Wakil Atig
Sports Editor
Saturday, Sept. 28, was an extraordinary night for the sport of boxing. Boxing fans from around the world were tuned in to what may have been the fight of the year at the Staple Center. Shawn Porter took on the undefeated Errol Spence in a unification title bout for the welterweight championship.
Shawn Porter (30-3-1, 17 KOs), is a rugged and tough fighter that commands his way on the inside. His fighting style favors the likes of boxing legends such as Mike Tyson and James Toney. He has average punching power, but a work ethic like no other fighter in the welterweight division.
Errol Spence (26-0, 21 KOs), is a smooth southpaw with power in both hands. He is known for walking his opponents down in fights and devastating them with his powerful left hooks. Spence is also notorious for his debilitating body shots that he delivers to his opponents. A key component of his success is his punching power in both hands and ability to land punches from different angles.
The fight got off to a slow start as both fighters were trying to find their rhythm. Porter was the obvious aggressor in the beginning rounds by simply taking the fight to Spence. Spence did what he has done countless times throughout his career and that’s utilize his jab as a navigational tool for his execution.
By the third round, the fight had taken a complete turn as both fighters began slugging it out. Porter’s aggressive wishy washy charge was a problem for Spence to land his left hand. Porter landed short crisp right hands that appeared to stun Spence. By the end of round three, both fighters had a clear understanding of what type of fight they were in.
At the start of round four, Porter opened with a flurry punches that appeared to land, but did little damage. Within the exchange, Spence began countering Porter with left hands. The two fighters continued to exchange blows, but neither fighter had gained true momentum. Despite Porter’s energy throughout the fight, he still lacked accuracy with his punches and fell victim to several counter left hands.
As the fight continued in round seven, Porter had found his punching rhythm. He unleashed a series of solid combinations on Spence and showed no signs of slowing down. His offensive dominance not only rattled Spence, but fans in attendance were also taken aback by how vulnerable Spence appeared to be.
To make matters worse, less than 30 seconds into the eighth round, Porter rocked Spence with a fierce straight right hand that nearly decapitated him. Spence returned with a series of combinations to avoid being punished on the ropes. The two champions traded punches for the remainder of the round and fought toe-to-toe. It was a close fight thus far.
Although Porter appeared to have control of the fight, Spence remained poised throughout the bout and relied on his skill set to keep him in the fight. He landed pivotal body punches and counter punches to restrain Porter as he was on the attack.
As the 11th round was underway, the crowd rose to their feet in an uproar as they chanted, “Porter! Porter!” before the fighters exited their corners. The feeling of championship fighting was now back in the sport of boxing and fans were enjoying every moment of it.
Midway through the 11th round, Spence scored the defining moment of the fight when he crunched Porter with a shovel left hook off a counter. The punch dropped Porter in the middle of the ring and from that moment on, it was obvious who the winner of the fight was.
By the end of the 12th round both fighters had fought their hearts out and further proved why the 147-pound division is the most competitive division in boxing. Spence went on to win the fight with a split decision and was crowned the undisputed welterweight champion of the world.
Jarvis Robinson, a sophomore mass communications major from Chicago, Ill., believes Errol Spence is a great fighter, but is not the best in the division.
“Spence is great fighter that knows how to work on the inside, but after his performance against Shawn Porter, I doubt he’s ready for Terence Crawford,” said Robinson.
Taronta Gines, a junior accounting major from Moss Point, Miss., is excited for what’s to come in the sport of boxing.
Both fighters really brought their A game to the table and didn’t run the whole time. I wouldn’t mind seeing a rematch next year at some point,” said Gines.
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