Porter Dropped In The 11th, Spence Wins Split Decision, Welterweight Battle For Ages.

By Scottie “The Context” White

Jack Reiss gives the instruction as both fighters face off for final time in determining a welterweight unified champion. Fighters return to their corner following the prefight instructions. Porter is bouncing on his toes looking very loose, as Spence is postured in a stoic glower focus awaiting for the bell to sound.

Round-1 Spence delivers the first Jab, quickly return by Porter.   Spence quick to double  up the jab.  Porter looks very lose and fluent early on with easy movement. Spence is circling Porter with feints.  Porter finally turn up the gas with a flurry of punches with very little damage.  Fighters break.  Porter close in parking Spence up against the ropes sending some hard-inside shots to the body. Spence more active as he whistles a nice set of punches to the body of Porter as his head is down within range for a nice uppercut.   Final seconds end the frame.

Round-2 Bell sounds as both fighters hurry to the center.  Posturing with a carriage of feints from both. Spence in pursuit as Porter is on the back foot.  Porter stop sending a solid two-punch combination scoring nicely.   Spence return with a jab. Porter is now chasing Spence around the ring swing wildly but catches Spence going back forcing him to stumble against the ropes.   High energy from Porter sending punches in bunches each time he commits.   Spence with the jab, doubles up as fighters against the ropes.  Porter turns Spence easily to put some bodywork in while Spence is parked on the ropes.

Round-3 Both fighters gas tanks are serving well on diesel thus far. Bells enters the fighters into the third frame starting where they left off. Spence tagging the body, his head in Porters chest and a low blow from Porter test a warning from the referee.   Porter rushes as Spence backs up as both fighters are in a storm of precipitate hail fire of punches.    Twisting one another, both are giving the belt line much attention.   Beautiful exchange from both fighters on the inside not giving an inch and packing a payload of punches to disperse.  What a round.  The crowd is cheering their favor to the action, seeing Porter charging forward and Spence performing as the matador.  What a crowd-pleasing performance as they tick away the final seconds.

Round-4 Porter starts off doubling his jabs.  Porter lands four punch combination landing square on Spence.  Porter looking the stronger of the pair.   Porter lands two overhand rights.   Porter is fighting like the end all be all, he’s giving Spence every bit of the in-shape street fighter Spence said he was.  Spence in trouble. Porter coming forward with onslaught of punches.  Porter stands the pocket getting off solid shots, showing no fear. Nice left hook on the glove. Porter delegates a four-punch combination up top. Spence with a left lands flush on porter, then a right. Porter is giving Spence all he can handle.   Porter clinches for a breather to end the round.

Round-5 Kenny Porter say you hurting him to the body.  Porter is on the inside, making it a dirty fight. He pushes Spence back. Porter is showing his medal. Spence with a shot to body and another stiff message to Porter.  This is a close quarters warfare.  Porter is showing the fighter he’s known to be.  Spence works his jab and isn’t going anywhere. Porter returns right back with a two-punch set. Porter head to head winging punches to Spence body.  The fight is close as the round riots approval from the crowd.

Round-6  Spence moves in straight to the body -punishing shot. He’s on the gas but Porter turns him nicely.  Both fighters break to the center.   Pause in the action as both fighters work their lateral movement checking for slots.  Spence double up a beautiful jab.  Inside is Porter sweeping right hook.  Spence return with two piercing body shots.  Referee break the clinch, body shot return from Spence. Porter park Spence in the corner banging away to the body. Spence turns him and works his own furious flurry to the body.  Very high energy fight. Who cardio will last is the underline question but the entertainment value is at an all time high. Straight jab from Porter to end the round.

Round-7  Fighters to the center.  Porter with multiple feints driving Spence back.  Porter active to the head, then to the body. Porter is roughing Spence up.  He now separates on his bicycle with Spence in pursuit. Porter is wrangling Spence with hooks to the body, up top hook to the head. Spence leans on Porter to gas up his own body work but not as effective as Porter.  Spence push porter to the ropes in the clinch, ringing the doorbell with blistering shot to the body.  Fighters separate, Porter first to upholster three punishing shots to Spence body. End of frame.  

Round-8 round starts Porter is the aggressor, Spence is a second off in reacting with a counter.  Spence land a piercing left hand but Porter backs up and then land a stiff left hand.   Spence with a  left hand that misses. Porter forward in the chest of Spence. Porter pushes Spence off to the ropes with punches in tow.  Posturing by both fighters.  Spence- 131-95 Porter running compubox of punches landed.  Porter is on the bezel like a new Rolex, his timing stops Spence in the march but Spence still at distance in a dog fight.  Porter having good success in making this a super competitive bout.

Round-9 Spence comes out active with two-punch combination. Porter stumbles back from a stiff left-hand from Spence. Porter returns with avenging two punch set to the head of Spence, he’s focus in turning up the temperature. Nice jab from porter.  Spence on his bicycle searching for openings. Shawn porter head is down digging to Spence body.  Both fighters are head to head, punch for punch but Spence cashes valuable dividends on the inside. This is a firefight, a baptizing of dirty boxing, both testing the heart of the other.  Boxing in the welterweight division is stealing the stage for fight of the year candidate.

Round-10 Porter out with the jab. Spence with jab. Porter is giving Spence hell on the inside, smothers Spence with bodywork. No weapons form against Porter shall prosper. Spence is searching for the punishing blow.   Finally, he has porter up against the ropes battering the body and porter shoves him off to land his own stopwatch of punches. Porter land a one-two combination. No jab, just power shots from porter. Spence pushes Porter to the ropes but ref breaks the fighters. Porter stay the aggressor, both fighters cardio is on NOS landing a hornet next of punches to end the round.

CR-11 Porter dancing around, jeering a bit from the crowd. Don’t know why.   Porter forcing Spence to the ropes, head in its chest  with hooks to the body.  Porter turns Spence landing punches, only for Spence to dance the pivot right back to lead a set of his own punches.   Spence landing a thunderous left hook flush to Porter chin.   Oh…. Down goes Porter-down goes Porter.  Left punch dropping porter for the first knock-down.   Porter takes the ref count, waves Spence on. His second knock down of his career but the first of the fight allowing Spence to draw blood on the knock downs of the fight.

Championship round-12 Porter on his feet to start the final frame. Spence is connecting, he is cashing in solid shots right now. Porter is still wild closing the distance, Porter charging on all cylinders.  Spence catches a right hand from Porter, he felt the shot but marches forward.  Spence will not be denied coming forward pushing Porter against the ropes. Porter ducks under and turns Spence to land his own counters.  Fighters separate. Spence is landing much more effective shots in the final frame. Nice solid two-punch combination from Spence. Seconds tick away the final seconds to an epic welterweight thriller.  

For those fans in attendance were treated to a potential fight of the year.   All the verbal sparring to hype the contest served well from the boxing authority of both fighters.   Spence proved what we knew he could by walking through the storm, but tonight were patches where the down pour was a torrential flooding of pressure, mixed in with pelting windshield punches from Porter around every corner to impede Spence progress.   Spence proved, displayed his medal, strict determination sourcing from a reservoir deeply fuel from a fearless heart built for the kill.   Spence would become the new unified champion, now the rightful owner of the WBC and IBF world titles of the welterweight division.  

Scores read as follow: Split decision 116-111 Spence 115-112 Porter 116-111 Spence

“And New” WBC/IBF Errol Spence jr“All my punches had bad intention, I wanted to fight with one of the toughest fighters in the business. I feel I’m the strongest welterweight fighter.

Shawn Porter – “you know I said this before, I have a lot of experience in the boxing ring. Did ya’ll enjoy that, did ya’ll enjoy that.  Spence a strong kid. I hope I didn’t take anything from him . he s victorious, congratulates to him, he’s a true champion.”