Shawn Porter, a retired two-time welterweight champion, has shared his thoughts on a potential fight between Conor Benn and Shakur Stevenson. Porter advises Stevenson against moving up in weight to face Benn.
Conor Benn's last fight ended in a defeat by decision to Chris Eubank Jr in April at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London. The British boxer had plans for a rematch on September 20, but that's not going ahead. There's talk of rescheduling for November, but Benn might return to welterweight before the year ends instead.
On the other side, Shakur Stevenson, the current WBC lightweight champion, won his last fight against William Zepeda by decision on July 12 in New York City. He's now looking at potential fights with either Conor Benn or Gervonta 'Tank' Davis.
Porter, speaking about a possible Benn-Stevenson matchup, said Stevenson shouldn't move up to challenge Benn. He explained his reasoning in an interview:
"It shouldn't be to move up and challenge Conor Benn. He can outbox Conor, you know, out-style him and all that kind of stuff but that's a different punch than the 35, 20, 26 punch, it is, you know, your body can withstand even getting hit on the shoulders and arms and stuff like that but a 47 pound punch on your arms and your shoulders, that's a little bit different"
Porter believes Stevenson has the boxing skills to outbox and out-style Benn. However, he's worried about the difference in punching power at 147 pounds. He thinks Stevenson's body might not handle the heavier punches as well as it does in the lighter divisions.
The two fighters have already started some back-and-forth on the Ariel Helwani Show, with Stevenson saying he'd be willing to move up to 147 for a fight with Benn.
But many in the boxing community want to see Stevenson face Gervonta 'Tank' Davis instead. It's still uncertain if these two will agree to a showdown. For now, Porter thinks Stevenson should stick to fights closer to his current weight class.
