By J Caldwell: If boxing truly is a young man’s sport, then a probable match-up between Shawn “Showtime” Porter (26-1-1, 16 KO) and Keith “One Time” Thurman (26-0, 22 KO) looks to be an exciting one. In complete deference to the older lions of the pride, including Timothy “The Desert Storm” Bradley, Amir “King” Kahn and Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, a possible showdown between boxing’s newer crop of talent (i.e., Thurman, Porter, Kell Brooks, Adrien Broner, Danny Garcia and, of course, Errol Spence) could perhaps set the stage for a glimpse of what’s to come in the welterweight division, a division which for now as it stand appears stacked with all kinds of boxing talent.
Cautionary tales abound. Whenever you allow “big cats” to roam the boxing landscape, things could end up getting pretty messy. What we as diehard boxing fans could end up witnessing within the short foreseeable future is a kind of boxing renaissance of sort; whereby, the torch as kindled from TBE’s “skills win fights” boxing era is pass on to a newer generation of younger, hungrier lions both willing and able to inflict damage on to each other.
The boxing world may be forced to oblige—that is, to say, the game of boxing is all about matchmaking. Thus, it goes without saying what boxing fans (especially in the absence of its cash cow in Floyd Mayweather Jr) could be wondering right now: Which one of the young lions appears ready to fill TBE’s void?
A future fight between Porter and Thurman, two of the division’s more talented fighters, will certainly give us an answer. In essence, what a Porter vs. Thurman showdown will represent is a kind of barometer of each others boxing skills, allowing diehard boxing fans to see which one of the two elite young fighters will take the initiative to do what Floyd did—namely, go on to dominate the welterweight division for many years to come.
Claiming complete hegemony over a division with such a bevy of boxing talent appears easier said than done; nevertheless, it could, indeed, be accomplished, especially if Porter or Thurman is eager and ready to take on all comers. In fact, we know for certain of all the young fighters, Porters has been the one who’s eagerly ready to test his skills the most.
“I’ve never wanted a fight as I’ve wanted this fight with Keith Thurman,” Porter said via Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN. “I’ve heard the middle of December, but that’s all I know. This will be one of the greatest fights of all time.”
You get the general impression that Porter knows a fight with “One Time” will be an uphill battle—and for reason: Keith Thurman, thus far, has answered most of boxing’s toughest questions, including 1) whether or not he can box when he needs too; 2) whether are not he can take a good shot; and 3) whether or not he can go the distance, if need be, and win the fight on points? In addition, Keith has the ability to hurt you with either hand, going on to win 22 of his 28 bouts by knockout.
Still further, it goes without saying what many casual fans are hoping for: Could this fight end in a knockout? Conventional wisdom posits that a fight between Porter and Thurman should play out in favor of the guy who’s willing to not only take chances, but the one who dares to be bold enough to go for broke if need be.
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