By: Sean Crose
He’s been a welterweight world titlist not once, but twice. He’s also sparred with Manny Pacquiao and fought Yordenis Ugas. Therefore, there’s good reason to listen when Shawn Porter speaks out on this weekend’s impending Pacquiao-Yordernis fight. “A lot people consider me to have the most information, facts, experience and so on with both those gentlemen,” Porter recently told FightHype, “even though I never actually fought Manny.” Although many are disappointed that Pacquiao can’t face his original opponent, welterweight king Errol Spence, due to a Spence eye injury, Porter feels the fight with Ugas will be interesting in it’s own right.
“I think it’s going to be a much better fight entertainment wise than a lot of people expect,” he said. “This is not the fight we expected, but I think we’re going to get a lot of action.” Porter has sparred quite a bit with Pacquiao (“at least 50 rounds with the guy,” he said) and pulled out a decision win in a very close fight with Ugas a few years ago. Although he respects Ugas, Porter made it clear Pacquiao should have the edge this weekend. According to Porter, Ugas is “a considerable step below” the likes of Spence and Keith Thurman talent wise.
“He’s not a complicated boxer,” Porter said of Ugas, while admitting the man is highly skilled. “Most Cuban fighters are very solid and great at exactly what they do. He’s a really good boxer. If he can find a moment to touch you with some power he might hurt you so I think that’s what he’s got going for him in this fight.” Asked whether or not Pacquiao will still fight after this weekend, Porter was somewhat up in the air, though he indicated a lot may be riding on Pacquiao’s performance this weekend.
“I think that it really depends if he wins of loses this fight, ” said Porter. “If he loses, losing to a guy who doesn’t have a high punch output who doesn’t punch in combinations, have good footwork, a lot of the components that it takes to be on the level that Manny’s been on for so long, I think then he would have to evaluate some things and go from there.”