By Dan Ambrose: Trainer Kenny Porter is still waiting for WBA “regular” welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman (26-0, 22 KOs) to make the call to get the fight done with Shawn Porter (26-1-1, 16 KOs) for a fight in 2016. Kenny is starting to think that the 27-year-old Thurman is reluctant to take the fight because he’s starting to realize what he’ll need to go through in getting in the ring with a pit-bull like Porter.
Kenny says that Porter is going to go after Thurman and force him to make critical decisions how he wants to survive the situation. Kenny sees it as a case where Thurman will need to run, hold and fight.
“He [Thurman] has not signed the deal,” Kenny Porter said to Knockoutnews. “As far as the date, we’ll do it anytime they’re ready. It doesn’t matter where they want to fight at. We’re in shape to go in six weeks. We can fight in four weeks. We’ll do everything to make this fight happen. I will say he doesn’t want to take on this kind of fight at this point. When you see a fighter like Shawn, you have to say ‘do I really want to get in the ring with a pit-bull like that?’ It’s nonstop for 12 rounds. He knows that. You’re going to have to run, hold or fight. So take your pick. These guys don’t want to put themselves into that position,” Kenny said.
Thurman hasn’t fought since July of 2015 in beating old timer Luis Collazo by a 7th round knockout. Thurman is going to need to get back inside the ring soon unless he wants to sit outside of the ring and risk watching his skills go to rust and his career being wasted away.
Kenny says they’ll wait for a little while longer for Thurman to make the fight happen, but they can’t wait forever. Porter hasn’t fought since June of this year, when he beat Adrien Broner by a 12 round decision. Kenny doesn’t want Porter to be staying inactive for long stretches of time waiting for fights that don’t materialize.
Kenny says they would take a fight against Miguel Cotto or Saul “Canelo” Alvarez right away if either of those fights is offered to them. It’s not likely that they will, but if they are, then they’ll take the fight right away.
“We’re going for the knockout. We’re going for the stoppage,” Kenny said. “We can box. He can box. We can get to him. If he gives us an opportunity, we’ll get to him and break him down. It’s going to be a tough fight for him. It’s not going to be an easy night for nobody that gets in the ring with Shawn. He’s [Thurman] either going to have to run, hold or fight. Take your pick. One of those is going to have to happen,” Kenny said.
Porter would be a really bad match-up for Thurman, because he’s a fighter that needs space to fight at. Thurman is terrible at fighting in the pocket or in close. He takes punishment when he stands in one place. The only way that Thurman is good when he’s able to hit and run. However, if Porter is staying on top of Thurman the entire time and not letting him get any room to throw punches while retreating, it could be a very bad fight for Thurman.
Thurman’s fighting style is predictable. He always likes to come forward and throw right hands and then retreat immediately. When his opponents come after him, Thurman throws left hooks while backing up. If Porter is to stay on top of Thurman while he’s trying to run around the ring, then this could be a bad fight for Thurman. He might have to try and hold all night like Kell Brook did in his fight with Porter last year.
That might not work though because Porter has learned not to let his opponents hold him without continuing to hit them with shots. Adrien Broner tried to clinch Porter all night long in their fight in June of this year, but Porter kept working and made Broner pay for his clinching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BafysT1Ezqo
We still don’t know if Thurman’s adviser Al Haymon will match him up against Porter, or instead look for another old timer to put in with Thurman. He seems to be getting against older guys right now, and it’s unclear whether Haymon will want to change that by putting him in against a guy like Porter in a 50-50 fight. Thurman says his goal is to replace Floyd Mayweather Jr, but Porter could wreck those plans if that fight gets made.
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