Errol Spence Jr. added the WBC welterweight title to his IBF strap with a thrilling split-decision victory over Shawn Porter on Saturday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Two judges scored it 116-111 for Spence, and a third scored it 115-112 for Porter. The Associated Press scored it 114-113 for Spence.
“This is a lifetime dream. It shows hard work pays off,” Spence said.
“Shawn Porter is a rough and awkward fighter. I didn’t get off what I wanted to. He’s a true champion. He made it tough but all my punches have bad intentions.” Spence added.
After a first round of observation, the fight was packed and both boxers offered the public one of the best fights of the year.
Porter forced the action into an infernal pace, but Spence responded to him bluntly. Spence knocked down his opponent in the 11th round of a solid left hook at the tip of the chin. This knock down is probably the turning point of the fight, as it allowed Spence to win the last two rounds on the judges’ cards.
The vast majority of the rounds were very close, and the judges had to choose between the accuracy of Spence, who often hit the target with the best shots, and Porter’s activity. As a matter of fact, seven rounds ended with a gap of four strokes or less. In the end, Spence will have launched 745 strikes against 744 for his opponent.
The two boxers were more often than not found in melee and spent a lot of energy in these phases of fight. Porter’s style, sometimes rough, was very effective and prevented Spence from boxing at a distance as he is used to.
“He’s a strong kid. We both came in to do the job. I think I had a little more than what he expected, but he handled it. Congratulations to him and his team. We’re proud of what we did.” Porter said.
After the fight, Spence seized the moment and called out for a fight against Manny Pacquiao, who won over Keith Thurman in July, 2019.
