedly unconvincing in comparison to Spence’s consistently impressive performances. Porter was arguably fortunate to be unanimously declared the winner in a September 2018 clash with Danny Garcia, claiming the vacant WBC title in the process. ‘Showtime’ was once again the beneficiary of some charitable scoring after scraping past Yordenis Ugas via split-decision.
‘The Truth’ has demonstrated previously that he is a consummate professional and capable of performing under pressure. He travelled to Sheffield in 2017, emphatically defeating the reigning IBF champion Kell Brook in front of thousands of Yorkshiremen, by stopping the home favourite in the 11th round.
Porter is an athletic competitior who is as rugged as he is stubborn; attributes that have enabled him to overcome fighters like Devon Alexander, Adrien Broner and Andre Berto, among others. Nevertheless, he has garnered criticism for employing tactics of questionable legality in some of his contests and comes into this fight as the significant underdog.
Ultimately, it is reasonable to believe that Spence is superior in almost every department. Fans should expect a dominant display from the IBF champion, in what will be likely be an explosive and violent encounter. The Texan’s spearing southpaw jab and spiteful bodywork will enable him to overpower his tenacious counterpart, before putting together the necessary punches to prompt the referee’s intervention, somewhere around the middle rounds.
Article by: Navi Singh
Follow Navi on Twitter at: @DarkMan________