LAS VEGAS – Shawn Porter’s final moments showed why he should retire.
Following his second exit in the 10th round against Terence Crawford at the World Boxing Organization Welderweight Championships on Saturday, Porter hit the ball several times with his gloves as referee Celestino Ruiz released an account.
Within moments of stopping the fight with his father and coach Kenny, Shawn was not hurt as he was angry. Even his knees burned as a result of being caught by one of the world’s greatest boxers even though he knew the match fire would go out.
The former Welderweight champion announced his retirement during a post-fight press conference, which he said was pre-determined regardless of any outcome. But it may have been strengthened by failure.
Porter had more pride and more ambition to be pushed down to the top. That desire to pursue greatness, in an era where it is not obvious, will be a lasting part of his legacy.
“After fighting everyone at height, what else would you do?” Porter said. “I’m not going to be the door opener. Looking at the four losses, you’ll think, ‘Well, he might be the door opener now.’ This is not the life I want to live.”
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Terence “Butt” Crawford retains his WBO title with Shawn Porter’s TKO in Las Vegas.
Porter (31-4-1, 17 KOs) retires as two-time welterweight champion after facing the best match of his day. That includes Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs), who had the biggest win of his career for the title in the 147-pound division.
When Porter explained his retirement decision, it became clear that the decision was not exciting, but meticulously planned. The 34-year-old has revealed that he wants to retire from the game in 2019 following his split decision defeat to Errol Spence Jr. Porter said the project is pre-2017.
But something felt wrong.
“After we fought, it felt like something else was going on,” Porter said. “Another thing is Terence Crawford.”
Porter was the toughest test for Crawford as a welder. Porter’s signature pressure and fearlessness of being caught in chances with a high kickback helped him win the rounds early in the fight. In fact, Crawford took a one-point lead in the 10th round.
But after a knock-down with a quick hook, another mid-round, right-handed penalty, Kenny Porter saw enough. Porter’s father-son combination is well known for Crawford’s reputation as one of the worst fighters in boxing and as a medical finisher. In Kenny’s view, there is no reason for it to get to that point.
Despite what happens at the Michalop Ultra Arena in Mandalay Bay, Kenny has no idea that Shawn is going to retire. Shawn and Kenny did not hold that conversation.
But Kenny’s instinct kicked in when he was told to climb the stairs, climb the mat, and end the fight. The coach and father were wondering if they could drive to their son’s house and play with the grandchildren.
“For most of this film, when it’s over, I’m still his father, he’s still my son,” Kenny Porter said. “We can get that part. It’s a long life.”
Though thoughts of retirement appeared in Shawn’s head for many years, it was not clear until his recent contact with retired champion Andre Ward.
In October, when they were working as analysts for the Tyson Fury-Dionde Wilder trilogy fight, a fan approached Ward and asked about the hypothetical clash against ESPN’s number one pound-to-pound fighter, Canelo Alvarez.
The fan told Ward that there was still a fight left. According to Porter, Ward’s answer is simple.
“He said, ‘Why don’t I have one more?'” Porter said. “That guy was confused. In the meantime, I thought he left it there. Why should I continue? Why can’t I just put one more in and put it away?”
Porter did not want to be someone who would fight until he was 40 years old. He even thought about hanging his gloves when he was 30 years old.
But he went on and on, pushing himself and testing his skills against the best in the world. Decided that winning was enough. His health remains the same and he is at the beginning of a promising television career.
Porter drew everything he could from his life, providing fans with entertaining and memorable fights. Even when he announced his retirement, it was at the forefront of his mind, reminiscent of the tradition he left behind.
Porter said, “I hope they got everything they expected to get out of this fight.”
