Truly meaningful Welterweight clashes have become a bit of a rarity over the past several months (bar Vargas vs Ali), but this weekend’s Thurman vs Porter looks to be a real doozy. Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter, who both hold Top 5 spots here at Boxing Base, will be facing the toughest tests of their careers in one another when they soon meet at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center. There’s much to like about this matchup, given both men are all-action boxer-punchers, and it’s all the more salivating given they’re in terrific shape, their primes, and in such a pivotal, game-changing scrap.
The smart money likely goes on Thurman due to his more refined form and precision punching, but I’m not at all convinced that a Thurman win is a mere formality here. Porter was somewhat tamed by BB’s current No.1 Welterweight Kell Brook in a close contest in 2014, which proves that Porter can hang with technically superior fighters; but just because Brook was able to create room to get his shots off, doesn’t mean Thurman necessarily will.
Porter’s smothering style and relentless work ethic may not look the prettiest, but it’s got him an awful long way, allowing him to smash his way onto the world scene with a wiping out of Paulie Malignaggi in 2014 not long after his rough-house thrashing of IBF champ Devon Alexander. Porter handed Adrien Broner his second career defeat last June, which, while Broner seemed complacent and unprepared during the fight, is still the biggest win on Porter’s resume.
Meanwhile Thurman has been doing his thing, more or less having his way with the toughest challengers of his career, although those names do notably pale against Porter’s opposition level. Thurman dropped and outworked rugged slugger Robert Guerrero last March before retiring a seasoned, still dangerous Luis Collazo a few months later. Thurman is a special fighter, sure, but the big question on Saturday night will be “how special?”. Can Thurman negate Porter’s ferocious attacks and fight his own fight? Or will it be Porter’s hard work that breaks through Thurman’s talent?
Here’s a little something from Showtime to whet your appetite ahead of Thurman vs Porter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_ar9TEQ_nM
Fight Time & TV Channel: Thurman vs Porter will begin from 2:00am GMT / 9:00pm ET on Sky Sports and CBS, with Regis Prograis vs Luis Florez likely to kick off the live broadcast. You can see the undercard lineup here.
Thurman vs Porter: Extended Tale of the Tape, Facts & Stats
Note: Advantageous stats are indicated in red (some may be subjective), and championship stats refer to ‘fully fledged world titles’ only.
Keith Thurman vs Shawn Porter
Physical/Vital
Birthplace
Florida, US … Ohio, US
Age
27 … 28
Height
5’ 8” … 5′ 7″
Reach
69″ … 70″
Stance
Orthodox … Orthodox
Record
Debut
2007 … 2008
Bouts
27 … 28
Wins / Defeats / Draws / KOs
26-0, 22 KO … 26-1-1, 16 KO
Knockout Ratio
81% (22) … 57% (16)
Last 5 Fights
5-0, 3 KO … 4-1, 2 KO
Last 10 Fights
10-0, 7 KO … 8-1-1, 3 KO
1st Round Knockouts
9 … 7
2nd Round Knockouts
3 … 2
3rd Round Knockouts
4 … 0
4th – 6th Round Knockouts
3 … 6
Defeats by Knockout
0 … 0
Knockdowns Suffered
1 … 1
Rounds Boxed
112 … 162
12-Rounders Completed
3 … 3
Current Winning Streak
26 … 2
Undefeated Fighters Defeated
4 … 2
Latest Win
Luis Collazo (RTD 7) … Adrien Broner (UD 12)
World Title Bout Experience
Wins / Defeats / Draws / KOs
2-0, 2 KO … 2-1, 1 KO
Successful Defenses
1 … 1
Longest Championship Reign
03/2015 – Present … 12/2013 – 08/2014
Major Titles Won
WBA (147 lbs) … IBF (147)
Major Titles Currently Held
WBA (147 lbs) … None
Boxing Base Top 10 World Ranking
No.3 … No.4
Notable Performances
THURMAN: Luis Collazo (RTD 7), Robert Guerrero (UD 12), Leonard Bundu (UD 12), Julio Diaz (RTD 3), Jesus Soto Karass (TKO 9), Diego Chaves (KO 10), Jan Zaveck (UD 12), Carols Quintana (TKO 4), Orlando Lora (TKO 6), Brandon Hoskins (TKO 3)
PORTER: Adrien Broner (UD 12), Erick Bone (KO 5), Kell Brook (LOSS: MD 12), Paulie Malignaggi (TKO 4), Devon Alexander (UD 12), Julio Diaz (UD 10), Phil Lo Greco (UD 10), Julio Diaz (Draw 10), Alfonso Gomez (UD 10)
Common Opponents
(RTD 3) … Julio Diaz … (Draw 10, UD 10)
What’s your take on BB’s Thurman vs Porter Preview & Tale of the Tape, Facts & Stats? And how do you see the action playing out on Saturday? We’ll have Live Results Coverage here, plus Live Round by Round Updates via @BoxingBase.
