Shawn Porter ready to put past behind in Keith Thurman bout

Shawn Porter grimaced when he heard ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. utter the words “And the new …” to crown Kell Brook the winner by majority decision against Porter in 2014.

Porter lowered his head into his father’s shoulder as the realization sunk in that he wasn’t the IBF welterweight champion anymore.

It was a stunning upset at the time and one that dropped Porter down the welterweight totem pole.

The Las Vegas native has recovered since his first career loss. Porter has an opportunity to reclaim a major title when he faces WBA champion Keith Thurman on Saturday at the Barclays Center in New York.

Porter (26-1-1, 16 knockouts) won’t be playing the role of favorite this time, like Brook did two years ago, but instead will be looking for the upset. Thurman (26-0, 22 KOs) is a minus-200 betting favorite, according to VegasInsider.com.

“This fight will be much better for me (than the Brook fight),” Porter said. “A lot of things I lacked against Kell Brook I won’t lack again. The key thing is being intelligent. I wasn’t intelligent through 12 rounds against Kell Brook. I applied pressure, and I think I won, but it wasn’t enough and it was from a mental aspect.”

On that August night at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, Brook frustrated the former champion by controlling the ring and holding Porter anytime he got close in the early rounds.

The English boxer let his punches go in the later rounds and landed the cleaner shots. Porter looked confused while throwing numerous punches that didn’t land. Brook’s perfect game plan won over the two American judges, who scored it 117-111 and 116-112, while the English judge scored it 114-114.

Porter’s father/trainer, Kenny, doesn’t see Thurman taking a page out of Brook’s winning-formula.

“I think Keith is going to fight more than Brook did,” Kenny Porter said. “Brook’s game plan was grab, hold, grab, hold, grab, hold. I highly doubt Keith is going to do that. I’m sure it will be a harder fight, a more exciting fight than the Brook fight, and we’ll try to make it more exciting than the Brook fight.”

The undefeated Thurman is considered by many as the top welterweight in the division because of his punching power. Kenny Porter said his son will be ready if Thurman decides to go away from his usual aggressive approach.

Porter has seen another fighter try to emulate Brook’s formula to defeating him. Adrien Broner attempted to hold Porter often when the two Ohio-born boxers battled at the MGM Grand Garden Arena last June. Referee Tony Weeks deducted a point from Broner for the excessive grabbing in the 11th round.

This time, Porter wasn’t flustered and walked away with a unanimous decision over the flashy Broner to earn a shot against Thurman.

The signature victory put Porter back in the welterweight elite class, which includes Danny Garcia, Timothy Bradley, Thurman and Brook.

Kenny Porter believes the fights against Brook and Broner gives his son an edge against Thurman. The older Porter said Thurman has only faced older veterans and not young boxers in their prime.

The 27-year-old Thurman’s last three fights were against Luis Collazo, 35, Robert Guerrero, 33, and Leonard Bundu, 41.

“How will Keith react when he faces a young fighter that could do anything he can do?” Kenny Porter said. “Questions weren’t answered when he fought a 41-year-old Leonard Bundu, Guerrero or the other guy, Collazo, who’s over 35 years old. His last three opponents have 108 years of age combined.”

The 28-year-old Porter vows to not let the Brook outcome repeat itself against Thurman.

“I don’t want Keith to control anything; that’s not how I fight,” Porter said. “I don’t want him to slow the tempo down, not going to allow him to do that, but I’m definitely not going to rush. It’s all about controlled boxing, controlled aggression.”

Sounds as if Porter has learned his lesson from his only defeat.

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