Oleksandr Usyk may be undefeated as a professional boxer, but ‘The Cat’ endured 15 losses in his amateur career, including a 2006 defeat to Shawn ‘Showtime’ Porter.
Boxing fans eagerly await the heavyweight rematch between Tyson Fury, while wondering how Shawn Porter beat Usyk.
Shawn Porter Reflects on Beating Oleksandr Usyk in Amateur Fight: ‘I Earned That Win
Before turning professional in 2013, Oleksandr Usyk suffered 15 defeats in his amateur career, including one to Artur Beterbiev and another to American icon Shawn ‘Showtime’ Porter.
Porter recalled the fight during a past episode on his PorterWay Podcast, stating;
“I’m roughly 5’7” now – I was about the same then. Usyk wasn’t as tall as he is now and was slim at 165lbs, but he could box.”
Shawn Porter won the fight by unanimous decision (23-20) and described it as a close contest. He revealed how his coach, his father, and 2008 Olympic coach Dan Campbell helped him secure the win;
“Going into the fourth round, Dan Campbell told me, ‘Shawn, if you line him up, he’s there for the right hand – throw a straight right, and you’ll land it.’ That’s exactly what happened.”
Shawn Porter followed Campbell’s advice, landing a straight right hand that wobbled Usyk, allowing him to take control and win the fight;
“We were moving around, and I landed that right hand on Usyk – he stumbled back. And I jumped on him and won 23-20… It was a great fight, and honestly, for an amateur match, it was worth paying for.”
Despite being able to defeat Usyk, Shawn Porter later admitted he had almost forgotten about the fight;
“When my hand was raised, I knew I earned that win,” Porter said. “I remember thinking it wasn’t a fight I won just because he came over to the US – I had to earn it.”
Years later, while in Ukraine in 2018, Shawn Porter was surprised when people approached him about the fight, as he had completely forgotten about it;
“It was all love,”
“People would come up and talk about it.”
Porter Predicts Tyson Fury Will Win Rematch Against Oleksandr Usyk
Speaking with FightHubTV, Shawn Porter shared his thoughts on the upcoming heavyweight rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, suggesting that the December 21st clash is “Tyson Fury’s fight to lose.” Shawn Porter explained;
“What I mean by that is, in the first fight, we saw that Fury was bigger, stronger, and sharper from the outside. But he had a moment of complacency and paid for it by losing the second half of the fight.”
Although Porter hesitated to make a definitive pick, he acknowledged there are factors in boxing that can’t be measured;
“The two things I can’t ignore are Usyk’s greatness and the mileage on Tyson Fury,” he continued. “That mileage is something we can’t really measure, and Usyk’s greatness is also beyond measure.”
Porter finished up when he said;
“I think the first fight was a 50/50, and the second one is too, but I’m willing to bet Tyson Fury wins this one.”
Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk 2 will take place live at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia on December 21st.
Featured image credit to Embed from Getty Images
