It was called “The War”.
In April 1985, “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler and Thomas “Hitman” Hearns engaged in what many consider to be the greatest middleweight fight in boxing history. The stakes were high; and their epic, eight minute encounter was a bona-fide thriller fueled by intense hatred of each other.
WBA welterweight champion Keith “One-Time” Thurman and Shawn “Showtime” Porter do not hate each other and they do indeed go way back. You can even call them “friends”, as both maintained that they remain more than civil during today’s media conference call. But there was an underlying tension – both over the air and in it – that suggests we may get a war for the ages when the former amateur training partners collide on June 25th at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn.
The fight will be aired live on CBS, in the first boxing prime-time event on national television since the recently fallen icon Muhammad Ali faced Leon Spinks in 1978. The stakes are again extremely high, for both the fighters and for boxing, as its glamorous welterweight division has entered a clear generational transition.
Thurman and Porter are two prime and elite welterweights involved in a fight that could help determine the next few years in the division, and both men are ready for war.
“I’m coming for that belt– I’m coming for his head,” stated a bold Porter. “This is the fight I’ve always wanted and I’m leaving that ring with the belt. Its always a good idea to not go to any scorecards.”
The bout was originally set for March 12 of this year, but a serious auto accident and subsequent injury to Thurman derailed things. Initially, the Porter camp implied that Thurman may have exaggerated the severity of injuries sustained in the wreck to get out of the fight- which irritated Thurman. Now, fully on the mend and near the conclusion of camp, a confident Thurman expects an emphatic victory.
“I know what kind of stage we’re on, and I’m not looking to put things in the judges hands,” said Thurman.
There’s good reason to believe that this isn’t just talk given both their styles and who they are as men. Thurman features a game that is based on sudden power strikes with plenty of motion, while the spirited Porter conjures a modern day Jack Dempsey in his ferocious approach.
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Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY on June 25
TV: CBS @9PM ET
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In a division that features slick IBF champion Kell Brook (who beat Porter via unanimous decision and snatched that belt), hard-nosed WBO champion Jesse Vargas (set to face Brook in the UK on Sept. 3), WBC/Lineal champion Danny Garcia (who will be awaiting the result of this fight) and rising star Errol Spence Jr., both men figure to bring maximum firepower in search of a dramatic win.
Recently, Tha Boxing Voice released a video with footage of a sparring session between Thurman and Porter that took place a little over three years ago at Thurman’s camp in St. Petersburg, Fl., as Thurman was there to narrate the footage and provide entertaining commentary.
They wore 18 ounce gloves and headgear in what was still a very lively session. You could just imagine it in real speed. There were occasional stints that saw the taller and more rangy Thurman land telegraphed uppercuts and snapping right hands, balanced by Porter’s aggression and jarring hooks that forced the WBA champ into retreat at times.
It all made you wonder what fully conditioned versions of themselves would look like against each other in 8 ounce gloves and without headgear. Given their explosive styles and respective physical make-up, the first thing I thought about was Hagler/Hearns.
On June 25th we’ll know.
