CLEVELAND, Ohio - Former
IBF champion Shawn Porter is on the outside looking in when it comes to the May 2 mega bout between welterweight champions Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
The fight is expected to set numerous gate and pay per view records as the most highly anticipated non-heavyweight bout since Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard I in 1981. Porter, who hopes to meet either fighter before they hang up their gloves, looks forward to the fight like millions of others.
"The contrast between styles and the championship pedigree between these two fighters makes this a great fight," said Porter, a graduate of Stow High School. "Manny will press the action and we may see some things in Floyd that we're not used to seeing. I expect Floyd to throw more punches."
Porter is not only a highly-regarded fighter, but he's also one of the few fighters who has intimate knowledge when it comes to battling Pacquiao in the ring. Porter spent six weeks as Pacquiao's sparring partner on two separate occasions. The first time was in 2011 after Porter and his father/trainer Kenny made a visit to (Pacquiao's trainer) Freddie Roach's gym in Los Angeles.
Roach was impressed with Porter.
"After the first sparring session, Roach approached my dad and said he saw some great things in me and a great left hook and that he wanted to take me to camp to help Manny prepare for Miguel Cotto," Porter said.
Porter did not travel to Pacquiao's home country of the Philippines just to serve as a human punching bag. He said the sparring with Pacquiao became intense.
"I challenged Manny every time I got into the ring," said Porter, who is 24-1-1. "It was always hard work for Manny and he was giving it back to me. We both like to throw a lot of punches, so every round was exciting and we got standing ovations. It was fun. Sparring with Manny became more than a workout for me because the media was there monitoring Manny, so I was into that and it was fun."
Time with Pacquiao also gave Porter the opportunity to study from one of boxing's best. Hours in the gym not only helped Porter hone his skills but also the chance to critique Pacquiao.
"What I can tell you is that I can hit Manny," Porter said. "You saw
Juan Manuel Marquez hit him but it took three or four fights for Marquez to hit him. We saw other guys hit him but right out of the block I can hit Manny, hurt him and challenge him."
Former two-time champion Amir Khan is a witness to Porter's sparring sessions with Pacquiao.
"I've seen him spar with Shawn Porter and Shawn Porter used to have his way," Khan said in
an interview with FightHype.com. "Shawn Porter, you know, he's the same size as Mayweather."
If hitting Manny was so easy for Porter, and since he does not have the experience Mayweather will bring into the ring next month, Mayweather will certainly be able to put his gloves on Pacquiao, right?
"I know Floyd will hit him," Porter said. "But I'm going to sit back and see what happens because there's no telling what may happen in that match, and I look forward to fighting either one of those guys before their done."
While Porter waits for a date with either Pacquiao or Mayweather, he hopes to benefit from the spark the fight will generate for boxing.
"This fight is good for boxing because these two guys bring excitement to the ring," said Porter, who fights in
the Premier Boxing Champions series. "It's something (other fighters) will feed off of and help us all in the long run. When people tune into the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, they'll look for even better fights in the future."
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