Three Punch Combo: Spence-Porter Notes, Under the Radar Fights and More

THREE PUNCH COMBO — This coming week the eyes of the boxing world are on the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the big welterweight title fight between Errol Spence Jr. (25-0, 21 KO’s) and Shawn Porter (30-2-1, 17 KO’s). In analyzing the fight, two subtle factors jumped out at me.

Porter’s Size

Porter weighed in for his pro debut in 2008 at 165 ½ pounds. He fought most of the early part of his career in the 154-pound weight division. It wasn’t until his 16^th pro fight that he dropped down to welterweight. Porter is a big welterweight and someone we have seen physically maul many of his former opponents.

Keep in mind that while Porter has come down in weight, Spence has fought his entire career as a welterweight. Yes, Spence is a strong welterweight but I think Porter, although smaller in stature, has more physicality.

In my opinion, Porter is by far the physically strongest opponent that Spence has ever faced. This fact cannot be underestimated. How will Spence handle Porter’s strength? That answer may be the biggest factor in determining the winner and loser of this bout.

Spence’s Body Punching

Spence is one of the most lethal body punchers in boxing today. He is also very consistent, attacking his opponent’s ribcage from the first round until the fight concludes. This prolonged body attack will often zap his opponents’ strength as a fight progresses and make them less likely to throw their own punches in fear of being countered to the body in return.

So, the first question is, if Spence can rev up the body attack against Porter, then how will Porter respond as the fight enters the middle and late rounds? I think if Spence gets the body attack going, then Porter may go into more of a shell as the fight progresses, leading to potentially a wide decision in favor of Spence.

However, there is another factor to keep in mind. Porter is a short stocky welterweight with a smaller zone to attack his body. And he frequently keeps his elbows tucked in. So, when someone fires off a body shot, Porter often picks it off. Looking back at past Porter fights, opponents often do not attack his body as, frankly, it is not easy to do.

What if Porter is able to take away Spence’s body punching ability? It is not out of the question and could force Spence to make some major adjustments for the first time in his professional career.

Under The Radar Fight

There is a fight taking place on the undercard of Spence-Porter that I circled on the boxing calendar when it was announced several weeks ago.

In a battle of undefeated young pros, Mario Barrios (24-0, 16 KO’s) takes on Batyr Akhmedov (7-0, 6 KO’s) in a battle for a vacant 140-pound world title belt. Talent wise, there is not much that separates these two. The way I see it, this is a true 50/50 fight that could turn into a real barnburner.

Barrios, 24, is a natural boxer-puncher who likes to work behind the left jab to set up his best punch which is a left hook to the body. He also has sneaky quick hands and moves his head well, making him an evasive target who is hard to catch clean. He comes in riding an eight-fight knockout streak. Of note, several of those knockouts have come from body shots.

Though he is an excellent body puncher, Barrios does have a tendency to attempt to go to the body from too far of a distance, leaning forward, which can leave his chin exposed. Against an aggressive power puncher like Akhmedov, Barrios could pay for this flaw.

A 2016 Olympian, Akhmedov, 28, has strung together some impressive performances early in his pro career to rise up quickly in the rankings. A southpaw, he is an aggressive high-pressure fighter who possesses heavy handed power in both hands. He not only possesses power but quick hands and, similar to Barrios, is an excellent body puncher.

Akhmedov does have issues defensively. He does not move his head at all and when he throws, he tends to sit in the pocket too long, exposing himself to counters. In his fight against Ismael Barroso a year ago, Akhmedov was dropped and hurt badly with a counter left hook early in the fight. Though Akhmedov later came back to stop Barroso, his defensive issues were apparent and his performance raised some questions about his chin.

Barrios-Akhmedov is one of those fights that, given the talents of the two fighters along with their respective styles, can’t be anything but a solid entertaining professional fight. It could also turn into quite a shootout between two young fighters with a lot to prove and with a lot on the line.

This PPV undercard fight could very well steal the show.

Under The Radar Fight, Part Two

There is more boxing on tap this week than just the Spence-Porter event. Of note, ESPN+ will broadcast a card from the UK on Friday that will be headlined by a battle of undefeated heavyweights.

Coming off a big win in July against the previously undefeated Nathan Gorman, Daniel Dubois (12-0, 11 KO’s) makes a quick return to the ring to face Ebenezer Tetteh (19-0, 16 KO’s) in a bout scheduled for 12 rounds.

Dubois, 22, is considered one of the top young heavyweights in the world. Tetteh, 31, is totally unknown. But he is an undefeated heavyweight and this is a division that seems to produce more surprises from unknowns than any other division in the sport.

Here is what we know about Dubois: He is a former decorated amateur and as a pro has put on a string of impressive performances displaying devastating knockout power in both fists. The only fighter to take him the distance so far has been the seemingly always durable and defensive-minded Kevin Johnson.

When Dubois stepped in the ring with Gorman in July, he was a short favorite, yet many considered it a 50/50 fight. But Dubois, displaying superior skill, speed and power, overwhelmed Gorman from the opening bell, dropping him once in the third and stopping him in the fifth. It was an eye-opening performance that essentially vaulted him from a prospect into a contender.

Here is what we know about Tetteh: He has fought most of his career at either light heavyweight or cruiserweight while just recently jumping north to the heavyweight division. All his fights have taken place is his native Ghana and there are no even remotely recognizable names on his resume.

There is actually some YouTube footage of Tetteh. His style seems to be that of a free-swinger who will pick his spots to flurry and go for broke. Against the low-level opponents he has faced, this crude, unpolished style has worked, in large part because Tetteh has some pop in his punches.

I could probably write thousands of words on Tetteh’s defensive flaws but let’s just say he is easy to hit. Nevertheless, I see some risk here for Dubois. Tetteh is going to wing punches and throw from unorthodox angles. Something conceivably could clip the Londoner

Yes, given the telegraphed nature of the punches that Tetteh will deliver, along with his severe lack of regard for defense, there’s a very high probability that Dubois will land something big to end matters early. But I am always down for a heavyweight slugfest, even if it is brief.

This could be a fun little shootout assuming Tetteh wings away like we have seen in those YouTube clips.

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