Shawn Porter Announced His Retirement Saturday Night

Late Saturday night in Las Vegas after his 10th round TKO loss to WBO 147 lb. champ Terence Crawford, former world Welterweight champ Shawn Porter decided he’s had enough of battling in the ring.

At age 34, Porter told the media post fight at the Mandalay Bay resort that he will retire.

“i’m prepared to retire. I was prepared to announce my retirement tonight, win, lose or draw. Even if it was a draw, we had a date they were telling us that we had to do it, again. I was not going to do it again. 

I’m announcing my retirement right now. I think a lot of times the way this sport has gone, you guys expect us to fight for 15-20 years. And you say, ‘we hope he leaves this game with his health.’ …

I’ve been fortunate to be in some really big fights against some really good guys and always have my health at the end of the night.”

Porter went on to reveal late Saturday that he almost retired after losing a close decision to Unified Welterweight Champ Errol Spence in September or 2019,

“I knew that Errol Spence was going to be my last fight. I knew that in 2017….when he won his championship fight. And I said, ‘he will be the last one that I fought.’ And, after we fought I felt like there was something else and that something else was Terence Crawford.”

Porter battled Crawford into the late rounds Saturday only to have Crawford overwhelm and knock him down twice in the 10th. His father/trainer Kenny then controversially came on the ring apron wanting referee Celestino Ruiz to stop the bout, even though Porter wasn’t in serious trouble. Ruiz complied and brought a stunning ending that sent boos cascading down at the Michelob Ultra Theater.

This is, because Porter had largely been in control of the first half of the fighht, being busier and landing the more effective punches. Crawford, making his fifth defense Saturday night, began to find the range with his straight right jab and left hooks behind it.

He floored Porter with one of those lefts less than a minute into the 10th round. However, Porter was up immediately and angry at the knockdown, no seriously hurt. The bout continued with Porter ducking a couple of Crawford punches and even firing back at him before the champion landed an overhand right to the left top of Porter’s head.

Porter crouched down and got grazed through his guard with a left that put him back down on the seat of his pants for knockdown #2. At that point, Porter did something highly unusual as he repeatedly slammed his right glove on the mat in anger at the second knockdown. Porter was showing that emotion, as just like a late knockdown in his decision loss to Spence cost him, those two knockdowns were likely going to make Crawford a decision winner, too.

Still, his father, who has trained Porter his entire pro career stopped the bout leaving everyone but Crawford unfulfilled by the ending.

Porter just turned 34 years old last month and at 31-4-1,  having won the WBC World title in a win over Danny Garcia in 2018 and previously was also the IBF world champ.

However, Porter’s chances at a huge fight/pay day, again, would be unlikely without winning one or two significant contender bouts, again. So, it’s understandable that with significant money and his health he would want to step away.

Porter has also excelled as an analyst and play by play commentator for PBC’s coverage on Fox and also worked the Olympic Boxing bouts in Tokyo remotely from the TV studio in New York this past August for NBC Sports.

Yet, it’s disappointing that after a good performance, in a fight that he was clearly capable of winning heading into the final rounds, Porter didn’t get it done against Terence Crawford.

And, he says, for now. that will be it in ring.