The highly anticipated welterweight showdown is set. Former champions Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia will face one another Saturday night [Showtime, 9 p.m ET/6 p.m. PT] at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Whoever leaves the ring victorious will be champion again, this time as the holder of the WBC belt. Porter [28-2-1, 17 knockouts] expects to be the last man standing. But he’ll have to be on his A-game to make it happen.
MORE: How Danny Garcia will beat Shawn Porter
In order to accomplish his goal, there are a few things Porter must do during the bout. When the bell rings, should Porter fall short in just one of these areas, it’s very likely his hand will not be raised.
Porter envisions himself coming out on top by doing what he always does – being the more effective aggressor. But his style of aggression isn’t simply walking forward, hands at his side and throwing wild, looping punches.
There’s a method to his approach. And Porter intends to apply that method Saturday night and come away with the WBC belt.
One thing he needs to apply regularly against Garcia is to get his punches off first. The best way to accomplish this feat is by utilizing his left jab. It’s an approach that Porter doesn’t use often enough, but if he is to keep Garcia guessing and off-balance it’s something he must implement Saturday night.
The jab will allow Porter to apply pressure effectively and more often. It will also allow him to deliver powerful left and right hands and force Garcia to the ropes, which is always a key element of Porter’s fight plan.
Porter also has a tendency to throw wide, wild punches. Opponents can see them coming from far away and it affords them time to either avoid or prepare for impact.
To prevent this against Garcia, he must throw straighter punches. This will give Garcia something to think about and adjust to during the fight. Straighter punches reach their target quicker and tend to do more damage.
Of the two, Porter is the slightly stronger fighter – physically. He’s the natural welterweight, having only competed in the division professionally. And he is a former football player, whose aggressive approach mimics that of a linebacker.
This physical advantage should help Porter when he gets Garcia against the ropes. It could help him physically keep Garcia there when he attempts to escape. It’s also where Porter will try to smother Garcia’s punches and limit his ability to counterpunch.
“When you are in the ring with me, you know what I am going to bring, and you really got to get yourself going for that,” Porter said during recent a conference call. “I think a lot of times [opponents] get caught up with my work rate and my aggression and they feel like they have to counter that with the same work rate and aggression.
“I don’t know what game plan they have for me, but I do know that I’ll be ready for anything.”
But there’s more: Garcia will not stand stationary and allow Porter to do as he pleases. Therefore, Porter must move his feet and head while coming forward to apply pressure.
It was Porter’s inability to do this that made him an easier target against Kell Brook. Porter, however, has proven more difficult to hit since that fight, despite a flash knockdown by Adrien Broner when he failed to keep his right hand up and in a defensive position.
Porter’s footwork will play a key role in this fight – offensively and defensively. His aggressive style often leaves him off-balance and will make him susceptible to a knockdown when Garcia counterpunches.
MORE: Garcia vs. Porter: Fight date, start time, card, channel
Along with solid footwork, Porter must utilize his head movement. This will make it more difficult for Garcia to deliver his solid, often accurate jab when Porter is coming forward.
“I’m aggressive. I come strong, I come fast, I come hard, and Danny is one that’s a little bit more patient,” Porter said. “The fight is a brilliant fight. I’ve been around the block 100 times and coming back to Brooklyn we are both familiar with them and they are familiar with us.
“If you want to you know the other intangibles of this fight, it’s two hard hitters, two strong guys, two young guys and that just makes for a very great intriguing fight and it will be just that.”
