Quite arguably the most profound division in boxing is set to get a unified champion and the best in the weight class.
At a Saturday afternoon press conference in Las Vegas hours before Manny Pacquiao fights Keith Thurman, it was announced that IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. and WBC titlist Shawn Porter would lock horns on Saturday, Sept. 28 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
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"It's going to be a very exciting fight," Spence said in a press release. "Shawn is never in a boring fight, and I always entertain. It will be a 'Fight of the Year' type fight because our styles mesh."
Spence (25-0, 21 KOs), regarded by many as the division's best, last fought in March at AT&T Stadium in Dallas and soundly defeated Mikey Garcia by unanimous decision. The pay-per-view card did a reported 325,000 buys helping establish Spence as a marquee attraction in the sport.
The 29-year-old Texas native is a 2012 Olympian and looks to defend the belt for the fourth time after capturing the IBF strap from Kell Brook by 11th round knockout in May 2017. Spence invited Pacquiao into the ring and challenged him to a fight, but he chose to take on Thurman instead.
Porter (30-2-1, 17 KOs) has been calling for a fight with Spence since he won the title by unanimous decision from Danny Garcia in September. Spence even got into the ring afterwards, and it appeared that would be the next direction for both fighters.
"There haven't been too many fights as a professional that I've been this excited about," Porter said. "I was really excited about the Danny Garcia fight, and I'm really excited about this one. Ever since Spence got a belt, I really circled this fight on my calendar."
The victor is expected to face the winner of Saturday's Pacquiao-Thurman fight.
