Errol Spence Jr vs. Shawn Porter Scouting Report
Story by: Rahmon Ford
(Los Angeles, CA) – On Saturday September 28, a significant unification bout takes place at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Welterweight world champions collide, as IBF champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr clashes with WBC champion “Showtime” Shawn Porter in a title unification match headlining Premier Boxing Champions on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View.
Below is the scouting report for this exciting match-up:
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Errol Spence, Jr
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Shawn Porter
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Age
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29
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31
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Record
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25-0-0 (21 KOs)
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30-2-1 (17 KOs)
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Height & Reach
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Spence Jr is 5 foot 10, with a 72-inch reach. |
Porter is 5 foot 7, with a 69.5-inch reach. |
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Experience
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Spence Jr has victories over world-class fighters Kell Brook and Mikey Garcia. He’s also fought Chris Algieri and Lamont Peterson. As an amateur, Spence Jr won three US national championships and reached the quarterfinals of the 2012 Olympics.
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Porter has wins over world-class fighters Danny Garcia, Adrien Broner, Paulie Malignaggi, and Devon Alexander. He has also fought Keith Thurman Jr and Kell Brook, both to debatable losses. As an amateur, Porter has a listed record of 276-14. He also won the World Golden Gloves. |
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Power
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Spence Jr has shown the power to break most opponents down, but questions remain due to results of some fights. He gets the benefit of the doubt here based on overall track record. He has 21 KOs in 25 fights. |
Shawn has pop in his punches, but like Spence Jr he more than likely will wear an opponent down to get a stoppage. Shawn has stopped 52% of his opponents, with Andre Berto and Paulie Malignaggi most notable. |
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Strengths
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Errol Spence Jr has great size for the welterweight division. He is a solid inside fighter and a fantastic body puncher. Spence Jr also is very accurate with his punches. He has a better than average jab and punches in combinations. He’s always looking to finish.
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Shawn Porter is a fantastic pressure fighter who punches in bunches. He works continuously when on the inside and uses good footwork and rapid head movement when on the attack. Shawn has superb stamina and can go the distance and finish strong. |
| Weaknesses | Spence Jr sometimes leaves himself open for counters when he’s on the attack. Spence Jr is a bit flatfooted at times in fights. A fighter with great footwork may be able to neutralize him throughout a fight. He is available to be hit, as Kell Brook and Emmanuel Lartey proved in their fights. | Porter does well to get inside, but when he does, he often smothers his punches. Porter also abandons his jab, which stalls key offensive moments in fights. Porter doesn’t have good accuracy, and also falls off balance into counterpunch opportunities. Shawn’s awkward style causes him to work harder than necessary in fights, which could catch up to him versus better opposition. |
| Questions | How will Spence Jr deal with a pressure fighter with Porter’s IQ, skill, and experience?
Will Spence Jr go for the knockout as he stated, or will he take the boxing approach as in his last fight? Can Spence fight off the back foot? Will Spence Jr decide to mix it up with Porter early if Shawn comes charging in, instead of boxing off the back foot? |
What style will Porter use in this fight- his typical helter-skelter pressure style or the boxing style he employed against Yordenis Ugas?
Will Porter abandon his jab as he did in his last fight? Shawn has come up short in title fights versus Brook and Thurman. Will that cause him to take more chances against Spence as not to fall short again? Can Porter hurt Spence Jr? |
THE FIGHT JOURNAL 