Shawn Porter made his mark in the sport of boxing. He is a former two-time world champion, having conquered noted fighters such as Adrien Broner, Keith Thurman, and Danny Garcia. After losing to Terence Crawford, considered one of the greatest boxers ever, by a 10th-round TKO in November 2021, Porter announced his retirement from the ring.
The 38-year-old Cleveland, Ohio, native has made a smooth transition to life outside the ring, as he told the AmNews in an interview earlier this week. Porter is the host of the “Porter Way Podcast,” which he launched in 2020, and a studio analyst for TNT’s and DAZN’s monthly live boxing telecast collaboration, “The Fight.”
Additionally, he has delved into the fashion industry with his suit line, Shawn Porter Suits and Services.
“Media has been something that I’ve always had a passion for and always something that I had goals and aspirations of pursuing after boxing,” said Porter, “and that along with a lot of other things, but specifically to media.
“I think that’s what made the transition so seamless, just having that desire to do it. I think, again, theoretically, most guys that get into the media spaces, they’re kind of in limbo, no man’s land, or someone approaches them and tells them to give it a shot.”
The former IBF and WBC welterweight champion elaborated: “It was like a no-brainer. I’ve been working for this my whole life behind the scenes, behind closed doors.”
Porter’s love of boxing and discovery of his deep interests in media has stirred a natural perspective on matchmaking. There is one potential pairing that intrigues him.
“Right now, I really wanna see … [welterweight] Devin Haney versus [junior welterweight] Shakur Stevenson, I love that one,” he replied when asked what fights he wants to see in the near future.
“One that we’ve been starving for a long time, Shakur Stevenson versus Gervonta [‘Tank’] Davis. I think an amazing matchup would be [light middleweights] Sebastian Fundora against Jaron Ennis. I think… those are some of the biggest fights that can be made right now.”
In the fashion arena, Shawn Porter Suits and Services (https://www.shawnpsuits.com) officially launched the night Terence Crawford defeated Errol Spence Jr. in July 2023 in Las Vegas, where Porter was working as a correspondent for Premier Boxing Champions and also did an Instagram takeover for GQ Sports.
“Even though I don’t fashion myself as a fashion designer, I think I have an eye for what looks good on me, and that’s the tagline for Shawn Porter Suits and Services: ‘We Fit You to Fit You,’” he shared.
“We want you comfortable in what you feel you look good in. We’re going to bring all the fabrics to you and put the design together, and it’s something that fits you.”
Porter also expressed his aspiration of producing a movie, and is partnering with Crawford to achieve his goal.
“I’ve been working on [a film] basically since the pandemic,” Porter said, adding that he is currently seeking funding. “I expect this to be the most dedicated boxing film ever … We’re going to have true media … We’re going to have real boxers in the film, and we’re going to really immerse this film with as much boxing as we can.”
