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SPORTS Monday 30 SepteMber 2019

Spence beats Porter, gets 2 belts in split-decision thriller

By GREG BEACHAM left hand to the head with
AP Sports Writer a minute left in the 11th
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Errol round. The punch stag-
Spence had never been gered Porter and rolled his
tested at this degree of eyes back, but he barely
difficulty. Shawn Porter touched the canvas and
pressured, prodded and went right back into the
exposed him during a title fight.
bout that stretched every "He's a strong kid," Porter
bit of Spence's vaunted said. "We both came in to
boxing skill. do the job. I think I had a
The budding welterweight little more than what he ex-
superstar emerged with pected, but he handled it.
two championship belts Congratulations to him and
after he figured out the an- his team. We're proud of
swers to this test just in time. what we did."
Spence added the WBC The Staples Center crowd
welterweight title to his IBF of 16,702 in downtown Los
strap with a thrilling split-de- Angeles was on its feet
cision victory over Shawn throughout the 12th round,
Porter on Saturday night. roaring for both fighters
Spence (26-0) persevered when they embraced after
through the biggest chal- the final bell.
lenge of his ascendant Spence threw 745 punches Shawn Porter, left, is knocked down by Errol Spence Jr. during the WBC & IBF World Welterweight
career from Porter (30-3- to Porter's 744, a remark- Championship boxing match Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles.
1), a veteran brawler who able measure of the fight's Associated Press
forced Spence into un- evenness. But Spence
comfortable situations in landed 221 of those punch- Porter's plan mostly suc- But Porter has been an 111 and 116-111 for Barrios.
nearly every round. Spence es — 49 more than Porter. ceeded, starting with a dy- elite welterweight for the David Benavidez then won
matched Porter's pace and Spence also landed 44% namite third round in which past half-decade, rising to the WBC 168-pound title
landed more punches, and of his power punches to he absorbed body punch- win the IBF title in 2013 be- with a ninth-round stop-
the Texan punctuated the just 25.7% for Porter, whose es to deliver his own. Both fore losing it to Brook. He page of Anthony Dirrell,
win by knocking down Por- inaccuracy has been a fighters traded huge shots rebounded from a much- who fought the final half
ter in the 11th round with a problem in an otherwise in a ramshackle three min- hyped loss to Keith Thurman of the fight with a ghastly
left hand. stellar career. utes of action, and they fol- in 2016 with four straight cut on his right eyelid. The
"This is a lifetime dream," "Porter was throwing a lot," lowed it with an equally ex- victories, including a deci- 22-year-old Benavidez (22-
Spence said. "It shows hard Spence said. "I wanted to citing fourth in which each sion over Danny Garcia last 0), who controlled the bout
work pays off. ... Shawn show I was the bigger and fighter rocked the other re- year to claim the WBC belt. before and after Dirrell's
Porter is a rough and awk- stronger welterweight." peatedly. Josesito López opened cut, reclaimed the belt he
ward fighter. I didn't get off Porter was a double-digit Spence was the more ac- the pay-per-view show won in 2017 and lost last
what I wanted to. He's a underdog with some odd- curate fighter throughout with an impressive eighth- year after testing positive
true champion. He made it smakers despite his stellar the bout, and the judges round stoppage of fellow for cocaine.q
tough ... (but) all my punch- record and accomplish- noticed. None of his punch- Southern California veter-
es have bad intentions." ments. That's a measure of es was bigger than the left an welterweight John Mo-
Two judges scored it 116- the boxing world's respect hand in the 11th round, un- lina Jr. López (37-8, 20 KOs)
111 for Spence, and a third for Spence, who has been derlining his tactical skills knocked down Molina (30-
scored it 115-112 for Porter. one of the brightest rising with visceral evidence to 9) twice in the first round
The Associated Press scored stars in the sport since he the fans who loved Porter's and again in the seventh.
it 114-113 for Spence. turned pro following the wild aggression. Mario Barrios claimed the
Porter's unorthodox, pug- 2012 London Olympics. With his rangy athleticism WBA 140-pound belt in his
nacious style baited the But Porter appeared to be and virtuosic skill, Spence first world title shot with a
favored Spence into many the toughest opponent has captured fans with a narrow unanimous deci-
wild exchanges, starting of Spence's career, and it series of crisp victories in sion over Uzbek Olympian
with a thrilling stretch of the showed. Porter believed recent years. Spence won Batyr Akhmedov. Barrios
third and fourth rounds. The he could beat Spence by the IBF title in 2017 by stop- (25-0), from San Antonio,
pace rarely waned for the forcing a brawl on his skill- ping Kell Brook in England, knocked down Akhmedov
rest of the bout, with Porter ful opponent, taking away and he defended it three (7-1) twice, but the Uzbek
constantly forcing a tough Spence's space to put to- times, culminating in a slugger largely dominated
fight. gether combinations and one-sided thrashing of un- long stretches of the fight,
But Spence knocked down using his awkward style to dersized Mikey Garcia in leading fans to boo the
Porter with a spectacular set up counterpunches. March. scorecards of 114-112, 115-