Spence says he’d demand rematch if he were in Porter/Thurman’s shoes

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Shawn Porter - Errol Spence - Keith ThurmanWe are days away from 2015’s conclusion and we are still without the finalized matchup between Keith “One Time” Thurman and “Showtime” Shawn Porter. Both fighters have the word “time” in their nicknames, so should we be surprised that time is exactly what it will take for this fight to eventually be made?

 

There are many rumors circulating through the media and a few outlets have reported that issues preventing this fight range from the money being demanded by Thurman to a potential rematch clause.

 

Thurman’s side has offered up almost nothing from their side. A once vocal and charismatic voice in the boxing world, Keith Thurman, has practically gone off-the-grid in a sense. We have very few facts from his side, and even though he has said in the past that he is open to a fight with Porter, his lack of facetime with the media has caused doubt in the minds of some, including Team Porter.

 

Team Porter, namely father/trainer to Shawn, Ken Porter, has been anything but silent on the matter. Ken and Shawn have made it clear that they want the fight. They have stated their position many times, but it is Ken that seems to be frustrated over the issues.

 

Ken has stated that he does want a rematch clause in the fight contract. However, his desire for a rematch clause has nothing to do with his confidence because he believes Shawn will be victorious. In fact, he feels so confident that his desire for a rematch is based on the idea that they can beat Keith twice, and they would like to do so back-to-back.

 

Ken told Thaboxingvoice.com that he understands the fight game, both from the fans point-of-view and from that of the media. He knows that a fight of this magnitude could end up being controversial, even if Shawn were to whitewash Keith, Ken knows that some will make the excuse of Thurman having an off night or something to that regard.

 

He isn’t the only one that feels as strongly about having a rematch clause in a fight of this magnitude.

 

Welterweight prospect and former Team USA Olympian Errol Spence believes this fight shouldn’t be a difficult one to make, but he also understands that prizefighting at this level is not always a guarantee.

 

“It should be easier because both sides are with Al Haymon, but we’ll see what happens. I heard negotiations are still ongoing, so, I mean if they fight they fight and if they don’t they don’t. It makes me no difference regardless if they fight or don’t fight,” Spence told Thaboxingvoice.com.

 

Spence also feels like a rematch clause is something that should be inserted in the fight contract between Porter and Thurman. In fact, Spence admits that he’d insist on a rematch clause if he were part of the negations process for a fight of this magnitude.

 

When asked if he were in Porter or Thurman’s shoes would he demand a rematch clause, Spence answered, “Definitely. I mean, that’s business. Boxing is a business. I’d definitely demand a rematch clause for the fight because you know the fight might be close. It might be a great fight and you might lose real close and you want to fight him again. I’d put a rematch clause in there, why not? Why not have a part two?”

 

This is a sentiment shared by Ken Porter, who feels that if the fight were close on the scorecards he would prefer Shawn finish up his business with Keith before moving on in the welterweight landscape, which is a very deep division filled with many options.

 

Spence added to his rationality by highlighting the fact that both of these fighters are skilled and evenly matched, creating the kind of matchup that would almost guarantee a need for a rematch.

 

“And I think this is going to be an exciting fight if they fight because the both of them have exciting styles.”

 

Obviously, Spence isn’t too concerned over whether or not the Thurman-Porter fight goes on, although he should be because he would be better off having fewer obstacles to tackle once he makes his way to the top of the division. Some fight fans and media believe Errol is already at that level, which he may be, but he still has to fight the kind of opponents that justify such a position amongst fighters like Thurman and Porter.

 

Combined, Thurman and Porter have beaten the likes of Robert Guerrero (Thurman) and Adrien Broner (Porter), but if they were to fight each other then it would create a clear path to the top for Spence once he inevitably positions himself into that position.

 

Not only would Spence have a prime number one target, but the loser of Thurman-Porter would likely cross paths with Spence as a means of proving Spence’s legitimacy. Needless to say, any matchup amongst the top 10 of such a rich division as the welterweight class is meaningful to everyone above and below in the rankings.