By Norm Frauenheim–
Getting a shot at Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been called a derby and a sweepstakes. There are no rules on how to get in line, if in fact there is one. Still, Shawn Porter and Kell Brook will try to win a chance Saturday at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.
They’re fighting for Porter’s International Boxing Federation (IBF) version of the welterweight title. But the acronym-sanctioned belt is window dressing. The real fight is to get into the Mayweather conversation.
Thus far, Porter’s name has been dropped, but a mere mention is a little bit like winning a state lottery. Not much chance there. With an impressive win over the unbeaten and dangerous Brook, however, maybe Porter will be more than just another name in a crowded pool of alternates after Mayweather begins searching for another opponent following an expected victory in a September rematch with Marcos Maidana. Porter (24-0-1, 15 KOs), a slight favorite to beat Brook (32-0, 22 KOs) in a Showtime-televised bout, acknowledges the Mayweather stakes, which are impossible to ignore anyway.
“I don’t consider my fights as auditions,’’ he said in a conference call. “I consider them performances. Again, you know this is boxing. We don’t look ahead. But at the same time, yes, Mayweather, we all know he’s on the clock. We’re all right there, hoping we’re next in line.’’
The confident Porter is bold enough to exhibit showmanship. That’s a fine line and he could pay for it if he loses to the quick and versatile Brook. But showmanship is one way to get noticed, which might keep him in the Mayweather conversation and in headlines that could generate pay-per-view sales.
Porter, also mentioned as a possibility for Keith Thurman, hit the pads blindfolded at a Wednesday workout for the media. Maybe, the blindfold was a pre-fight message, warning Brook that footwork and lateral movement would not take him out of harm’s way. Maybe, it was Porter’s way of saying he was looking only at Brook and not ahead to the Mayweather possibility. Whatever it was, it was a theatrical prop. It was designed to get some attention and it did.
Porter’s showmanship was evident on July 12 when he met a handful of writers at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand before Canelo Alvarez’ decision over Erislandy Lara. Porter talked about how he felt invincible, especially after successive victories over Paulie Malignaggi and Devon Alexander.
A lot of good fighters, Porter said, call themselves Superman.
“But I’m Mister Superman,’’ he said.
He’s just another Mister if he loses to Brook, who is fighting in the U.S. for only the second time. Brook might be the UK’s best-kept secret. It’s the UK connection that could make him a viable Mayweather possibility if he upsets Porter. There are rumblings that Mayweather, who promised a surprise for the next Mayday on his Showtime deal, wants a fight outside of his usual Las Vegas neighborhood in a move that could add to his claim on global celebrity.
A fight in the UK fits the bill and might pay a few too. A World Cup-like crowd of a reported 80,000 was at London’s Wembley Stadium for Carl Froch’s rematch stoppage of George Groves on May 31. If in fact Mayweather has further international ambitions, a Wembley bout with Brook could help fulfill them.
Brook is fighting to be a Mister too.
Mister Next.