Las Vegas’ Shawn Porter ready for big bout with Keith Thurman

If you caught Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter on television together this week, you might have thought they were preparing for the doubles competition at Wimbledon by the way they were giggling.

No, the two friends aren’t trekking to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean to swing rackets. Instead, they’ll be swinging at each other Saturday at the Barclays Center in New York.

The boxers became friends during their amateur days, but in the last year they’ve been on a collision course in the welterweight division.

Thurman, the WBA champion, and Porter, a former champion, have played down the notion of their friendship leading up to the title bout, and have gone as far as saying they’re not someone they would call during a time of need.

That was hard to believe during their ESPN media tour Wednesday, as the foes talked like two college buddies reminiscing about the good ol’ days.

Daggers weren’t traded during the final press conference Thursday, and the trash talk has been minimal in the last few months.

There’s mutual respect between the two opponents, but both have vowed to punish each other when the first bell goes off.

“I’m gunning for that championship belt. I’m coming for his head,” Porter said. “It doesn’t matter that we’re friends. And I know at the end of the day it doesn’t matter to him. We both have families to take care of, we both have legacies to build, careers to continue to progress on and (thrive) and goals to reach, and the list goes on.”

The highly anticipated matchup will be the first prime-time boxing telecast on CBS since the network aired Muhammad Ali’s split-decision loss to Leon Spinks in 1978 in Las Vegas.

It’s not Saul “Canelo” Alvarez versus Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, but CBS got one of the best fights that could be made in boxing today, and one that could lure fans back to the sport.

And fans could see plenty of fireworks Saturday. The undefeated Thurman (26-0, 22 knockouts) is regarded by many as the best welterweight in the division because of his punching power. He earned the nickname “One Time” because he has a reputation of knocking out opponents with one shot. Porter (26-1-1, 16 KOs) goes by “Showtime” because of his aggressive style of throwing punches at a rapid pace.

“This is a great fight,” Thurman said. “This is the perfect fight. Really, this is exactly the kind of fight that we want.”

Although Thurman and Porter haven’t exchanged oral jabs, the same can’t be said about Thurman and Porter’s father and trainer, Kenny.

Kenny Porter has been on record multiple times as saying Thurman quit in the middle of a sparring session against his son in 2012.

“Keith didn’t want any part of Shawn,” Porter said. “He turned his back.”

Thurman denied the claims and fired back by saying he would hurt Kenny by knocking out Shawn on fight night. The Clearwater, Florida, native also recently released the sparring tape so fans could decide for themselves who’s telling the truth.

Shawn Porter is very close to his father, but decided to stay out of the verbal battle. The younger Porter, however, did have a message for Thurman during his Las Vegas media day earlier this month.

“I stay out of it,” Porter said. “I’ll just knock his (explicit) out on fight night.”

Porter, a Las Vegas resident, hasn’t been in the ring since upsetting Adrien Broner last June at the MGM Grand Garden. Thurman has also had a lengthy layoff, his last fight a victory over Luis Collazo last July.

“That’s not what I expected,” Porter said of the layoff. “I expected to come out of that big fight and go right into another. But boxing is business and you gotta do what you got to do. So when Keith Thurman was next, he became the next fighter for me to fight against. It just became a matter of time.”

That time was expected to be March 12 at Mohegan Sun resort in Uncasville, Connecticut. The fight was postponed after Thurman injured his neck in a car accident.

“I still was thinking about (my neck) a little bit going into that day for the first day,” said Thurman about when he was cleared to resume training. “But it held up. We went and got therapy like we were supposed to that week, and just kept going, and every week since.

“We’re happy to be doing what we do best, boxing, it’s always a little nervous, you’re a little hesitant, when you’re thinking, okay, I got this issue, am I going to be able to be the same … And we are.”

With Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao currently retired, Porter said the winner of Saturday’s fight would determined the new No. 1 boxer in the welterweight division. Thurman took it one step further by saying the winner should get Mayweather if he returns.

One thing is for certain, the winner will get the biggest fights in the division. Danny Garcia, Kell Brook, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas and Errol Spence Jr. are all gunning for the top spot in the loaded 147-pound division.

Both fighters made weight Friday, with Thurman coming in at 146 pounds and Porter at 147.

The trash talking was finally on display during the weigh-in. Thurman ran his hand across his neck and pointed at Porter.

Yes, the time has finally come for “One Time” and “Showtime” to meet in prime time.

Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow him on Twitter: @gmanzano24