Kenny Porter was game for his son, Shawn Porter, to face welterweight titleholder Terence Crawford in a bout that would bridge boxing’s great political divide. But recent radio silence from the Crawford side has convinced the father-son tandem to move on.
In an interview with FightHub TV, Kenny Porter said his son now has his eyes set on facing a Top-10 welterweight and then moving on to face Errol Spence Jr. in a rematch of their Sept. 2018 barn burner. Spence won that fight by split decision.
“As much as Bob Arum talked about it in his press conferences, it appears to me that it’s a smoke (screen) because I never received a phone call,” the elder Porter said. “I understand that there’s a lot of things that have to happen in order for that fight to happen, but the first thing that needs to happen is you need to make the call. That’s the first thing. So, we didn’t get a call.”
Obviously, the Porters have other options. Most of the top welterweight contenders, including Porter, are aligned with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions, which presumably means there is less bureaucratic red tape in the way to getting a fight made. In addition to Spence, there is also titleholder Manny Pacquiao.
“Level of competition means a lot to me,” Kenny Porter said. “It means a lot to Shawn. Terence Crawford, Manny Pacquiao, Errol Spence. Those are the level of fights that we want to fight in.”
Crawford, who is promoted by Top Rank, doesn’t have that same luxury. There are rumblings that his next fight could be against Josesito Lopez, a decent challenger but one who is well past his prime. How bad of a situation is Crawford in? Well, recently Top Rank boss Bob Arum told reporters that he plans to speak with the UFC’s Dana White about a two-fight deal that would see Crawford take on Conor McGregor, one in a boxing ring and the other in the cage.
Kenny simply sighed when he was told that Top rank was mulling a Crawford-McGregor bout.
“It’s very simple,” he said. “You can call Shawn Porter, and we can put that fight together.”