Thoughts on Thurman's Win Over Porter
With the first half of 2016 now over, Keith Thurman (27-0-0) vs Sean Porter (26-2-1) has to be a front-runner for fight of the year, thus far.
Adding to the pre fight drama was Sean Porter's at times crazed dad. Kenny Porter trashed Thurman to the media like he was fighting him. He claimed Thurman didn't really want the fight and that Keith's car wreck was an attempt to delay the fight. Porter's dad was also confident he knew how to beat Thurman given he was his former trainer at the amateur level and even once at the professional level [Source].
None of the trash talk rattled Thurman who was insanely focused on winning the biggest fight of his career. This win opens many doors for Thurman's future fight plans.
I will say Porter's unorthodox lunging forward style gave Thurman problems at times. The power, however, never appeared to really hurt Thurman. Porter gave it a valiant effort but it was not enough. Thurman on the other hand executed his game plan perfectly; he picked his shots and landed the cleaner more thumping shots with regularity.
At one point Sean Porter's legs buckle in the fourth round. I thought Thurman could have closed out the match. It almost seemed as if he was worried about a wild counter or lunging forward head butt that could've done major damage as well. Either way Thurman didn't capitalize and we witnessed 12 rounds of sustained punishment instead.
Even though there were no knock downs in the fight, all three judges saw it 115-113, in favor of Keith "One Time" Thurman.
Regardless of the win, it was a very competitive fight. I noticed Thurman has a tendency to rise to the level of his opponents. This is a flaw particularly when he is facing lesser skilled opponents like Luis Collazo or Robert Guerrero. Guys who Thurman should dominate from start to finish but he allows them to stick around. He goes on to win in less than stellar fashion. Thurman either needs to fix this or start facing only the best fighters.
With the win over Porter, it clearly establishes Thurman as a top welter weight. It was more impressive than his knock out win over Diego Chaves back in 2013. Diego Chaves followed up his loss and fought Timothy Bradley to a questionable decision draw in 2014. I thought Diego Chaves won that fight and was also robbed against Brandon Rios. Clearly Thurman's signature wins to date are over guys who are tough outs in the 147 division. If Thurman can hang on and get two more signature wins, I really do believe Floyd will come out of retirement to possibly face him if the demand is high enough.
Going forward it will be interesting to see who Al Haymon, Thurman's manager and promoter puts him in the right with next.
Fans would love to see him face Manny Pacquioao, Jessie Vargas, or a Tim Bradley -- all possibly pay-per-view caliber matchups. Danny Garcia was being considered but I see him facing Thurman as highly unlikely. Garcia's only had two fights at 147 and he'll lobby for another softball freebie before he faces Keith in the ring.
Therefore, I don't see many options for Thurman within the PBC Brand. Let's hope Al Haymon reaches out to Top Rank and makes the more entertaining matchups. A source who commented on the situation claims Bob Arum would be willing to do business with Al Haymon again soon [Source]. We will have to wait to see if this is simply fodder or truth.
Having lost two of his last four fights, Sean Porter will have to go back to the drawing board.
Porter is a very athletic fighter. He's got a hell of a chin and likes to take on a challenge. That said he needs to transform his game a little. It's disappointing to see Porter be so one dimensional, a move forward fighter who doesn't get a lot on his punches. He's unable to knock out the better fighters and for a guy with raw athleticism and a stocky frame that is disappointing. Unless Porter can make adjustments going forward, I definitely see a ceiling for his star potential.
On the bright side, Porter is still young and a big draw to boxing. He did himself no disservice losing the way he did to Thurman. It's a blemish on the record but he still can come back and contend very soon. Both fighters have a lot of options before they will consider a rematch. More importantly, this fight was aired on National TV, CBS, and received excellent ratings so it was a great win-win for the fighters and boxing. [Source].
Expect Porter to return against a very beatable opponent e.g.: Andre Berto or Robert Guerrero, someone with name recognition who will allow him to bounce back for a title shot next year.
