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There was a time I was all in.
More than seven years ago, as I sat a few rows from the ring at the DC Armory – in town to do a story on the latest Adrien Broner renaissance – I believed Shawn Porter was the future of the welterweights.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. was still 13 months away from starting a Pacquiao/Berto farewell tour, but there was already a herd of young bucks angling to be the next big post-Money thing at 147 pounds.
Porter joined the belted class that night with a four-round splattering of then-IBF champ Paulie Malignaggi, banishing an admittedly less-than-vintage “Magic Man” from the upper echelon with a beating that was nevertheless so thorough that it left a visceral image of ferocity.
He battered a tough city kid to a point where I actually feared for the Brooklyn native’s safety.
The sky’s the limit, I recall thinking as I made a midnight walk across the parking lot to the subway.
Turns out, though, that it was a little more mirage than masterpiece.
Porter’s time atop the IBF heap ended in his first defense against Kell Brook, and even though he laid claim to the WBC belt amid a subsequent run of six wins in seven fights – I never regained the vibe.
Beating the pedestrian likes of Broner, Erick Bone and Adrian Granados wasn’t worthy of a needle move, and even a surprise (to me) defeat of Danny Garcia three summers ago was followed up by a split nod over Yordenis Ugas that even ardent Porter supporters could accurately label as “generous.”
He’s rugged, yes. He’s determined, OK.
But it’s been a meh few years at best.
And I’m not expecting the buzz to come back this weekend.
Oh sure, the Ohioan billed as “Showtime” will share a pay-per-view unification stage with a reigning champ – WBO kingpin Terence Crawford – this Saturday night at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Still, regardless of how confident he looks in staring contests, the reality is that Porter’s basically a name-brand jobber whose role is to provide some fan-friendly antagonism while getting Crawford over.
In other words, his style will make for a fun fight.
But he’s too limited to get too far beyond highlights with a guy on a much higher plane.
A guy who, incidentally, beat the brakes off of Brook a year ago Sunday.
So it’s no surprise that Brian McIntyre sees Saturday going that way, too.
“As a trainer, I want this to be the toughest fight for Terence because you are going to see a better Terence Crawford,” he said. “The better the fighter, the better that Terence is.”
Sounds good to me.
Bring on the Spence fight, please.
* * * * * * * * * *
This week’s title-fight schedule:
FRIDAY
IBF junior featherweight/WBA super bantamweight titles – Manchester, New Hampshire
Murodjon Akhmadaliev (champion/No. 3 IWBR) vs. Jose Velasquez (Unranked IBF/Unranked IWBR)
Akhmadaliev (9-0, 7 KO): Second title defenses; Only one fight beyond ninth round (Average: 5 rounds)
Velasquez (29-6-2, 19 KO): First title fight; Twenty-one straight wins since 8-6-2 start to career
Fitzbitz says: The challenger has an awfully nice win streak since a mediocre beginning, but Akhmadaliev is a prodigy at 122 pounds and figures to run his own streak to 10 straight. Akhmadaliev in 9 (99/1)
WBC flyweight title – Manchester, New Hampshire
Julio Cesar Martinez (champion/No. 1 IWBR) vs. McWilliams Arroyo (Unranked WBC/No. 5 IWBR)
Martinez (18-1, 14 KO): Fourth title defense; Only one fight beyond ninth round (Average: 4.3 rounds)
Arroyo (21-4, 16 KO): Third title fight (0-2); Lost IBF (SD 12) and WBC (UD 12) title fights at 112 pounds
Fitzbitz says: Had this been the Arroyo of five years ago, you might have convinced me he could beat Martinez. But I’m not buying in at this point. The champ gets a name win. Martinez in 10 (95/5)
WBO middleweight title – Manchester, New Hampshire
Demetrius Andrade (champion/No. 3 IWBR) vs. Jason Quigley (No. 10 WBO/No. 28 IWBR)
Andrade (30-0, 18 KO): Fifth title defense; Fourth fight in Manchester (3-0, 3 KO)
Quigley (19-1, 14 KO): First title fight; Three straight wins since lone career loss in 2019
Fitzbitz says: I like Andrade as much as any middleweight. He’s certainly got skills. But it’s hard for him to get fights. This one will look like all the rest. He’ll win nine of 12 rounds. Andrade by decision (90/10)
SATURDAY
WBA flyweight title – Kiev, Ukraine
Artem Dalakian (champion/No. 19 IWBR) vs. Luis Concepcion (No. 10 WBA/No. 7 IWBR)
Dalakian (20-0, 14 KO): Fifth title defense; KO wins in three of five title fights (47 total rounds)
Concepcion (39-8, 28 KO): Sixth title fight (1-4); Held WBA title at 115 pounds (2016, zero defenses)
Fitzbitz says: Like Arroyo before him, I might have bought in on Concepcion a while back. But a 36-year-old who’s gone 3-3 in his last six fights doesn’t exactly inspire blind faith. Dalakian in 7 (95/5)
WBO welterweight title – Las Vegas, Nevada
Terence Crawford (champion/No. 2 IWBR) vs. Shawn Porter (No. 2 WBO/No. 3 IWBR)
Crawford (37-0, 28 KO): Fifth title defense; Five KOs in five bouts at 147 pounds (Average: 8 rounds)
Porter (31-3-1, 17 KO): Eighth title fight (4-3); Held IBF and WBC titles at 147 pounds (two defenses)
Fitzbitz says: Porter is everything people say he is. Rugged. Talented. Ambitious. But he’s up against a guy here who’s on a different level. Not a welter alive beats Crawford. Crawford by decision (95/5)
Last week’s picks: 0-1 (LOSS: Galahad)
2021 picks record: 39-14 (73.5 percent)
Overall picks record: 1,195-389 (75.4 percent)
NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body’s full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA “world championships” are only included if no “super champion” exists in the weight class.
Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.