It is rare that boxing gets it SO right that people just see Ws all around.
F’rinstance, this weekend, there was cause for celebration, yes? Errol Spence and Shawn Porter collaborated on a rock-solid collision which has some folks thinking it could get FOY honors end of the year. BUT….But the event ran on PPV, and we are back to the entrenched manner of doing business, when it looked like maybe we had the momo to end the practice of putting the best fare behind a high paywall. Anyway…
Boxing is always going to be this way…there will always be soap operatics inside the sphere of pro pugilism….so, maybe it’s best to just focus the eyes on the prize, on the W, on the upside, which is to say, on Who Won the Weekend.
“Errol Spence won the weekend, because Shawn Porter didn’t lose it,” said John Gatling. ‘”The Truth” be told, “Showtime” went June 1980 Duran in a lot of ways, just as Spence took a page out of Leonard’s book from that very same night. I guess I’m saying boxing truly won, along with PBC and Al Haymon, because in less than 3 months we’ve seen 2 modern classics. Well done.”
“Spence AND Porter won the weekend,” said David Phillips. “I’ve long thought Errol Spence could end up topping the pound for pound charts. He blazed through his first 25 opponents in dominant fashion. So easily, that the question you had to ask is, “what would he do when challenged?” Enter Shawn Porter. Porter is a VERY good fighter. Nearly great even. So nearly great that I think he’s easy to under-appreciate. What he may lack in pure skill, he makes up for with relentlessness and courage. Those last two things were greatly on display last Saturday night. He asked just about all of Spence that he could. And Spence answered. I don’t agree with the one card that had Porter in the lead, but no matter. This was a great fight between two guys who went after each other like Roman gladiators. It was scintillating. Both men did themselves proud. Hell, they did the sport proud. And let’s just say that’s something boxing needs right now. Badly.”
“Aside from a classic main event, Fox Sports won the weekend,” said Abe Gonzalez. “They put a ton of time and effort into promoting this PPV whether it was on NFL Sundays or College Football Saturdays. In addition to that, they brought in WWE wrestlers that are popular on their own platform, to attend fight week activities and even do the ring walk intro for Shawn Porter. All of that pushed the card to a result of an estimated 300,000 + PPV buys that was tweeted out by Mike Coppinger. Fox gambled and hit big, making them the winners of the weekend.”
“Errol Spence won the weekend because he looked great in a big fight against a solid opponent,” Kelsey McCarson said. “He also reportedly did well enough in terms of PPV buys to be the clear A-side in regards to potential superfight negotiations with Terence Crawford. That means he’ll get the lion’s share of the money should the two meet next year as many people hope. As great as Crawford has looked inside the ring, he hasn’t been a draw in terms of PPV buys.”
“The collective card was so successful, almost musical in nature,” said Jonathan Leir. “A theatrical score that draws you in dramatically, making you get lost in the different notes and strokes before eventually building to a masterful crescendo. So the winner for me has to be the orchestrator for the swan song- Jack Reiss. Had he interjected too often, had he not enforced, the tone, the tempo could be lost. He allowed the musicians to make their music, and in turn showed why he is considered the best at conducting and overseeing high level events.”
“Both fighters, the fans and the sport of boxing won the weekend,” said Tommy Rainone. “Excellent fight and along with Pac – Thurman the second great welterweight fight with in a 2 months span. No losers in Saturdau night’s fight.”
“You got to say Errol Spence in retaining his title in a fantastic fight that I’m sure many would be happy to see again,” said Chris Glover.
“A lot of people won this weekend, even though they may have technically lost,” said Jeremy Herriges. “Shawn Porter proved his grit and showed evolved boxing skills. Batyr Akhmedov demonstrated that he was severely underrated and probably deserved a draw against Mario Barrios. But the single biggest winner was Errol Spence Jr. Porter gave him a harder time than some expected, but he stayed composed and consistently fought well from start to finish. Porter is a lot to handle for any welterweight. Spence won the fight and hurt Porter in the 11th round. He was measured and dynamic, and his pay-per-view numbers look like he’s a top draw in the sport. He won on all fronts.”
