Ward predicts Errol Spence vs. Shawn Porter fight

By Boxing News - 09/15/2019 - Comments

By Jeff Aronow: Andre Ward is leaning in the direction of IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. beating Shawn Porter this month in their unification fight on September 28 on Fox Sports Pay-Per-View at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Ward sees Spence as a narrow favorite by a 60-40 margin, but he believes the WBC welterweight champion Porter (30-2-1, 17 KOs) is someone that can’t be counted out.

Spence the favorite

The odds-makers have Spence (25-0, 21 KOs) as the favorite to win. He’s fighting at a higher level than the 31-year-old Porter, and he’s winning his fights in a more convincing manner. Porter’s last two fights were close affairs against Yordenis Ugas and Danny Garcia.

While he won both fights, they were matches that were down to the wire. Many boxing fans felt that Ugas was robbed against Porter last March, as he dominated the majority of the fight with his pressure. The judges gave it to Porter by a 12 round split decision, but it Ugas looked like the better fighter.

If Porter can’t fight at a higher level than that against Spence, he’s going to lose badly in a one-sided route. Ugas is a good fighter, but he wouldn’t last long against Spence right now. It’s not a good sign that Porter couldn’t beat Ugas in a conclusive manner.

Spence-Porter is 60-40 fight in favor of Spence says Ward

“It’s going to be a tough fight for both guys. A lot of people are leaning towards Spence. I understand why,” said Andre Ward to Fighthype about the Spence vs. Porter fight on September 28. “It’s going to be a tough fight. I’m not going to say it’s a 50-50 fight. I’m probably going to say it’s a 60-40 fight in favor of Spence, but Shawn Porter could have a night.

On any given night, he could have a night. So, it’s not a fight where you could point to the winner without having doubts in your mind. If this guy does this, it could maybe change things. I’m a fan of both guys. It’s going to be a tough fight,” said Ward.

Ward is trying hard to not tip his hand, but he finally admits that he’s got Spence by a 60-40 margin. In reality, the fight could turn out to be a real mismatch. Porter’s best shot of winning it to start fouling by using his head and elbow to cut Spence, and have him fighting through a haze of blood.

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Ward: Spence vs. Crawford is 50-50 fight

“It’s a 50-50 fight,” said Ward about the Spence vs. Terence Crawford contest. “I do feel like Terence has the better resume [than Spence]. That’s why I have him #1 on the pound-for-pound list. He cleaned out a whole division, right? He’s been champion for a long time. When he went to Scotland to win a title. When he stopped [Yuriorkis] Gamboa, Gamboa was being compared to Floyd Mayweather.

People forget about that. They look at a guy five years down the road. ‘Ah, you just beat a guy that has been knocked out this many times.’ But you’ve got to judge him based on what he was at that time. He was undefeated, and being compared to Floyd Mayweather. That’s the guy that Terence beat to have a better resume. But right now with the momentum that Spence has, and Terence Crawford has, I call it a 50-50 fight,” said Ward.

What Ward fails to say about Crawford’s win over Yuriorkis Gamboa in 2014 was the fact that the Cuban fighter was fighting 2 divisions above his best weight class of featherweight. 2004 Olympic gold medalist Gamboa was at his best when he was fighting at featherweight. It was Gamboa’s second fight at lightweight when he fought Crawford. It would be asking Crawford to go up to middleweight and take on Saul Canelo Alvarez or Gennady Golovkin. While Crawford might have his moments against both of them, once they land something flush, it could be goodnight Irene for Terence. You’ve got to give Gamboa credit for doing as well as he did against Crawford, given the huge size disparity between them.

Ward not counting out Anthony Dirrell against David Benavidez

“It’s a tough fight for both guys,” said Ward about the Anthony Dirrell vs. David Benavidez fight on the Spence-Porter undercard on September 28. “I know that Benavidez is going to try and overwhelm Dirrell. Benavidez has got to show that he still has enough left in the tank to try and weather those storms to get his own shots in. I know a lot of people are leaning towards Benavidez because of the age, but I wouldn’t count Anthony Dirrell put.

WBC super middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell will be defending against former WBC champion David Benavidez in the co-feature bout on the Spence-Porter card on September 28. Most boxing fans see Benavidez winning.