One of the most accomplished welterweights of the last few years, Shawn Porter is hanging up his gloves for good.
Porter, a former WBC and IBF Welterweight Champion, announced his retirement following his round ten loss to Terence Crawford this past weekend. The fight inside the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas was close thanks to Porter's calculating strikes. Crawford, the WBO Welterweight Champion, would land heavy blows to Porter, putting him down twice in the tenth. His father Kenny stopped the fight and provided a critical assessment of his son's fight after.
The announcement during the post-fight press conference appeared to be a long time coming.
"I was prepared to announce my retirement tonight, win, lose or draw," said Porter (h/t ESPN). "Even if it was a draw ... I was not going to do it again. I'm announcing my retirement right now.
"After you've fought everybody at the top, what more could I do? I'm not going to be a gatekeeper; that's not the life I want to live. I never wanted to lead the life of a fighter who fought into his 40s."
Porter was looking to retire by 30 but held on until age 34.
Making his boxing debut in 2008, Porter would win the NABF Welterweight Championship early on. A Golden Gloves gold medalist, Porter won the IBF Welterweight Title against Devon Alexander in 2013. He would lose the belt to Kell Brook in 2014. Porter would become champion once again by winning the WBC Welterweight Title from Danny Garcia in 2018. In a fight many consider a classic, Porter lost the belt to Errol Spence Jr. in 2019. He would return to action in August 2020, beating Sebastian Formella.
Porter has 17 wins via knockout and ends his career on 2-2 run to complete a 31-4-1 record. He can now focus on his family, keep his health and wealth, and continue his commentary career.
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