Since losing a close unanimous decision to Keith Thurman in June 2016 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, Shawn Porter and his father, Kenny (who manages and trains his son), have made it clear they are longing for a rematch.
There had been rumblings that a second chapter was being negotiated, but the elder Porter flatly denied that there was any truth to these rumors.
"Absolutely not," he told ESPN.com on Thursday. "Here's my thought process on it: If at the WBC convention, which Shawn attended, they said Keith Thurman has to fight Shawn Porter and negotiations start today and they've got 30 days to make an agreement, then why doesn't the WBC contact me or contact Keith's people and say, 'OK, you guys have got 30 days to negotiate it?'
"And both of us at that time would say, 'OK, we'll negotiate it.' But nobody ever contacted me on that," continued Porter, whose son captured the vacant WBC welterweight title by defeating Danny Garcia by unanimous decision in a hard-fought bout in September. That particular belt had been held by Thurman, who voluntarily relinquished the title earlier this year.
Thurman (28-0, 22 KO's), who turns 30 in a couple weeks, has not fought since defeating Garcia by split decision in March 2017 to unify the WBA and WBC 147-pound titles.
So what's next for Porter (29-2-1, 17 KO's), who has chafed at his relative inactivity the past several years?
"For him, my feeling right now -- and I really wanted [IBF welterweight belt-holder] Errol Spence, but it appears he's fighting Mikey Garcia -- I asked for Errol Spence," Kenny Porter said. "I've been clear -- and I'm not talking about the media -- I made it clear to the people that needed to know to get this in moving order, that's what we wanted. And we were told Errol was more than likely going in a different direction."
Shawn Porter and Spence are both advised by Al Haymon and box under the Premiere Boxing Champions banner.
So for now, the 31-year-old Porter will have to look for other dance partners.
"For Shawn, right now, it's March or April and it's probably [against] who they [WBC] say is his mandatory [challenger]," Kenny Porter said.