Shawn Porter Putting Legacy Before Friendship in Title Bout with Keith Thurman

Shawn Porter made it very clear that friendships will go out the window when he challenges Keith Thurman for the WBA Welterweight Championship Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Showtime Championship Boxing on CBS.

It’s a matchup of two of the best welterweights in the game today and a chance for each to secure both bragging rights and move up the ladder in what has become a wide-open division.

“I'm gunning for that championship belt. I'm coming for his head. It doesn't matter that we're friends. And I know at the end of the day it doesn't matter to him,” Porter told an international media conference call on Tuesday.

“We both have families to take care of, we both have legacies to build, careers to progress on and goals to reach. It can’t be awkward. It can’t be weird. We’ll meet in the center, we touch gloves and begin the fight. That’s it.”

No nonsense, just business, as he tells it. 

Porter sees this as a legacy fight for both men.

It’s a refreshing bit of candor from a fighter in an era where far too many have become full-time businessmen and only part-time competitors.

Business realities—also well-documented rivalries—and careful matchmaking have denied the fans significant fight after significant fight in recent years. It’s become unusual to see a pair of young, hungry fighters share the ring before necessary.

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Instead, the fans get A-side versus C-side (sometimes even worse than that) in non-competitive matchups that don’t prove anything. 

“When you beat a champion, you take the belt, that’s how you form your legacy,” Porter said. “You don’t form your legacy from beating C-level fighters, B-level fighters.”

“You beat those A-plus fighters and you take their belts. That’s how you establish your greatness. Like I said, to anybody that’s wondering if we’re too friendly with one another to take one another out, no. No, we’re not.”

The stakes are very high in what figures to be something close to a 50-50 fight.

Thurman’s reputation was that of a bruising power puncher, but he’s improved his craft and technical boxing skill over his last several fights. He’s not a one-trick pony and can beat you in a variety of ways.

But his career has stalled somewhat of late due to injuries and soft matchmaking.

One Time hasn’t been in the ring in nearly a year, and his last performance was a predictable stoppage win (on cuts) over Luis Collazo, a solid former champ but well past his best.

Porter was anointed as the next big thing after a win over Devon Alexander netted him his first world championship, and he defended it with a pasting of Paulie Malignaggi to put the division on notice.

He dropped the belt in a minor upset to Kell Brook (it was an upset because Brook was a mostly unknown quantity stateside) but rejuvenated his career by handling Adrien Broner with ease, at least until the final round, where things got dicey.

There have been a few ups and downs mixed in there, but Porter doesn’t want to talk anymore. He wants to show everyone why he’s the best.

“I believe in myself, I know what I can do. And when I look at the other guys out there in the division, I just know that I have more than the other guys,” Porter said. “But I think the public as well, guys have continued to say that whoever wins this fight will be the number one guy in the division, filling Mayweather's shoes, yada, yada, yada.”

“I want to do more than just fill those shoes. I want to be the guy that, if, hey, if Mayweather comes back, you better come back to Showtime Shawn Porter because he's the best fighter out there in the division.”

We’re not going to touch the subject of Mayweather and whether or not a comeback is likely or will happen, but you can understand Porter’s point.

He doesn’t want to be the next Mayweather.

He wants the guy after him to be the next Shawn Porter, and he understands that only happens by taking on and turning back tough challenges.

One like the challenge Keith Thurman will give him on Saturday night.

Kevin McRae is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. You can follow him on Twitter @McRaeWrites. All quotes were obtained firsthand.