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Two of the four major Welterweight titles will be consolidated inside Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., this evening (Sat., Sept. 28, 2019) when IBF champion Errol Spence Jr. squares off against WBC kingpin Shawn Porter.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of the main event. The FOX pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast begins at 9 p.m. ET, while Spence and Porter will make the walk closer to midnight.
Spence (25-0, 21 KO) and Porter (30-2-1, 17 KO) are unanimously considered among the best in the division, with Spence in particular vying for the top spot against Terence Crawford. “The Truth” was last seen mauling Mikey Garcia in March, one week after Porter turned aside Cuban standout Yordenis Ugas.
The rest of the card is remarkably stacked for a modern boxing event. In the co-feature, WBC Super Middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell defends his belt against 22-year-old super-prospect David Benavidez (21-0, 18 KO). The evening’s first title fight pits unbeaten prospects Mario Barrios (24-0, 16 KO) and Batyr Akhmedov (7-0, 6 KO) against one another for the vacant WBA Super Lightweight title, while Welterweight brawlers Josesito Lopez (36-8, 19 KO) and John Molina Jr. (30-8, 24 KO) open the show.
“Spence Vs. Porter” Quick Results:
Errol Spence Jr. vs. Shawn Porter — Spence def. Porter by split decision (116-111, 112-115, 116-111)
Anthony Dirrell vs. David Benavidez — Benavidez def. Dirrell by TKO at 1:39 of Round Nine
Mario Barrios vs. Batyr Akhmedov — Barrios def. Akhmedov by unanimous decision (114-112, 115-111, 116-110)
Josesito Lopez vs. John Molina Jr. — Lopez def. Moline by TKO at 0:39 of Round Eight
“Spence Vs. Porter” Round-By-Round Coverage:
Unified Welterweight Championship: Errol Spence Jr. vs. Shawn Porter
Round one: Porter circling, Spence standing firm. Both men just jabbing in the early going. Porter tries a combination, clinch. They exchange inside halfway through. Porter ducks a hook and both dig in inside. Spence bangs the body on the ropes, Porter tries to brawl his way out. 10-9 Porter.
Round two: Quick trade inside. Porter seems to get the better of the next one. Spence backs him to the corner, doubles up the right. Good counter left cross. Clinch. Lead left lands for Spence. Porter backs him up with a flurry, eats a body shot and Spence loses his balance for a sec. Halfway through. Counter right from Spence, clinch. Both dig to the body inside. Porter swings, clinch. Spence backs him to the corner, lands a left and rips the body inside. Good left by Porter soon after. 10-9 Spence, 19-19.
Round three: Porter backs him to the ropes looks for the body. Spence wit ha hard left downstairs in return. Porter complains about a low blow as they roughhouse inside. Spence lands a jab, Porter forces him back and eats a counter left. Porter swinging some wild punches as he attacks, Spence answering to the body. Porter continues to press forward halfway through the round, More trading in the phone booth. Spence landing a number of low blows. Porter lands a lead right between clinches. 10-9, 29-28 Spence.
Round four: Porter still looking to maul, lands a series of solid shots. Spence not throwing back as before. Now a body shot and cross land for him. Porter with a pair of hard right hands. Spence lands counters. Big left hooks to the body and head by Spence. Porter comes back with a left hook that stings Spence, chiseling away inside. Halfway through. Spence lands a straight left. Porter bangs away inside. Lead hook lands for him. More combinations. Spence knocks him back with a looping left. Hard body shots. Porter swinging big. 10-9 Porter, 38-38.
Round five: Porter with some early body work, just wading in with big swings. Spence lands to the body as well. Clinch. They trade in the center. Spence lands some counter lefts, Porter walks through them. 1-2 from Spence, whiffs on the next left. Clinch. Halfway through. Spence lands a long left downstairs. Porter backs him to the ropes and they trade at close range. Spence jabs and crosses. Counter left. Porter backs him to the corner, clinch. Spence lands a left on the exit, back to trading at close range. More body work by Spence. 10-9, 48-47 Spence.
Round six: Spence backs him up, attacks the body in the corner. Hard shots. Porter spins it around, eats a counter. Spence warned for pushing Porter’s head down. Trading body shots in the center. Hard left from Spence. Porter trading with him inside, eating more than he dishes out. Spence gets him to the corner, Porter spins it around and they exchange. Clinch. 10-9, 58-56 Spence.
Round seven: Spence jabbing early. Porter pressing forward, trades body shots. Porter digs in a hard combination at close range. Porter with a series of jabs. Combination, body shots connect. Spence backs him to the corner, looks for short shots halfway through the round. Spence with a left downstairs, going forehead-to-forehead. Porter spins out, more exchanges on the ropes. Porter lands some rights downstairs. Another hard right to the body. 10-9 Porter, 67-66 Spence.
Round eight: Spence lands a couple of right hooks. Porter forces him back and they trade in the corner. Spence with a pair of lefts low-high. Hard counter left, body shot. More body blows inside, left hook upstairs. Porter lands a combination as he pushes to the corner, then a left hook. Clinch halfway through the round. 1-2 from Spence. Porter with a lead overhand, looks for phone booth shots. Spence with a left downstairs, eats a right, lands another left. Spence outlanding him in these late-round exchanges. They trade hooks inside. Big right hook from Spence on the fence. 10-9, 77-75 Spence.
Round nine: Porter aggressive early, firing combinations. Counter left by Spence. Porter body shot, Spence straight left. Another straight left on the ropes, uppercut comes back at him. Good right hand with his back to the ropes. Halfway through the round. Good right hand by Porter inside, met by a body shot and they exchange in the phone booth. Spence doubles up the left, lands a lengthy combo. Both landing hard in the center. 10-9 Porter, 86-85 Spence.
Round ten: Spence with more hard body shots inside. Counter rights. Porter just wading in, punching his way through. Hard left hand by Spence. Spence backs him to the ropes, opens up. Halfway through. Cuffing rights by Porter. Trading at point-blank. Both land their power hands. Clinch. Counter left from Spence. Hard 1-2. Porter lands on the ropes, takes a right hook. 10-9, 96-94 Spence.
Round eleven: Slower start to this round. Spence on the advance. Trading jabs. Spence to the body, Porter looks to answer in kind. Both land heavy rights on the ropes. Porter backs him to the corner and they slug it out. Spence combination. Porter lands a right to the body, then gets badly buckled by a left hook that forces his glove to touch the canvas. He beats the count and waves Spence on. They’re slugging it out. Banging away inside. 10-8, 106-102 Spence.
Round twelve: Spence taking the initiative to start. Back to the close-range trades, both men landing heavy. Clinch. Hard right hooks from Spence. Porter still going for it, lands a heavy right hand in the center. Halfway through the round. Spence opening up on the ropes. Porter reverses, clinch. Hard 1-2 by Spence, counter right comes back at him. Spence combinations on the ropes. Porter forces him back to center ring and the exchanges continue. Spence landing some heavy shots. 10-9, 116-111 Spence.
Final result: Spence def. Porter by split decision
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