Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions returns with another fantastic match-up as Keith "One Time" Thurman defends his WBA Welterweight belt against Shawn "Showtime" Porter. As always, I am going to do a quick rundown about the history of the two fighters, what advantages they have going into the ring, as well as my overall prediction for who will win the fight. The fight will be on CBS on June 25th.
Keith "One Time" Thurman
Keith Thurman has had an interesting career up to this point. His resume looks impressive at a glance, with 26 wins by 22 KO's and no losses. However, his opponents have not been truly elite. His last two fights have been against strong fighters, Robert Guerrero and Luis Collazo. However, both of these fighters were far past their prime when they were in the ring with Thurman. Both performances were fairly dominant showings from Thurman's end, but they were not convincing enough to dub Thurman as an elite fighter.
Thurman's knockout percentage may make you believe that he is a power puncher, but Thurman is better categorized as a boxer-puncher. Does Thurman have power? Absolutely. However, to say that he is just a big hitter does not give enough credit to his boxing ability. Thurman controlled the whole fight against Robert Guerrero and was able to skillfully box throughout the last three rounds when Guerrero was clearly going for broke by attempting to knockout Thurman. It is important to note however, that although Thurman pummeled Guerrero with shots, you never truly felt that Guerrero was going to be knocked out.
Shawn "Showtime" Porter
Shawn Porter is one of those fighters that you don't see every day, and its through this strangeness that begs the question to be asked: Is he actually a top tier fighter?
In my opinion, his resume is more impressive than Keith Thurman's. Porter is 26-1-1, but his competition has been more superior than Thurman's. Porter has been in the ring with the likes of Paulie Malignaggi, Phil Lo Greco, Devon Alexander, Erick Bone, Adrien Broner, and Kell Brook.
Although Porter lost to Kell Brook, it isn't a huge loss to dwell over. Kell Brook is an undefeated and fearsome fighter, as was Shawn Porter at the time of the fight. It was a great match up, and a great fight, and on that night Kell Brook's hand was raised at the end of the 12th round. Kell Brook was the better man that night. If they fought 10 times, I wouldn't be surprised if both fighters won 5 of the fights.
So is Shawn Porter an elite fighter? To be completely honest, I'm still not sure. His style puts him in danger a lot, and he seems to struggle against good boxer-punchers, like Kell Brook. However, he seems to always be able to change his style slightly in order to give him a better chance at winning the fight.
Keys to Victory - Keith Thurman
- Thurman needs to control the distance and not let this fight become too dirty.
- Catch Shawn with power when he comes inside. Keith's inside game is better than most give him credit for. If and when Porter succeeds when he comes in, Thurman needs to throw his devastating uppercuts.
- Thurman needs to fall in love with his boxing more than his power. Porter has a great chin, so Thurman should be prepared to show off his technical prowess.
Keys to Victory - Shawn Porter
- Try to make the fight as ugly as possible. Shawn isn't a dirty fighter, but his style isn't particularly pretty to watch. He needs to make Thurman as uncomfortable as possible.
- Shawn needs to cutoff the ring from Thurman and get him on the ropes. When Shawn has him there, do as much damage as possible.
- Outwork Keith. Porter should be throwing more punches than Thurman. Shawn is a workhorse, and if he is able to simply overwhelm Thurman without getting countered, Shawn should coast to a victory.
My Prediction
I like Thurman's boxing ability more than Porter's, and for that reason, I am picking Keith to win a closely contested fight by decision.
Keith Thurman 7 rounds to 5
This fight is a great match up; however, the greatest treat is the fact that Steve Willis is the referee. Enjoy some pictures of Willis below.
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