Shawn Porter hopes to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. after sharing air time

Feb

Shawn Porter (right) lands on Adrien Broner in their June 2015 fight. Photo: Naoki Fukuda

Shawn Porter always pictured himself performing in close quarters with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the ring. Acting as an on-air commentator next to the undefeated, retired boxer at ringside had never crossed his mind, however. That all changed when the two were paired together to offer on-air analysis during an FS1 main event on Feb. 16.

While the two acted in concert, nearly finishing the other’s sentences – Porter offered another perspective. “I hope he comes back to fight me and that’s about it,” Porter told RingTV.com in a phone interview a day after his on-air brush with Mayweather. “That fight for him makes sense. There’s no bigger fight out there for him other than the winner of me and Keith (Thurman), which will be me.”

Yes, before Porter (26-1-1, 16 knockouts) can entertain thoughts of facing Mayweather, he first must get by RING-rated No. 5 welterweight Keith Thurman. The two are scheduled to meet on March 12 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut on CBS for Thurman’s WBA welterweight title.

Porter, THE RING-rated No. 6 welterweight, thinks his speed and athleticism will create problems for Thurman. And he also thinks those attributes would cause issues for Mayweather, who seemed to shy away from young, athletic fighters late in his career. Mayweather announced that his bout in September against Andre Berto would be his last and he reiterated on the FS1 telecast that he has no plans to come back, though few seem to believe him.

For now, all Porter can do is imagine what it would feel like to face Mayweather. “I think a fight with Floyd – I would make him uncomfortable and keep him that way,” Porter said. “And so I just imagine, in my mind, applying pressure and staying on him but also being smart and boxing him as well.”

Porter created some waves when he said recently he heard rumblings that Mayweather may return for one more fight. But he backed off that statement, admitting now he wasn’t sure. “I think maybe when I made those comments, I might have heard something at that point in time,” he told RingTV.com, “but I don’t know.”

If Mayweather stays on the sidelines and Porter is successful against Thurman, “Showtime” will target WBC beltholder and RING-rated No. 7 welterweight Danny Garcia. “Danny Garcia is the guy,” he said. “He has the belt now, so once we get this WBA title, for me, it will be all about unifying and having more big fights.”

It remains to be seen if he will ever face Mayweather but, for now, Porter can reminisce about his run-in with Mayweather on the broadcast. “It was fun,” he said, “and when I found out he was getting on, I just wanted to do my best and show the knowledge that I have for the sport, even being next to one of the greatest fighters to be in the sport.”