Shawn Porter: “After I beat Keith Thurman, I will be the number one guy at Welterweight!”

Former IBF welterweight champion ‘Showtime’ Shawn Porter is approaching the biggest fight of his young career as he is set to meet WBA welterweight champion Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman on June 25th, in one of the most highly anticipated bouts of 2016. I recently had a chance to speak to Shawn Porter and get his thoughts on the training for this fight and his views on the delay that happened due to Thurman’s injury. Porter also talks about what a win could do for his career and if he has interest in a rematch with Kell Brook. Additionally, Shawn gives his views on former stars of the division, Floyd Mayweather & Manny Pacquiao. Here is what Shawn Porter had to say.

Robert Brown: We are getting something very rare, we’re getting two elite fighters fighting each other in their primes. What do you feel about your fight coming up with Keith Thurman?

Shawn Porter: It’s rare but I think it’s necessary. It’s necessary for the sport and obviously it’s necessary for my career. We’ve waited a while to make this fight happen and I’m just excited about the opportunity and I’m working hard.

Robert Brown: On the date that the fight was initially set to take place, you chose to fight a tune up fight. What were the thoughts behind your decision to do that?

Shawn Porter: We didn’t want that training camp to go stale, we wanted to make the best out of all of the work we had been doing, so my dad decided to hold an exhibition at our new training facility, Porter High Performance Center. We just wanted to put an exclamation point on the training camp that we had and after that we took a little bit of time off and then we went back to work.

Robert Brown: Were you worried about the dangers of overtraining in the lead up to this fight?

Shawn Porter: Not worried about it because that’s how I train anyways, I train basically year round, with a seldom break here or there. It was no different, being able to take a little bit of time off and then get back to work. It was just a matter of finding out when we were going to be fighting and where we were going to be fighting and after that, my dad structured a new program for me to get on.

Robert Brown: What do you feel will be some of your strengths against Keith Thurman?

Shawn Porter: Looking at Keith, he likes to move and catch guys off balance, and I think that plays into our hands because I have good feet and they’re quick, so I’ll be able to cut off the ring and he won’t have as much room to move or breathe the way he has in the past. That’s one thing we’re really focusing on.

Robert Brown: Will you be focusing on Keith’s body in this fight?

Shawn Porter: That’s another thing, watching him recently, he doesn’t really like to work on the inside and he would much rather hit you from the outside with the right hand, or even attack the body from the outside. We will be looking to make him work on the inside, on the ropes, things like that.

Robert Brown: Do you believe the winner of this fight has the claim of being the top dog in the 147lb division now that Floyd and Pacquiao have left?

Shawn Porter: I do, I consider Keith and I to be at the top of the division. With both of us having the records that we have, the experience that we have and the abilities that we have, it puts us at the top. Looking at my dad the other day, I told him, “Keith can’t beat me.” Basically after I beat Keith, I will be the number one guy at 147lbs.

Robert Brown: What is your official prediction for this fight? Do you think the fight will go twelve rounds or do you think you will stop Keith?

Shawn Porter: The fight will go as long Keith lets it go. I don’t make predictions but I do know I will be winning this fight.

Robert Brown: Assuming you get past Keith Thurman, would you have any interest in having a rematch with Kell Brook to avenge that loss?

Shawn Porter: I’m always interested in the rematch, I think that fight plays out a lot differently than it did the first time. However, that’s not up to me, that’s up to the promoters to make the fight happen.

Robert Brown: Do you think Floyd Mayweather will be watching the fight between you and Thurman to perhaps fight the winner of the fight?

Shawn Porter: I don’t know, that remains to be seen. We never know what’s going on in someone else’s head. I think it’s a fight that the whole world will be tuning into and that includes Floyd Mayweather. We don’t know what he’s going to be thinking, he may be watching for the excitement or possibly to see if there’s something he can do to beat us. If he feels there’s something he could do, he may try to make a fight, but you never know what he’s thinking until he comes out and says it.

Robert Brown: How do you think you would do if you had the opportunity to fight Floyd?

Shawn Porter: I know that I have everything it takes to beat a great fighter like Floyd Mayweather. For me it’s just about the opportunity, and after that, it’s all up to me to take advantage of the opportunity. If he gives me the opportunity, I’m going for it.

Robert Brown: Do you feel the same way about Manny Pacquiao? If you had the opportunity to fight him, do you feel you could beat him?

Shawn Porter: Yeah, I can compete with the best of them and I beat the best of them.

Robert Brown: Is your goal to clean up the division and unify all the belts?

Shawn Porter: That’s the goal, that’s what I have to do. I don’t think you become champion to just call yourself a champion, it’s about conquering not just the guy who has the belt, but everyone else that stands in the way. Unifying titles and continuing on to try to establish my name as great one say is what I look forward to doing.