Errol Spence Jr defeats Shawn Porter to become the new unified champion!
IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr vs WBC champion Shawn Porter was arguably the most significant fight of 2019.
Not only was it a unification bout in one of the most stacked divisions in boxing. It also featured two high-profile fighters with one being on many top ten pound-for-pound lists.
This fight absolutely did not disappoint in front of 16,702 paying fans!
Taming the Bull
Prior to the fight, the the IBF champ stated his foe had absolutely no technical ability and is “an in-shape football player!”
While Porter does have technical ability in his own right, it was widely known he would need to be the “football player” Spence compared his style to to have a remote chance of winning this fight. Giving up two inches in height, three inches in reach and considering the I.Q. of Spence, the WBC champion would be at a serious disadvantage if he tried to box.
Porter knew this as well because from the open round, he mauled the welterweight phenom! The pressure was immense, however, the WBC champion isn’t seen as one of the best fighters in the sport for no reason! He would do an excellent job taking a half-step back each time his opponent would rush in and pepper him with straight-left counters.
The WBC champion would be undeterred from getting inside despite being caught going in. However, while at close range, Spence would win that battle with thunderous shots to the body on the inside. Although, his work in there was very subtle and could have gone unnoticed by the average viewer.
Therefore, from the perspective of the average fan, Porter may have been applying affective aggression without suffering from any repercussions. Meanwhile, from the perspective of an enthusiast, Spence did a hell of a job taming the bull in the early rounds!
He Just Kept Coming
By the middle rounds, the WBC champion’s engine was still running on full! Spence still had success catching him going in, however, it is a very difficult task to continuously punch off the back-foot while under heavy pressure!
Porter’s fast feet kept Spence unable to consistently time his foe. This allowed the WBC champion to get inside and bully the bigger man.
Fans all over knew that Porter would not fade as he is one of the best conditioned fighters in the sport. Fighting at this pace for twelve rounds is easy work! Therefore, would Spence fade or will he be able to keep countering the pressure?
Not only did he continue to counter the pressure, he never faded and often times fought his opponent’s fight and beat him at it!
This kind of pace continued for the duration of the fight! A complete back-and-fourth effort that quickly turned into a Fight of the Year Candidate.
Closing The Gap
As a viewer, this fight was razor close going into the eleventh round. The two continued to produce toe-to-toe action.
Then BANG! Porter over-commits and leaves himself open long enough to get hit by a counter straight-left that caused him to drop to the canvas! This without a doubt cemented the fight for Spence!
In The End
However, the fight was not clear-cut by a long-shot! The judges returned with a split-decision! The fight was without a doubt close but the knockdown coupled with Spence also winning the final round should have given him a unanimous decision.
Two judges felt he did enough, turning in 116-111 scores while Larry Hazzard Jr scored the fight 115-112 for Porter!
Regardless, the right man won! 3kingsboxing.com scored the fight 115-112 for Spence.
As the fight came to a close, the excitement did not end! While Spence was announced as the new unified welterweight champion, in the ring came former WBC champion Danny Garcia! The former champ is the #1 and #4 contender within the WBC and IBF respectively.
Right then and there, the announcement of Spence’s next opponent was made! There is not official date or venue but be ready to see Errol Spence Jr vs Danny Garcia next!
Errol Spence
“It feels good to win. This is a lifetime dream. It shows hard work pays off. Thanks Shawn Porter, my whole team and all my Texas people for coming out.
“Shawn Porter is a rough and awkward fighter. I didn’t get off what I wanted to. He’s a true champion. He made it tough.
“All my punches have bad intentions. Boxing Mikey Garcia, I wanted to show people I could do it with that style.
“Porter was throwing a lot. I wanted to show I was the bigger and stronger welterweight.”
Errol Spence Jr- WBC/IBF Welterweight Champion
On fighting Danny Garcia
“My how the tables have turned. I’ve told my team, you line them up, I’ll knock them down.”
Errol Spence Jr- WBC/IBF Welterweight Champion
Shawn Porter
“I’ve said this before, I’ve had a lot of experience in the boxing ring. Did you enjoy that fight?
“He’s a strong kid. We both came in to do the job. I think I had a little more than what he expected, but he handled it. Congratulations to him and his team. We’re proud of what we did.
“I think that knockdown was the difference. I couldn’t come back to the corner with my head down after that.”
Shawn Porter – Welterweight Contender
By: EJ Williams
I guess we saw a different fight in the beginning, because I like most people saw Porter winning those rounds. Its safe to say Porter won 4/6 in the first half of the fight. A lot of fans feel the only reason Porter faded in the second half of that fight is because of all the low blows. 8 low blows in the third round alone. Yeah, I’d say that would take your energy.. Errol is no Phenom, he’s a dirty fighter. Porter might be rough, but he’s not dirty. I’d like to see a rematch with a REF that actually knows how to do his job. Those low blows change the entire fight. After 4 low blows, take a point. Guess what??? Errol stops going low, stops hitting Porter in the dick, and Porter does fade in the second half of that fight. We saw the same shit with Ward smashing Kovalev in the nuts, but that resulted in a stoppage. I have been a huge fan of Errol, huge supporter. But i’m a boxing fan first and that was a bad look for the sport. Porter deserves an automatic rematch. Porter is better than Garcia anyways.
Errol is a top B level fighter, but It’s clear he’s running from Crawford. Errol saying Crawford needs him more couldn’t be further from the truth. Crawford has already been Undisputed Unified Champion. Crawford is arguably P4P #1 fighter in the world. If Errol wants that type of recognition, then he needs to fight Crawford. He’s not going to get it fighting poo butt Garcia. I think Errol continues to run from Crawford, eventually running up to 154. Crawford is clearly the better fighter. Why doesn’t Errol want Crawfords Belt?? lol