Shawn Porter successfully defended his WBC Welterweight title by a razor-thin split decision victory over Yordenis Ugas on Saturday, March 9.
Porter didn’t have his best stuff against Ugas, nor did he execute his normal game plan of brute strength, and stalking his opponent.
A win is a win, now Porter remains a top Welterweight and can essentially fight whomever he wants from the stacked division.
Porter can now look forward to another WBC title defense, or possibly a title-unification fight with any of the current Welterweight champions.
Future opponents for Shawn Porter should be the following, Danny Garcia (34-2, 20 KOs), Adrian Granados (20-6-2, 14 KOs), Kerman Lejarraga (27-0, 22 KOs), Manny Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs), Errol Spence Jr. (24-0, 21 KOs), or Terence Crawford (34-0, 25 KOs).
Danny ” Swift” Garcia
Stephanie Trapp/Showtime
Danny Garcia is the No. 1 ranked WBC contender in the division.
A rematch with Danny Garcia would make sense for Shawn Porter. It was a close fight between two of the divisions best fighters. There would be nothing wrong with this bout taking place again, outside of a unification fight this would be atop the list for Porter.
Garcia has a fight scheduled on April 20 against Adrian Granados, should he win, he might earn the rematch against Porter.
Porter can add another great fight to his resume while waiting for the business side to take care of the unification bouts.
Adrian “El Tigre” Granados
Marilyn Paulino/RBRBoxing
Chicago Welterweight contender Adrian Granados is a former opponent of Porter and is one step away from earning another shot at the top of the division.
Porter vs. Granados was a great action fight that Porter edged out by unanimous decision.
Granados is a warrior that likes to bring the fight to his opponent, as does Porter. This would be an easy fight to make, and both men would jump at the chance to fight again.
The Danny Garcia vs. Adrian Granados matchup is for the WBC Silver title giving the winner some leverage to obtain a title fight. If Granados upsets Garcia and wins the WBC Silver title, he would shoot for a title shot.
Kerman Lejarraga
Instagram/@RevolverLejarraga
Kerman Lejarraga is the No. 2 ranked WBC contender, an undefeated fighter out of Spain.
Lejarraaga has fought his way to the top of the WBC Welterweight rankings. There would be no issue with Porter vs. Lejarraga if Porter couldn’t secure a top opponent.
This wouldn’t be a fan favorite fight or a highly viewed fight, but a good opponent for a stay busy fight for Porter and a last resort.
Manny Pacquiao
Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
Manny Pacquiao vs. Shawn Porter makes sense in terms of payday, legacy and future fights as well.
Fighting a legend would be hard to pass up for Shawn Porter, there would be no reason to do so unless a unification bout was available.
Porter vs. Pacquiao would be an absolute action-packed brawl. WBC champion vs. WBA world champion with legacies on the line.
This would be a 50-50 fight that both men would have a chance to win, as opposed to fights with other champions.
Pacquiao vs. Porter should be explored, and put atop the list of priority fights.
Terence Crawford
Mikey Williams/Top Rank
A unification bout between Shawn Porter and Terence Crawford would be great for fans, and the sport of boxing.
Porter has mentioned he wants to fight any champion in the division, this fight should be on the table. Crawford is one of boxing’s pound-for-pound best fighters.
Porter and Crawford don’t talk outside of the ring, but rather let their actions inside the ring talk. This matchup would be hard to make with Crawford signed to Top Rank, and Porter being a PBC fighter. However, boxing needs to put the best against the best and push the politics to the side.
Shawn Porter has a handful of options for his next opponent. Boxing fans will have to wait and see who it will be.
