Q: How do you see Errol Spence vs. Shawn Porter playing out this weekend?
Michael Conlan (Featherweight prospect)
I’m interested to see this one. I think Spence wins but how he wins for me is important. Porter is very aggressive and physically strong, and I hope he can ask the questions of Spence that we haven’t seen yet. I’m picking Spence on points, though, in an exciting fight.
Gareth A. Davies (Boxing journalist)
Spence always seems to respond to the gamest of opponents and Porter is exactly that. The lefty will outwit the power and ring wisdom of the Las Vegas-based fighter and hand him his third career defeat. Unanimous points decision, by precision, faster hand speed for 29-year-old Spence, if he is on his game.
Gary Logan (Former Southern Area champion and coach)
Porter has to win this with close exchanges as he cannot outbox Spence on the outside for any length of time. In fact, Spence’s close-range equipment – hooks, uppercuts and body shots – is better than Porter’s. I see Spence establishing his jab and nailing Shawn with counters as he advances or with those up-close counter hooks and uppercuts he uses so well. He should win on points.
Wayne Alexander (Former European champion)
I see Spence vs. Porter being a good, classy fight. It’s always nice to see two of the world’s top 10 in their primes box each other. In this one I see the unbeaten and more confident Spence pulling through late to win on points. Porter is world-class but has shown he can be beaten by the likes of Kell Brook and Keith Thurman.
Q: Which of the Four Kings (Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran) is your favourite and why?
Michael Conlan
Roberto Duran was my favourite. He was a poor street kid who came from nothing to be one of the best ever. He was an aggressive puncher but his defence was so underrated. He is one of the greats of all time, in my opinion, and a dream fight for me is Duran vs. Vasyl Lomachenko.
Gareth A. Davies
It is a close-run thing between Hagler and Duran. Never stopped, uncompromising, incredible chin, I’m going Hagler. I loved the fact he moved to Italy to be with his wife, Kay. I spent two days in Morocco with them on a charity sports project 10 years ago and Marvin was brilliant to be around. He still looked in amazing shape and growled when I mentioned Leonard.
Gary Logan
This is tough. I adore both Duran and Leonard for so many reasons. Duran could it all, but I’ve just got to give the nod to Leonard. He was a beautiful and balletic boxer-puncher at his peak and a potent finisher with, in my opinion, the best left hook in welterweight history other than Robinson’s. The 2.01 mark of the sixth round in Leonard-Hearns 1 shows this.
Wayne Alexander
I would have to put Duran slightly ahead of Hagler as my favourite because when I was growing up I would watch his fight tapes the most. As a lightweight he was almost perfect. He had it all: knockout power in both hands, aggression and pure heart. He also beat the best in the world from lightweight to middleweight.
