Shawn Porter Tells Spence To Get Back In The Ring – ‘Now Or Never’
Shawn Porter has told Errol Spence Jr. to get back into the ring as soon as possible.
Spence has not boxed in over a year since getting stopped by Terence Crawford. That was the first defeat of his career, missing out on the chance to become the first Undisputed Welterweight Champion of the four-belt era. The rematch talks broke down, with some suggestions Spence should retire. Since then, he has moved up to 154 pounds as he targets his next steps. However, Spence has been embroiled in several issues outside of the ring.
Porter Reacts
He is being sued by his former trainer, Derrick James, for unpaid money for the Crawford fight. Spence left James following the Crawford loss. Errol has also undergone cataract surgery on his right eye, as he blamed vision problems for the reason why Crawford hit him on numerous occasions. Spence has also teased a future in promoting. He signed Frank Martin under his management company and was on hand to promote him for the Gervonta Davis fight.
Although Martin was knocked out, it gave Spence a taster of life outside of the ring. He has been linked with a fight against Sebastian Fundora. Spence called him out after Fundora beat Tim Tszyu to win the WBO and WBC belts at 154. There were suggestions the fight could take place in October. However, that is unlikely, with reports it happens in November or January next year. Porter felt Spence’s inactivity would hurt him, so he urged him to take the fight as soon as possible.
“You’ve got to take time off to get everything settled. The thing is, it’s been more than a year. How much more time can he afford to take off because of a legal situation and health concerns?” Porter said
Will It Happen?
The problem Spence faces is that Crawford could take the Fundora fight next. He is the WBO mandatory, meaning he is in line to face Fundora, provided he beats Israil Madrimov. Crawford boxes him on August 3 for the chance to win Madrimov’s WBA belt at 154. That sets up a unification with Fundora, allowing Crawford to go one step closer to being undisputed in a third weight class. Spence can set up a rematch with Crawford if he beats Fundora. But at 34, continued inactivity will only harm him moving forward.
“It’s kind of a now-or-never situation to me – get back in the ring now or you’re flirting with never getting back in the ring. He’s already taken time off from the worst fight of his life, which I’m certain led to multiple worst days of his life.
“He has a lot to come back from. If I was to advise him, I’d say, ‘Take the fight now. Compartmentalize as much as you can, allow your legal people to deal with [those] issues, focus on Fundora and make the best of that experience.’ He’s got to get back in the ring,” Porter added
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