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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 19: WBA welterweight super champion Keith Thurman poses on the scale during his official weigh-in at MGM Grand Garden Arena on July 19, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Thurman will meet WBA welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao in a WBA welterweight title fight on July 20 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 19: WBA welterweight super champion Keith Thurman poses on the scale during his official weigh-in at MGM Grand Garden Arena on July 19, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Thurman will meet WBA welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao in a WBA welterweight title fight on July 20 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Almost five years removed from their classic championship bout, former welterweight champions Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter would soon be sharing the squared circle again.
The fight news was first reported by Mike Coppinger of the Athletic. The rematch is in the works and is likely to take place in the fall of 2021.
The first fight was a spectacle that would be hard to replicate in its second installment. The Premier Boxing Champions ‘Fight of the Year 2016’ was an extremely close, back-and-forth affair. ESPN claims that the fight averaged $3.1 million viewers. It broke the record of the Barclays Center as $1.1 million worth of tickets were sold that night.
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Sources: A rematch between former welterweight champions Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter is being discussed for the fall. Their 2016 meeting was an excellent fight, one of the best of the year. Thurman retained his 147-pound title with a close-decision victory. Both with PBC
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) June 9, 2021
Thurman vs Porter was a back-and-forth chess match. It went the distance and Thurman emerged victorious. All three judges saw the fight 115-113 in the favor of “One Time”. Thurman reigned as the 147-pound WBA champion until matching up against Manny Pacquiao.
However, the intensity of the duel had always had fans craving for more. Both parties have been calling out for a rematch since then, but talks could never materialize.
ALSO READ: More Than a Year After His Loss to Manny Pacquiao, Keith Thurman Adopts New Philosophy and Hairstyle
The career paths of Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter since their duel
After Thurman beat Porter, he unified the welterweight titles by defeating Danny Garcia in another gruesome decision victory. Injuries had piled up for him after the Garcia fight and Thurman took a two-year hiatus from the sport.
Upon returning and reinstating his claim on the title with a majority decision win over Josesito Lopez, “One Time” put his title on the line against Manny Pacquiao in 2019. Another close fight saw him lose his title to the Filipino. The rematch would mark the end of another two-year layoff for him.
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LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 28: Shawn Porter in the ring against Erroll Spence Jr. (not pictured) during their IBF & WBC World Welterweight Championship fight at Staples Center on September 28, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Spence, Jr won by split decision. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Porter has been fairly active since Thurman handed him his second professional loss. “Showtime” has gone 5-1 since then. The only loss came by a split decision against Errol Spence Jr., which was also a fight of the year candidate for 2018.
The buzz around the fight could dip as neither has a title at the moment. However, both fighters are still in their prime and are coming off of impressive showings in their last bouts.
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It would be interesting to see if Keith Thurman could pull off another victory over Shawn Porter in the rematch. Or would the tables turn? Let us know.
