Rarely will you see a legitimate world champion like Shawn Porter raise his stock in a losing effort, but that?s what the 31-year-old now former WBC welterweight champion did on Saturday night.
Porter came out on the short end of a split decision against Errol Spence in Los Angeles at Staples Center. One judge saw the fight in Porter?s favor, but the other two saw the bout for Spence largely on the strength of a clutch knockdown in the 11th round.
Had that knockdown not happened, boxing fans around the world might be having a different conversation today. In any case, Porter raised his stock by pushing one of the sport?s best to his limit.
We?ve already asked what?s next for Spence, but what about Porter?
There are rumors swirling that WBA welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao will be facing Mikey Garcia in his next fight, but that doesn?t seem to be a match that leads to much for Pacquiao or Garcia.
It doesn?t appear as though Pacquiao wants to take on Spence, so if he wins, we could be at a frustrating stalemate. A Garcia win would put him in a position to face Spence again, and we just saw the latter dominate that matchup earlier this year.
While Pacquiao-Garcia could happen, a battle with Porter seems more logical for the latter. Both men are coming off a loss to Spence and looking to get back into the title picture. Giving Garcia a fight with Pacquiao is effectively rewarding him for a loss.
Facing Pacquiao carries the opportunity for a huge payday and a title shot. With all due respect to Garcia, what has he done as a welterweight to deserve that?
It Might Be a Rematch With Yordenis Ugas
This isn?t a sexy matchup, but it?s a logical one. Many people believe Yordenis Ugas deserved to get the win over Porter when the two men met earlier this year. Porter escaped with the hard-fought win.
With Porter coming off a loss to Spence and Ugas having rebounded from the defeat to take a lopsided unanimous decision over Omar Figueroa Jr. in July, it would make boxing sense for the two men to have a rematch.
However, it doesn?t make a lot of business sense because the fight isn?t a draw. It might be a strong fight as the co-main event on a pay-per-view.
It Could Be a Rematch With Keith Thurman
In June 2016, Keith Thurman and Porter had one of the best fights of that year. Thurman won a unanimous decision on that night, but Porter again made it a great fight.
Thurman lost to Pacquiao earlier this year and Porter just came up short against Spence. Having these two men rematch might make the most sense from a boxing and business standpoint.
While Thurman-Porter II isn?t going to come off as the must-see fight in 2020, it is a bout with spectacular history. Plus, the winner is perfectly positioned to fight for a world title in their next bout.
Be on the Lookout for a Bout Against Sergey Lipinets
The 30-year-old Sergey Lipinets is another practical option for Porter. These two men have all-action styles, and neither is afraid of getting into a brawl. We just saw Lipinets and Lamont Peterson duke it out in an epic war in March with the former winning by late TKO.
He is on a three-fight win streak since losing a unanimous decision to Mikey Garcia in March 2010. Don?t be surprised if he winds up being Porter?s next opponent.
