CLEVELAND, Ohio ? Shawn Porter smiled following the echo of the word ?defense.?
?There?s something about that word defense,? Porter said. ?That gets me excited.?
Porter will defend his WBC welterweight title against Yordenis Ugas at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California on Saturday night. Fox will broadcast the bout at 8 p.m.
It is Porter?s first title defense since he captured the title with a unanimous decision victory over Danny Garcia last year.
Porter (29-2-1) fights Ugas (23-3), who has rebounded after two straight losses with eight consecutive victories. Ugas likes to fight up close and exchange punches, which is to Porter?s liking.
?He has two punches ? an overhand right and a wide ranging uppercut,? Porter said. ?Those are his go-to punches and I see him trying to unleash them on me during the night. I?ll have to stay aggressive and not allow him to be comfortable.?
Porter has found some comfort outside of the ring as an analyst on the Inside PBC Boxing weekly show on FOX.
?I?m loving it and so far it?s been everything I hoped it to be,? Porter said. ?I hope to work the Spence-Garcia fight [on March 16], cover the Lamont Peterson fight in Maryland, and hopefully I?ll be able to swing through Cleveland on my way back to Las Vegas.?
But first Porter has to take care of business on Saturday, which will help guide his immediate future, depending on the outcome.
?A win could mean a unification bout and that could mean a fight on pay-per-view,? Porter said.
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Former lightweight champion Antonio Carver and Cleveland native Allan Jones will kick off their up-and-coming weekly radio show with a launch party from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday at True, 1051 West 10th St. Listen to the boxing show 4-6 p.m. Mondays on Voiceitradio.com
