By Nick Powers – Speaking with “On The Ropes” Boxing Radio this past Monday, rising Junior Middleweight prospect “Showtime” Shawn Porter was anything but shy in giving his opinion as to the outcome of this weekend’s “Firepower” match-up that pits the world’s number one pound-for-pound fighter Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao of the Philippines against WBO Welterweight Champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico. “I think he’s going to be very, very dominant,” Porter said of Pacquiao, with whom he has been sparring during the Filipino idol’s preparations for the Cotto bout. “I’ve seen Cotto fight a number of times and he has been able to hang in there with some of the quick fighters, but I think the difference with Manny is he works so hard and he puts his heart into everything he does, and I think we’ll see that in the fight..”
Currently 10-0(8) as a professional, Porter achieved significant success in the amateur ranks by competing in numerous international tournaments and was ranked second in the nation until the 2008 Olympic Games. As an alternate, Porter was unable to compete with the U.S. team in Beijing, which he himself admits was a let-down, but insists that the ambiance of being involved in an Olympic competition is an experience he will never forget.
In preparing for his upcoming bought against Jerome Ellis (12-9-2) at the Fitzgerald’s Casino & Hotel in Tunica, Mississippi which airs live on www.prizefighttv.com November 21, Porter was more than pleased with his training camp, citing it as the best preparation of his career. As a sparring partner, Porter relished being able to share the ring with Pacquiao and in turn helping him prepare for what many consider the biggest test of his career in Cotto.
“Me and Manny definitely worked great together,” Porter said. “Freddie [Roach] was very pleased with all the work I did with him, so no complaints from the head trainer and no complaints from my corner. Overall, this was a great, successful camp for both of us.”
In addition, Porter was quick to digress (with a laugh, mind you) that speculation of him being twice floored by the Filipino was just that-speculation.
“There was a lot of rumors going on throughout the whole camp, and I think that’s just a ‘he say, she say’ type thing.”
Trained by his father, Porter hopes that should all things considered work out against Ellis at the end of this month, he will return to the ring sometime in December, followed by another appearance next February. Porter hopes that he will step-up in competition within the next year, and can one day be a world champion and known worldwide as Manny Pacquiao is today.
“This is the time for me to do it, I’ve learned a lot on this past camp, and I think now is the time for me to display everything that I’ve learned and grown from.”
To listen to the entire interview with “Showtime” Shawn Porter, please visit the “On The Ropes” Boxing Radio website. “On The Ropes” airs live every Monday at 6 PM EST on Blog Talk Radio.