Spence Jr. vs Porter Odds & Picks
By John Dillon in Boxing
Updated: March 31, 2020 at 6:16 am EDTPublished:
- Pound-for-pound star Errol Spence Jr. seeks global stardom after 25 wins
- Former IBF champion Shawn Porter now has the WBC belt
- Get the updated odds and expert betting analysis for the Sep. 28th title fight
Errol Spence Jr. hopes to take a step towards boxing superstardom by unifying two titles in the stand-out welterweight division against Shawn Porter on Saturday in Los Angeles (Sep. 28, STAPLES Center, Fox Sports PPV from 9:00 PM ET).
The undefeated Spence will put his IBF belt on the line and attempt to take the WBC version of the championship from Porter on a glittering card.
Although this could be one of the most compelling fights of the year, Spence is rated as a massive -800 favorite by sportsbooks. Porter is priced at +500.
Errol Spence Jr. vs Shawn Porter Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Errol Spence Jr. | -800 |
| Shawn Porter | +500 |
*Odds taken on 2019/09/24.
Middleweight Is a Stacked Division
The welterweight division is one of the most attractive and powerful in the sport right now.
Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao became the oldest welterweight champion in history at 40 years old when he defeated Keith Thurman for the WBA “Super” title in July. The WBO belt is held by the unbeaten multi-weight world champion Terence Crawford. A collision with one of the other title-holders is likely to follow for the winner of Saturday’s title fight at STAPLES Center.
https://twitter.com/BoxingForAlI/status/1176184792532037633?s=20
Spence, a 29-year-old from Dallas, is unbeaten in 25 fights with 21 knockouts to his name (25-0-0). He combines a smart skill-set with big punching power and ability to deliver hurtful body shots.
He is rated number six in The Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound rankings. ESPN place him at number five. He was recognised as a potential pound-for-pound great from early in his career after being named Prospect of the Year by ESPN in 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EktwsMujZ4Q
Porter is a tough and experienced 31-year-old from Akron, Ohio, who previously held the IBF title and has been defeated twice and has drawn once (30-2-1).
He is a stockily-built former footballer with an aggressive, mauling style described as “pit-bullish.”
The Significance of The Belts Errol Spence & Shawn Porter Are Trying to Unify (Video) https://t.co/V44BY0RivR via @LexBunny pic.twitter.com/XO9neljbdN
— Robert Littal BSO (@BSO) September 24, 2019
For this reason, he is expected to give Spence a gruelling examination even though the younger man is more skilled and is correctly favored by the analysts.
Porter is ranked at number five in the division by ESPN with Spence at number one. Neither The Ring nor ESPN place Porter in the pound-for-pound top 10.
However, he is placed at number five in The Ring’s divisional rankings at 147 pounds, with Spence ranked number one.
Spence vs Porter Tale of the Tape
| 25 | Wins | 30 |
| 0 | Losses | 2 |
| 0 | Draws | 1 |
| 5′ 9½” | Height | 5′7″ |
| 72” | Reach | 69″ |
| 21 | KOs | 17 |
Spence has reigned as the IBF champion since he took the belt from Kell Brook in May 2017 with an 11th-round knockout of the Englishman in his hometown of Sheffield.
He subsequently made successful defenses against Lamont Person and Carlos Ocampo, stopping both early.
Spence Was Impressive Against Mikey Garcia
In his most recent contest (March 2019), Spence was hailed for his impressive performance in scoring a unanimous decision against former lightweight world champion Mikey Garcia at AT&T Stadium in Texas.
Some wondered, however, why Spence did not deliver an early finish against an opponent stepping up to welterweight.
A stellar performance against Porter in LA will surely elevate Spence further towards becoming one of the biggest and most attractive figures in the sport.
Porter, though, has a history of taking on challenges which many believed were beyond him – and winning.
Porter’s most-recent fight was a successful split-decision title defense of the WBC belt against Cuba’s Yorgenis Udas in March.
His victories against Devon Alexander, Paulie Malignaggi, and Adrien Broner fall into this category, as does his hard-won victory against the formidable Danny Garcia, the fight which landed him the vacant WBC belt last September.
Porter’s most-recent fight was a successful split-decision title defense of the WBC belt against Cuba’s Yorgenis Udas in March.
He won the IBF world title by defeating Alexander in 2013 and made one successful defense against Malignaggi before losing it to England’s Brook in August 2014.
His other defeat came in a challenge for Thurman’s WBC title in 2016.
Pick: Spence Jr. (-800)
Sports Writer
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
