Tag Archives: porter

Posted on 03/08/2019

By: Hans Themistode

The consensus around boxing circles is that the Welterweight division is among the most talented and deepest in the entire sport. It’s not hard to see why. Not only is that weight class filled with numerous contenders but the current belt holders all have a reasonable claim in thinking they are the very best.

WBO and IBF champions Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr have big matches coming up. Former belt holder Danny Garcia has his own date with Adrian Granados arriving shortly. Keith Thurman and Manny Pacquiao delivered big time in their most recent ring returns as well. When mentioning the very best in the division Porter’s name is seldom brought up. Why is that? He is after all a two time champion. Let’s also not forget that he gave Thurman his toughest challenge to date. He also unseated Garcia in their battle for the vacant WBC crown.

Still even with those accomplishments he does not get as much attention as the previously mentioned fighters. Porter doesn’t have the most aesthetically pleasing style in the ring, often times just charging in and muddying up the fight. It isn’t always fun to watch but it does get the job. Even with a belt wrapped around his waist it feels as though Porter is the forgotten man. He is frequently discussed in such a fashion that would seem as though he and his title are easy pickings. His matchup against Ugas is one that most have tabbed him to win, but their wouldn’t be much shock if Ugas was able to dethrone him now would there be? Sure Ugas is a very skilled and tough fighter but how would his chances be perceived if he fought any of the other champions? Not very high to be frank. So why is he given at least a solid shot against Porter? Maybe it is because Porter is the weak link?

Believe that statement if you want but be prepared to be sadly mistaken. Porter’s game might be a bit unorthodox but it is effective nonetheless. As already mentioned, many of the top Welterweights have already recently fought or will be fighting in close proximity. Before Spence, Crawford and Garcia all get their moments to shine Porter will have the stage to himself. He will be aiming to make an emphatic statement at the expense of Ugas.

Now is his moment to make his claim that he is in fact the best that the division has to offer. On March 9th all eyes will be on Shawn Porter.

Posted on 03/08/2019

By: Hans Themistode

With all of the hype that is surrounding the big showdown between Errol Spence Jr and Mikey Garcia, it is easy to overlook this weekends matchup between current WBC Welterweight champion Shawn Porter (29-2-1, 17 KOs) and Yordenis Ugas (23-3, 11 KOs) but make no mistake about it, this is a must see fight. The contest is scheduled to take place at Dignity Health Sports Park, in Carson California.

Photo Credit: Premier Boxing Champions Twitter Account

With so many great fighters in the Welterweight division, Porter seems to be the forgotten man. On Saturday March 9th he will be looking to remind everyone just exactly who he is. In Porter’s last contest he picked up the biggest win of his career when he out pointed former two division champion Danny Garcia for the vacant WBC crown. In the first defense of that title Porter will undoubtedly have his hands full when he takes on Yordenis Ugas who is riding an eight fight win streak and has gone undefeated ever since making his debut in his new weight class class in 2016.

The fighting style of Porter is well chronicled as he uses his non-stop pressure and volume punching to make it a long night for his opponents. What can be deemed his strength could ultimately lead to his demise against the Cuban born Ugas who uses his slick fighting style to make his foes miss and pay. Don’t mistake Ugas for your typical Cuban fighter who doesn’t engage in all out brawls as he has no problem mixing it up on the inside. To say that this contest is a must win for both men would be an understatement.

Not only is Porter looking to defend his strap for the first time but he is also looking to make a statement. Super fights with Manny Pacquiao, Errol Spence Jr and others are within his grasp if he can just get past his tough Cuban foe. For Ugas this is the biggest fight of his career and one that he has worked extremely hard for. He has looked sensational since joining the Welterweight division but can put an exclamation point on his career renaissance with a win over Porter which would lead to his first world title.

The fans will be tuning in to see two of the best Welterweights on earth go toe to toe but will be equally as entertained in the co main event as Francisco Santana (25-6-1, 12) will be looking to put an end to the five fight win streak of the hard hitting Abel Ramos (23-3-2, 18 KOs). Both of these men campaign in the Welterweight division and will be looking to impress as they vie for their own title shot sometime soon.

Since losing a close majority decision to current title contender Jamal James, Ramos has won five straight matches all via stoppage. He has quickly turned himself into a possible future contender with his vaunted power. He will however, need more than that if he hopes to extend his streak. Santana recently found himself in a major rut, losing two fights in a row and three of his past five. That all quickly changed when he defeated the highly regarded Felix Diaz by majority decision in his last contest. That win placed his career back on track. With another impressive performance he can find himself in the championship mix.

Porter vs Ugas is sure to be a non stop action packed fight but don’t be surprised if Santana vs Ramos steals the show.

Posted on 10/05/2018

By: Rich Mancuso

Undefeated Jose Benavidez Jr. is the next opponent for Terence Crawford next Saturday evening at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Crawford, the three-division world champion, will defend his WBO Welterweight title for the second time. But this is not the opponent he wants in a fight that will be televised on the ESPN platforms.

Don’t get this wrong. Crawford, not one to stir the pot, is honored that Benavidez took this fight. And the home crowd will be thrilled to see their champion again. Many consider him to be either number one or two in the pound-for-pound discussion.

Photo Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Not to overlook Benavidez, Crawford is very content with the promotional deal he has with Top Rank. However, in a Thursday afternoon conference call with media the names of champions such as Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter and Errol Spence Jr. came into the discussion. These are some of the elite fighters in the 147-pound division along with some others.

The welterweight division is the talk of boxing. Spence Jr. is known as the elite champion and always a target. With that in mind, where does Terence Crawford stand in the mix of all this? He is with Top Rank, the others with PBC and their platforms of Showtime and Fox.

“Spence, Porter, Thurman, those are the only champions,” Crawford said. “ I don’t look at the WBC Silver interim belts . I look at the actual champion in the division.”

So this is a matter, first of Crawford getting past Benavidez Jr. and then the talk about a mega fight with Spence Jr. who holds the IBF title. The issue is logistics with two major platforms of promoters and networks putting their differences aside and giving fight fans what they want.

Crawford has Top Rank in the corner. The ESPN deal with his promoter is strong and delivering what boxing fans and the sport desire. The Crawford camp is content but as everyone is aware, this is a business.

The talk has to be done at the table, and very similar to the deal that was made when Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. got in the ring three years ago. Brian McIntyre, manager and trainer for Crawford wants the elite fights to be made. He made his case on the conference call.

“We want after the champions, man,” McIntyre said. “There is no reason to be fighting a No. 6 dude or a No. 7 dude. Terence wants the best fighters out there at 147.”

Top Rank president Todd duBoef was also on the conference call. McIntyre is seeking the best for his fighter and said the heat is on with Top Rank and all for the best involved.

“We’ll put the heat on him,” he said. He’s the one who makes the fights happen. He could go to ESPN and make those fights happen. Terence wants the fights to happen. Let’s go. The only fights out there is the other champions.”

They don’t want a number 7 or 8 fighter in the division, because this is about the elite fighters at 147.

To that, duBoef said, “We have said this regardless of your affiliation, we don’t care what you are ,what you do, Terence is an elite fighter. in fact elite fight, all they talk is about Terence. “We’ve done the biggest fights with all the complications. We’ve done the biggest with no complications”

But there are always complications. Venues, purse, and how two networks that are in competition can co-exist. A response from the PBC was unavailable when reached for comment.

“We’re gonna go after all those guys,” duBoef said. “We’re not allowing anything, no politics, no nothing, to get in the way. They wanna do it, we wanna do it, let’s just get it done. We’ll figure out a solution.”

Crawford, on the other hand, avoids this discussion about fighting the elite champions. He is focused on this fight next weekend and when it comes to consideration about being the Number 1 pound-for-pound, he just goes about his business. He wants to take on opponents and bypass the talk of Top 10 fighter or who is Number 1 or 2.

“Some people rate me number 1 some people rate me number 2,” Crawford said. “I can’t complain some people rate me number 2. Don’t pay attention. My main attention is Benavidez. I’m focused and ready to go next week. Keep winning in tremendous fashion.”

He added: “ I never predict a knockout. I just go in there if I see a chance for a knockout I’ll go for it. All i do is go in there and get the win. I believe he is going to come out and try and make it a fight and if he does do it we have a game plan for that as well.

However, this could be the tune-up fight towards the next one. There is time for the respective promotions and networks to stage an eventual Crawford and Spence Jr. title fight.

“Still growing up in this division,” Crawford said. “Not looking to move up. Great relationship with Top Rank. We build a lot of great memories together and built me up to where I am now. Takes me wherever I want to go.”

Benavidez Jr. sought this fight and there was no hesitation. Because Terence Crawford never ducks an opponent, and in boxing you take the opportunity as there is always a chance to pull off the unexpected. And by all means, the height and reach is something to look at with that undefeated record coming in against the champion.

But we all know, this fight is all about Terence Crawford. It’s about getting to the elite and opposing Errol Spence Jr. and soon.

Comment: Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso Twitter@Ring786

Posted on 09/09/2018

By: Sean Crose

The Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York hosted the WBC welterweight title bout between Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia on Saturday before Showtime cameras. The belt, which was open due to mutli titlist Keith Thurman’s abdication, offered the opportunity for two of the biggest names in the perennially competitive welterweight division to prove who was the better man in the ring.

First on the Showtime card was a 10 round heavyweight contest between the undefeated 17-0 Adam Kownacki and former titlist Charles Martin, 25-1-1. The hard hitting Brooklyn native, by way of Poland, banged away at Martin early on in the first, with Martin offering little in the way of resistance. The second round showcased more of the same. Kownacki’s pace slowed bit in the third, but by the middle of the fourth, he had his man hurt. The bout essentially remained the same throughout the middle rounds. Martin simply didn’t look to be in the fight.

Photo Credit: Showtime TWitter Account

Stepping things up a but, Martin carried the seventh with activity. He also landed effectively in the eighth, taking his second round in a row. The ninth round was a very close affair, with both men throwing and landing hard. The fight had developed a neck and neck feel, but the early rounds might have cost Martin the fight. Regardless of outcome, the final round was absolutely explosive, with each man firing away and giving it his all. Kowacki ended up walking out of the ring with a UD victory.

Next up was a welterweight throwdown between Yordenis Ugas, 22-3, and the 34-3-2 Cesar Barrioneuevo in a scheduled 12 round elimination battle. The first was fast paced, but the discipline and sharp body work of Ugas told the tale. Barrioneuevo looked outclassed in the second and third as Ugas continued to work the body. The Cuban’s foundation and body work were showing him to be a level above his Argentine counterpart. As the fight headed into the middle rounds, it was essentially more of the same Ugas was simply proving to be the more skilled of the two fighters.

Photo Credit: Showtime Twitter Account

By the eighth, Ugas was ready to ended. The first half of the round saw the Cuban throw furiously at Barrioneuevo, though the game Barrioneuevo survived the onslaught. The fight more or less leveled out after that. Fans at the Barclays Center booed, but there was no denying the disciplined contender was carrying the fight away. Ugas simply dominated from beginning to end, but was not powerful enough to put his game opponent away (which may have had as much to do with Barrionuevo’s chin than it did Ugas’ blows). After the final bell, an obvious UD decision went Ugas’ way.

It was time for the main event. Garcia stepped into the ring with a record of 34-1, while Porter boasted a 28-2-1 resume. The first was a tight affair that Porter may have edged slightly. The second round was razor sharp, yet Garcia looked to perhaps have landed the sharper punches. Garcia landed a beautiful right early in the third, then landed a nice left a few seconds later. Garcia was also avoiding Porter’s right hook effectively. Porter came alive in the fourth, ripping into Garcia’s body. Garcia came back strong in the fifth, landing effectively to the body in his own right.

Photo Credit:Showtime Twitter Account

The sixth saw Porter upping the action. The Ohio native then began to really take it to his man in the seventh. Garcia was very game, though – and very dangerous. Garcia looked better in the eight and ninth, though Porter’s attack was fierce. The tenth was an all out war with each man throwing and landing hard. Things remained close in the eleventh, with Porter going strong to the body, but Garcia having moments of his own. Things ended close, though Garcia looked to have taken the twelfth with cleaner shots.

It was a close bout that could have went either way, but the judges ruled it for Porter with scores of 116-112, 115-113, and 115-113.

Posted on 09/07/2018

by: Sean Crose

Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia will meet in a highly anticipated showdown Saturday night for the WBC welterweight title that was vacated by Keith Thurman. The bout will be the featured attraction on a Showtime card that will begin airing live at 9 PM Eastern Standard Time from the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York. Both Porter, 28-2-1, and Garcia, 34-1, have lost close bouts to Thurman. What’s more, this is a match which is essentially seen as an even matchup…as well as a step towards a clearer picture of the welterweight pecking order.

Photo Credit: Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions

With Thurman still holding the WBA crown, rising star Errol Spence in possession of the IBF title, and Top Rank promoted Terence Crawford owning the WBO strap, the post Mayweather era has been a bit chaotic for the welterweight division. The infrequent ring appearances of many PBC (Premiere Boxing Champions) fighters like Thurman, Spence, Garcia, and Porter, coupled with promotional and network issues between PBC and Top Rank, have made the discovery of a true welterweight king very hard to arrive at. Still, simply knowing who among the top fighters in the division can best who offers at least some sense of clarity. Stylistically, Saturday’s match between the extremely aggressive Porter and the disciplined, sharp punching Garcia, might also make for intriguing viewing.

This weekend’s card will also feature a WBC weltwerweight title elimination bout between the 22-3 Yordenis Ugas and the 34-3-2 Cesar Barrionuevo. Originally from Cuba and now living in Miami, Ugas has been on a hot winning streak since dropping two bouts in 2014. As for Barrionuevo, this will be the Argentine’s first bout on American soil, where he’s hoping to make a good impression on a road to bigger things. On top of the two welterweight battles, Showtime will also be broadcasting a heavyweight scrap from Brooklyn on Saturday night.

The 25-1-1 Charles Martin was briefly in possession of the IBF heavyweight title until he was trounced by Anthony Joshua in 2016. He’ll be on a two fight win streak when he faces the 17-0 Adam Kownacki on Saturday. Kownacki, originally of Poland, will be something of the hometown fighter, as he now resides in Brooklyn and has had numerous fights in the New York area. Having won all 17 of his bouts by knockout, he’s looking to leave his mark on the live television audience. With all but two of his own wins having been by knockout, however, Martin clearly wants re-establish himself as a top heavyweight.

Boxing guru Al Haymon’s PBC has recently signed a three-year extension with Showtime, which means top PBC bouts will be aired on Showtime for some time to come.

Posted on 09/05/2018

By: Shakeria Hawkins
@ShakeriaHawkins

Shawn Porter isn’t convinced that Danny Garcia wants to have a toe-to-toe center of the ring type of fight.

“That’s maybe where he thinks that he can win the fight. So whatever the case may be, that’s not what I’m prepared to do. The number one opponent to this game is you get hit, I get hit. We’re going to try to keep it as clean as possible. It gets a little rough sometimes, but if you can’t stand the heat then get out the kitchen,” said Shawn Porter at his public workout in Las Vegas.

This Saturday on September 8th, former welterweight champions Danny “Swift” Garcia (34-1, 20 KOs) and Shawn “Showtime” Porter (28-2-1, 17 KOs) will face off for the WBC’s vacant 147-pound world title on PBC on Showtime at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Although Garcia is the favorite to win the bout, Garcia vs. Porter seems to be pretty evenly matched. As fight night approaches, countless boxing experts and fans’ predictions are surfacing with mixed emotions between the two elite welterweight contenders.

On April 24, Keith “One Time” Thurman vacated his WBC title, forcing the organization to mandate Porter vs. Garcia for the vacant title. Both Porter and Garcia have experienced devastating career losses against Thurman. Thurman defended his WBA World Welterweight Title against Porter in 147-pound bout at Barclays Center on June 25, 2016. Thurman claimed a split decision against Garcia on March 4, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

“This is the top; this is the top. I ready did think that Keith Thurman was the top and I still think that, and in a lot of ways that match brought a lot out of me and I brought a lot out of Keith as well, but I think this is the same kind of fight. I think if either one of us come in there slipping at all, slow at all, second-guessing at all, hesitating at all the tables can turn,” said Porter when asked out of all his title fights in his career how does he assess this challenge.

The welterweight fighters Porter and Garcia have both had their share of trash talking leading up to this point. Porter says that the trash talking has been fun up to this point, but he is done.

“There are no rebuttals from him that I can see and I when I not getting that I’m not getting the reaction that I wanted. I did do one post and he called me a clown and that’s the reaction that I wanted, since then I haven’t got much so what the point you know,” said Porter if there was any bad blood between himself and Garcia.

All trash talking aside, Both Porter vs. Garcia is definitely one of the closest matchups of the year. Porter was asked if everything goes planned on Saturday where does he see himself ranked in the division among Crawford, Thurman, and Spence. Porter said that its hard to put Thurman in there since he has been inactive. Porter admits that its Spence then his self since Spence has been the champion longer.
“Business has to play its role, I do expect if this is a fight that I want and a fight that he wants the business will take care of itself with no problems,” said Porter when asked about fighting Errol Spence if he becomes victorious Saturday night.

Posted on 08/22/2018

Lou DiBella
Thanks everyone for joining us for this conference call for what should be an amazing, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING card presented by Premier Boxing Champions at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday, September 8th. The main event Danny Garcia vs. Shawn Porter is for the WBC World Welterweight Championship. It’s a sensational fight, incredible match up of styles, one of the best fights you can make in the Welterweight division.

It will be the main event of the tripleheader. It will also feature Yordenis Ugas vs. Cesar Barrionuevo in a WBC Welterweight Eliminator. And also an extremely interesting and important heavyweight match up between Adam Kownacki of Brooklyn, New York by way of Lomza, Poland and Charles Martin from Carson, California, the former World Heavyweight Champion.

Obviously an effort by Charles to get back into the big picture in the heavyweight division with one big win. And for Adam an opportunity to defeat a former World Heavyweight Champion and put himself into the immediate title conversation. It’s a sensational card, tickets for the live event, which is co-promoted by my company and TGB Promotions in association with DSG Promotions. They started $50 and they are on sale now.

They could be purchased at ticketmaster.com, barclayscenter.com or by calling 1800-745-3000, they can also be purchased at the box office in Barclays Center. Fights involving Garcia and Porter rank among the highest attended and highest grossing gates for boxing at Barclays Center. So both of these fighters are basically fighting in their homes away from home.

Adam Kownacki is a huge favorite within the Polish community in the New York area. He’s a very big ticket seller and this will be his seventh fight at Barclays Center. So right now tickets are moving incredibly well. The ringsides and the better seats are good to be gone quickly. So people should get on the phone and order their tickets you know for this fight when they can and they were tickets down to $50 so this is an affordable event for everybody.

In addition to being a huge event for Brooklyn and for Barclays Center this is another string of top boxing events in major fights that would be presented by SHOWTIME under the leadership of Stephen Espinoza, doesn’t get better than this. In my mind, this is as good a premium cable fight as you could possibly make.

Again it just continues in a multi-year period of excellence for SHOWTIME. Stephen, why don’t you say a few words?

Stephen Espinoza
Thanks very much, Lou. September 8 will be our 26th live boxing presentation of the year. That’s 26 live boxing events this year and of those we’ve had eight matchups of top five versus top five fighters, and that’s clearly what Danny Garcia vs. Shawn Porter is – two of the top five in the welterweight division. That again will be the eighth time this year alone that that’s happened on SHOWTIME.

We’re also here to talk about the heavyweights, Adam and Charles. Adam is hugely popular with Brooklyn’s Polish community. He’s fighting at Barclays Center for the fifth time. Charles Martin is no stranger to Barclays Center either, having won his heavyweight title there on SHOWTIME back in 2016.

It’s a very intriguing crossroads fight in a division, which has certainly got a lot of attention, a lot of buzz lately. So I think you know that’s all part of a very solid card, interesting card top to bottom. I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention Amanda Serrano who is trying to become boxing’s third six-division champion when she fights Yamila Reynoso for the WBO Junior Welterweight World Championship. A little bit of everything as far as high quality fights, we are really looking forward to September 8.

L. DiBella
Thank you Stephen, and as Stephen pointed out there is a terrific undercard featuring loads of New York talent and an incredibly significant women’s fight between Amanda Serrano and for a 140-pound belt, which would be Amanda’s sixth weight class with the title. As Stephen pointed out that would put her there with two other great male Hall of Fame level fighters and make her the first woman to hold a distinction as well as the first Puerto Rican, so that’s a very significant fight.

Let’s get started with the great heavyweight match up. I’m going to first to say a few words about a young man I’m very familiar with, born in Poland, moved to Brooklyn with his family when he was seven, two times New York Golden Gloves champion, rated in the top 10 by the WBC and number 13 by the IBF. Six round knockout recently against Iago Kiladze, he has wins over former title challenger Artur Szpilka as well as a number of other good wins with his record but really a rising young heavyweight close to his big opportunity with his biggest obstacle and a former world champion Charles Martin in front of him.

A. Kownacki
Hey thanks Lou for the introduction. I’m ready to make a statement. It’s a very big fight for me, I’m training very hard and hopefully after this fight I’ll be mentioned as a heavyweight contender. I’m thrilled to be on a great show in Barclays Center live on SHOWTIME and can’t wait. It’s definitely going to be a great night for me.

L. DiBella
Charles Martin only lost to Anthony Joshua in April of 2016. He has couple of knock out wins since then, 6’5″, 32-year-old, top 10 by the WBC at number nine and number 15 by the BF. Charles this is a pretty immediate way to get back into the picture, if you could beat this young contender and he’s looking at you as his biggest resume mark to date. So this is a big night for you, can you say a few words?

Charles Martin
Yes, I can’t wait. I’ve been training hard, doing what I got to do, staying focused, and I’m looking to put on a big show come September 8th and you know keep going up those rankings, trying to get back to my belts. I know it’s going to be a tough fight and that’s what I am training for, so we’ll see nothing new.

Q
When you turned pro did you have the expectation or the confidence that you would reach this level of the sport?

A. Kownacki
My goal was always to be world champion. Winning the New York Golden Gloves was a big thing for me. So after I won that, that’s where I was looking to win the title. With every fight I inch closer so I’m training very hard to reach the dream comfortably.

Q
Charles, what do you have left to accomplish in sport boxing.

C. Martin
I want to show what I can really do in the sport, so I’m just here to show people my skills and that’s what I am going to do on September 8th. I got some stuff to prove so that’s what it is.

Q
What does fighting in New York mean to you personally?

A. Kownacki
I love it. In fact, it’s one of the best feelings. If you can make here, you can make it anywhere. So I want to continue that and keep winning in New York.

Q
Charles do you think the winner of this fight will be right in line for a title shot?

C. Martin
Yes, possibly, but I’m never looking past my opponents. So I’m right on the money. I got to take care of Adam Kownacki first before anything.

Q
What is in Adam Kownacki’s style which makes him so hard to first of all predict and then to fight?

C. Martin
He is just a good fighter with a lot of heart. He is winning because he is a good fighter. I’m just saying he is a good fighter.

I’m prepared for everything you can possibly think of. I’m coming to minimize everything he brings, that’s what we are working on.

Q
Charles, could you tell us how you think you’ve improved as a fighter since facing Joshua and what lessons did you take from that fight?

C. Martin
Yes, I’m more mature, I’m grown. I’m a grown man. So we’re ready when I get in that ring. When I work out, when I go to training, I’m serious about what I do. I’m taking my craft seriously, so that’s what’s the difference. I’ve grown.

Q
What do you think your advantages are over Adam in this fight?

C. Martin
I’ve come in to win, come in to make a statement. I’m bringing devastation.

Q
Adam how do you view Charles as a fighter and what do you think your advantages are over him?

A. Kownacki
Well, first of all, I thank Charles Martin for pronouncing my name right, I think he is one of the few people that actually said it correctly but I will be in pressuring him all night. I’m a pressure fighter and if Charles Martin is able to give me all then I think it’s going to be a tremendous fight.

Q
Do you want to make prediction for the fight?

A. Kownacki
I do know that it is going to be exciting. There will be lot of fireworks.

C. Martin
No predictions. I like to prove it and I like to show it. Let me show it, no predictions.

Q
Charles does returning to Barclays Center bring back any special memories for you, was that part of the motivation for to take this fight?

C. Martin
Well as far as taking the fight it didn’t matter where we fought, but I love fighting in Brooklyn. I like the Barclays Center big stage, so I am looking forward to it.

Q
What led you to taking the fight with Kownacki?

C. Martin
It’s just who we are fighting with, you got to fight somebody. I haven’t been in the ring often recently but I’ve been in camps and working every day. We have been working really hard

Q
Adam do you feel like this is the final step towards getting that title shot or do you feel like there is more work to be done?

A. Kownacki
As you all see Charles Martin is very focused, so I’m prepared for the best Charles Martin that he brings, and I could beat the best Charles Martin and go for the title shot right after. I am looking at Charles Martin as if he still has the title, as if he is the champion, so I am ready. I am running and doing more workouts. I’m looking at Charles Martin as if he is still a champion, so by beating him it puts me right in o the title shot. He’s a contender and the former world champion so bringing a shot at title would be I think the next step in my career.

Lou DiBella
Adam and Charles I look forward to seeing you guys fight week, and now we’re going to move on to the main event of this great event on Saturday, September 8. Once again it’s 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York for the WBC World Welterweight Championship and frankly Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter don’t really need whole lot of introduction.

Q
A lot of guys who fight Shawn obviously come away from their fights feeling that he uses his head, how much are you preparing for that and how can you kind of combat that from happening to you?

Danny Garcia
I got to go in there and fight my fight. I can’t go in there and basically get caught up in his fight. We have the right sparring partners, short guys around 5’6″ using the head, who come forward. So me and my father got the perfect game plan to get away from the head butt. So yes we have some tricks for that.

Q
How much will you make the referee aware of that?

D. Garcia
At the end of the day I’m not really worried about the referee, it is a fight. The referee does his job and I’m just going to do my job and that’s go in there and fight. So I’m not really worried about his head. I just have to go in there and fight my fight.

Q
What it would mean for you if you’re able to stop him in the fight?

D. Garcia
It will mean a lot, if you avoid the scorecard that’s always a great thing, you don’t even have the judges judge, so it will be great. I stopped people for the first time in their careers so it won’t be the first and it won’t be the last time I did it.

Q
You’ve been involved in close decision before and I know you can’t go into a fight looking for a knockout but how imperative is it for you to try to end this fight before it goes to the cards so you don’t put yourself in those situations again?

D. Garcia
At the end of the day, those fights are growing fights, those type of fights are what makes you a better champion and makes you a better fighter. If you win easy fight all the time you don’t know what you have to work on, you want to improve. So those type of fights show what you got to work on. So I think every fight in my career has been the right fight and I’m going to go in there and use all those fights and all the experience I have had to get this victory.

Q
Shawn can you answer that as well?

Shawn Porter
I plan on going in there and taking care of it in the easiest way. I need to make sure I’m doing everything that I need to do to win the fight decisively and with no question at all that I am the winner.

Q
Do you think Danny can do anything to make you not fight his fight?

S. Porter
I think it’s a psychological thing. I say when you are in ring with me, you know what I am going to bring, and you really got to get yourself going for that. I think a lot of times they get caught up with my work rate and my aggression and they feel like they have to counter that with the same work rate and aggression. I don’t know what game plan they have for me, but I do know that I’ll be ready for anything.

Q
How excited were you or how did you feel when you found out you were going to get this opportunity?

D. Garcia
It was exciting because obviously I want the world championship again, the WBC title was my title to begin with. So it was exciting when I got the call and it was all right away and it’s a fight that I like and I was excited and I said let’s get it on.

Q
Can you talk about your point of view as this being a competition not only between yourself and Shawn but between your dad and also his dad?

D. Garcia
We’re looking at it like another fight. We are not looking at it like your dad versus my dad. This is just Team Garcia versus his team and that’s how we always look at it. So we are just preparing ourselves, working hard every day and again we are going to do what we always do.

Q
How difficult was it to swallow having the first defeat of your career?

D. Garcia
It was tough, it was tough, I have a mind of a winner and honestly waking up that day I thought I was going to be the unified champion of the world. I was real confident when it came to the scorecard that I was there to win the fight because I finished the fight strong, and you know what there were a lot of close middle rounds.

He won a lot of the early rounds, but I felt like I pushed the fight, I thought I won the fight, it didn’t go my wat. That got me going again but you know mentally it was tough but you know physically it didn’t affect me, so now it is behind me in the past. I feel good, I’m motivated and this is the same Danny Garcia you want to see. So in my mind I still feel like I kind of have to go out there and prove myself.

Q
You both lost close fights to Thurman, can you tell me how much either of you would like to get a rematch?

D. Garcia
You know I got to get this victory first and then quite frankly, I’ll fight anybody, it doesn’t matter who it is.

S. Porter
Yes, I think the fight against Thurman was very, very close, and I wanted a rematch right away, but that was in 2016. At the time, it was the best fight in the division. It is still that but I’d like to see and fight some other competition first, and trust me I just love to fight.

Q
How would you rate your performance in that fight against Brandon Rios and do you feel like you need to do better than that to beat Shawn Porter?

D. Garcia
I’ll give myself a B, I was off a year before that. I felt like I knocked off a lot of rust, I felt like I’d be really good for being a year off and went and got the knockout, which was the goal. I felt like that was the only way to win that fight if I am knocking him out and that made me so happy so yes I’m back where I need to be and I’m active.

I’m fighting again and you know I always tell people that an active Danny Garcia is a dangerous Danny Garcia.

Q
When you look at the welterweight division do you feel excited about new potential fights that a lot of people are already kind of fantasy matchmaking for both of you guys?

D. Garcia
Yes, definitely, it was exciting to be in a division full of talent. If I get this belt I will fight whoever, the biggest fight, the biggest payday. I will fight anyone.

Q
Lou, where do you rank this event at least on paper among all the other boxing cards that you’ve been a part of in Brooklyn?

L. DiBella
We put on some amazing cards, this is another one and frankly I’m as excited about this one as I’ve been about anyone in a long, long time and I’ve said this main event is a fight that I had loved for years and it’s a fight that sort of was inevitable and it’s now happening and it’s a great fight but you know everything else on this card is important, it has significant history being made.

There’s going to be a major contender either Martin back again or Kownacki in the heavyweight division. It’s a great, great card, headlined by two great champions and Garcia and Porter, and it’s another card in the run of great cards on SHOWTIME in association with Premier Boxing Champions and another great card in the line of Brooklyn Boxing at Barclays Center. So you know it’s continuing to build those brands at the same time.

So it’s going to be a big night for boxing on September 8th, I would hope everybody joins us.

Q
Danny how long did it take you for you to get over your loss to Keith Thurman?

D. Garcia
It took me a little while and at the end of the day I never pictured myself on the wrong side of a decision, but it is what it is. I came back strong against Rios and did what I was supposed to against him and stop him and knock him out. The next two guys up for the title was me and Shawn and that’s how the fight got made.

Q
Can you tell us about the success you had at Barclays Center?

D. Garcia
Yes, definitely it is, I love Barclays Center. I opened up the building and I was the first world title fighter at Barclays Center in 2012 when I knocked Morales out. I fought many epic battles here you know against Morales, Peterson, Judah, Thurman, the list goes on.

Of course a lot of great knockouts there, you have a big fan base in Brooklyn. When I walk through the streets of Brooklyn everyone knows who I am, so that’s my home away from home. I love the atmosphere. I love the people at Barclays Center and it’s my home away from home and I’m excited.

Q
Do you still have any potential future plans to bring a fight back to Philly?

D. Garcia
In a perfect world after this fight I would come back and defend my title in Philly, but we got some work to do come September 8, so we got to get this victory and get the job done and then whatever’s next is next but I would love to bring something to the area.

Q
Shawn, what makes this Danny Garcia very intriguing?

S. Porter
I’m aggressive. I come strong, I come fast, I come hard, and Danny is one that’s a little bit more patient. The fight is a brilliant fight. I’ve been around the block 100 times and coming back to Brooklyn we are both familiar with them and they are familiar with us.

If you want to you know the other intangibles of this fight, it’s two hard hitters, two strong guys, two young guys and that just makes for a very great intriguing fight and it will be just that.

Q
Can you talk a little bit about the style match up, everybody has got to be different, but for both guys is there any fight from your past that kind of lays the blueprint for how this one’s going to go?

D. Garcia
At the end of the day for a lot of people from the amateurs, the pro game, they come forward. I have to go in there and push him back and that’s what I am preparing for and that’s what I wake up every day and get my work done and to be the best that I can be, and perform the best that I can perform.

I’m going to go ahead and make adjustments like a true champion and get the victory and I think that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day.

S. Porter
I’m not exactly sure what’s going to happen yet but I’m sure I’ve had previous experience with whatever he brings to the ring. My experience and my knowledge in the ring is what is going to help me through that.

Q
How much does that help you when you had those long periods of inactivity before and still been able to perform at a high level when you go into a fight like this?

S. Porter
If anything I’m healthier, I’m happy and I’m relaxed. I’m fully recovered for anything that I’ve been through and you know the list goes on there. I think that if anything, I’ll have fresh legs late and a fresh mind to get in the ring with Danny. I think in the past just the time in between fights has made me stay hungry. This being for a world championship title and the WBC, plus Danny Garcia is one of the top guys in his division. Everything in this fight has kept me hungry from the moment that the talk began about this fight happening and now we’re like 23 days away from the fight I think and it is coming soon.

Q
Shawn earlier Danny said that he gave himself a B for his performance against Brandon Rios, how did you think he fought against Rios?

S. Porter
Honestly prior to the knockout it was a C performance for me, it was a C performance. I thought that he was not as fast and sharp as I expected him to be. If it is Shawn Porter versus Brandon Rios, I would not expect him to go that long. He found the right punch at the right time, he landed it, he knocked him down after that and that was what I needed from Danny in order for me to get in the ring and do what I did.

Danny doesn’t knock out Brandon I don’t get in the ring, and this fight may or may not be happening right now, but I’m ready.

Q
In regard to a Keith Thurman rematch, do you put that out of your mind at this point because he hasn’t fought so long?

S. Porter
Yes, I put it out of my mind, and again no disrespect to Keith, but we haven’t seen him, we don’t know what Keith is going to look like when he gets back in the ring and I would hate for Keith to get back in the ring to be any less than what he was the first time we fought. There’s too many questions and this is why Shawn Porter wins the rematch right now. So I have definitely put the rematch a lot further behind me than it was prior to this fight has been announced but this is the number one thing on my mind right now.

D. Garcia
He’s out because of me. I was the one who broke his elbow, but I just feel like I just feel like he’s not hungry no more since he unified the division. I think he reached the height in his career that he always wanted to reach.

I think he’s married now or he’s traveling the world, so his mind is not in the game. So I just don’t think he’s hungry anymore. I think he passed what he wanted to accomplish. I may be wrong but from what I see that’s how it seems to be.

L. DiBella
Thanks for joining us everyone and we’ll see you on September 8 at Barclays Center.

Posted on 11/02/2017

By: William Holmes

Last Saturday night Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua was able to successfully defend his belt against an overmatched Carlos Takam, but looked less than impressive in doing so.

This Saturday night the WBC Heavyweight Champion, Deontay Wilder, will look to defend his title against Bermane Stiverne in a rematch of a fight that Wilder convincingly won the first time.

Photo Credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME

Two other bouts will also be televised. Shawn Porter will look to get back into the welterweight title picture when he faces Adrian Granados in a WBC Welterweight Title eliminator. The first bout of the night will be for the vacant IBF Junior Welterweight Title and will be between Sergey Lipinets and Akihiro Kondo.

This card will take place at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York and will be televised live on Showtime.

The following is a preview of the three televised bouts.

Sergey Lipinets (12-0) vs. Akihiro Kondo (29-6-1); IBF Junior Welterweight Title

The opening bout of the night will be between Sergey Lipinets, a highly ranked prospect from Kazakhstan, and Akihiro Kondo, a tough rugged veteran from Japan.

Lipinets, at 28, is four years younger than Kondo but will be giving up about one inch in height. They both have notable power. Lipinets has ten career stoppage victories including four of his past five bouts. Kondo has sixteen stoppage victories including five straight KO/TKO wins.

Lipinets has been fairly active and fought three times in 2016 and once in 2017. Kondo fought twice in 2017 and four times in 2016.

Lipinets is also a former WAKO World Full Contact Kicking Boxing Champion at Light Welterweight.

Lipinets, despite only having twelve professional fights, has only faced on opponent with a losing record since the start of his professional career. He has already defeated the likes of Clarence Booth, Leonardo Zappavigna, Walter Castillo, and Haskell Rhodes.

Kondo has never fought as a professional outside of Japan. More specifically, he never fought outside of Korakuen Hall in Japan as a professional. His list of defeated opponents is less than impressive and includes boxers such as Komsan Polsan, Shogo Yamaguchi, and Ryuji Migaki. His losses were to Nihito Arakawa, Yoshitaka Kato, Tomoya Yamada, and Rick Sismundo.

Kondo will likely be a tough opponent that has the ability to go the distance, but his six losses in Japan are hard to overlook as well as his lack of a notable victory over a well known opponent. Lipinets should win, but he may have to box conservatively to avoid a shocking knockout loss and win a safe decision victory.

Shawn Porter (27-2-1) vs. Adrian Granados (18-5-2); Welterweights

Shawn Porter is another boxer looking to get back into title contention as he faces Adrian Granados in the welterweight division.

Porter is two years older than Granados but still in his athletic prime at the age of thirty. He will be giving up two inches in height and about four and a half inches in reach to the taller Granados.

Both boxers has fairly successful amateur careers. Porter was a US National Golden Gloves Champion while Granados was a Junior Golden Gloves National Champ.

Both boxers have been fairly inactive the past two years. They both only fought once in 2016 and once in 2017.

Porter has higher number of knockouts. He has stopped seventeen of his opponents while Granados has stopped twelve. Porter also has the better resume as a professional. He has defeated the likes of Andre Berto, Adrien Broner, Erick Bone, Paul Malignaggi, Devon Alexander, Julio Diaz, Phil Lo Greco, and Ray Robinson. His losses were to Keith Thurman and Kell Brook.

Granados lost a close fight to Adrien Broner and scored a big upset over Amir Imam. However, he has lost to the likes of Brad Solomon, Felix Diaz, Frankie Gomez, and a Joe Juan Fuentes.

Granados is a viable opponent because of his close fight with Adrien Broner and his upset victor over Amir Imam, but Porter is too experienced to lose a fight over an opponent like Granados at this stage of his career.

Deontay Wilder (38-0) vs. Bermane Stiverne (25-2-1); WBC Heavyweight Title

The man event of the evening is between Deontay Wilder and Bermane Stiverne for the WBC Heavyweight Title. They previously met in January of 2015, a fight which went the full twelve rounds and saw Wilder win a comfortable decision.

Wilder was originally scheduled to face Luis Ortiz, but a positive drug test by Ortiz forced the cancellation of that bout.

Wilder will have a five inch height and a three inch reach advantage over Stiverne. He is also seven years younger than his opponent. Stiverne, at the age of thirty eight, will likely have a very hard time getting another title shot if he’s not successful on Saturday.

Wilder has unbelievable knockout power. He has stopped thirty seven of his opponents and the only man to take him to the distance was Bermane Stiverne. Stiverne has twenty one stoppage victories on his resume but has only won one of his last five fights by stoppage.

Inactivty will hurt Stiverne. This will be his first fight in nearly two years. He last fought on November 14th of 2015. Wilder fought twice in 2016 and once in 2017.

Both boxers have a decent amateur background, but Wilder is the only one of the two to have medaled in the Summer Olympics.

Wilder has defeated the likes of Gerald Washington, Chris Arreola, Artur Szpilka, Eric Molina, Bermane Stiverne, Malik Scott, Siarhei Liakhovich, Audley Harrison, and Kelvin Price. Stiverne has defeated the likes of Derric Rossy, Chris Arreola, Ray Austin, and Kertson Manswell. His losses were to Deontay Wilder and Demetrice King, who has a record of 11-15 at the time.

It’s hard to imagine Stiverne having a better shot now, at the age of thirty eight, than he did two years ago, especially with his inactivity. This wasn’t Wilder’s first choice for an opponent, but it’s an opponent that he should feel fairly confident that he can beat, again.

Posted on 04/23/2017

Showtime Championship Boxing Results: Charlo defends title by devastating KO; Porter wins by 9th round TKO

By: Matthew N. Becher

Premier Boxing Champions presented its second major welterweight matchup in 2017, again at the growing boxing venue the Barclays Center in Brooklyn,NY. Andre Berto and Shawn Porter are both former welterweight world champions, with the winner getting a chance to take on the unified welterweight champ, Keith Thurman.

The leadup fight is between two Jr. Midleweights from the great state of Texas. Jermell Charlo, one half of the famous “Charlo Twins”, will defend his WBC title for the first time, against a very game Charles Hatley. Hatley has only fought outside of his home state of Texas once in his career, when he went to Australia and beat an aging Anthony Mundine over 17 months ago.

Jermell Charlo v. Charles Hatley: WBC Jr. Middleweight

Hatley came out a bit more wild in the opening round. It was easy to see who was the champion, with Charlo landing the much more effective, crisp punches. Hatley was the more aggressive fighter, as Charlo was content in countering and waiting on a heavy shot. Charlo recieved a cut over his left eye due to an accidental clash of heads in the second round.

In the third round Charlo landed a beautiful three punch combination to knock down Hatley. Hatley was definitley hurt, but was able to survive the round by moving and holding appropriately.

Charlo is able to land a one, two, left, right to the head of Hatley at will. Charlo cuts off the ring with no problem and can even fight backing up and using his supperior speed to counter Hatley.

In the fifth round Hatley just decided to continualy move around and around the ring, not engaging with Charlo. Charlo was able to use a stinging left jab that snapped Hatley’s head back every time.

Charlo decided to unleash a barrage of punches in the sixth round and ultimately ended the fight by knocking Hatley out of the ring with a devastating right hand to the chin.

Charlo defended his title and proved that he was on another level than Charles Hatley.

Charlo KO6 0:32

Shawn Porter v. Andre Berto: Welterweight

Neither of these veterans decided to come out and feel the other out, it was a rough and tough battle from the first bell. Both Berto and Porter fought and clinched, wrestling around to show the other who was the stronger or more dominant man.

Berto was just physically dominated by Porter in the second round. Porter bum rushed his way in, got Berto on the ropes and used his head, elbows and just unloaded punches. In the trenches, Porter ended up coming away with a nasty cut over his left eye, from a headbutt. This didn’t bother Porter in the slightest, as he put Berto to the canvas at the end of the round with a right hand to Berto’s temple.

Porter just puts his head down and bumrushes Berto into the ropes. Porter is mentally frustrated by not being able to box and continually fighting with his back against the ropes. The recklesness of Porters sytle is he ended up getting cuts over both of his eyes from headbutts.

The ugliness of the fight now has both fighters with bad cuts over their eyes. Porter is an overwhelming swarm of a fighter, pushing forward , with no regard to headclashes or shots landed back. Berto, is having trouble with the blood flowing into his eye. Porter is fighing thinking the fight could end at any moment and go to the scorecards, Berto is trying to figure out a way to get back to his gameplan.

In the seventh round, Berto has been landing his counter shots much more accurately. Those punches come very few and far between unfortunately, as Porter has the advantage of power and continues to lead with his jab and braun.

Porter came out in the eighth round and used Berto like a heavybag. Porter immediately got Berto on the ropes and just unloaded against the body and head. Berto didn’t seem to be hurt, but he was never able to get anything started at all.

Porter, who seemed to have an endless supply of energy, rushed Berto and in an ugly exchange between the two fighters, Porter was able to knock Berto down for the second time of the fight. Berto complained about a clash of heads that left him seemingly dazed. Porter rushed in again, got Berto stuck in a corner and the ref stepped in and stopped the fight in the 9th round.

Porter TKO9 1:31

Posted on 04/19/2017

PBC on Showtime Preview: Andre Berto vs. Shawn Porter, Jermell Charlo vs. Charles Hatley
By: William Holmes

On Saturday night in Brooklyn, New York Showtime will televise at least two bouts in the welterweight and junior middleweight divisions live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The main event will be between two top contenders, Shawn “Showtime” Porter and Andre Berto in a WBC Welterweight Title eliminator. The co-main event will be for the WBC Junior Middleweight Title between Jermell Charlo and Charles Hatley.

Other boxers on the undercard include WBO Women’s Bantamweight champion Amanda Serrano, Jose Miguel Borrego, Julian Sosa, and Richardson Hitchins.

The following is a preview of the Porter vs. Berto and Charlo vs. Hatley bouts.

Jermell Charlo (28-0) vs. Charles Hatley (26-1-1); WBC Junior Middleweight Title

This bout is between two boxers who should be somewhat familiar with each other, Jermell Charlo and Charles Hatley. Charlo and Hatley are both Texas natives and Charlo hails from Houston while Hatley hails from Dallas.

Charlo, the younger twin brother of Jermall, will be five years younger than Hatley and will have about a one inch height and reach advantage. Hatley, however, appears to be the harder puncher of the two. Hatley has stopped eighteen of his opponents and four of his past five wins have come by TKO. Charlo has only stopped thirteen of his opponents and only two of his past five opponents were stopped.

Both boxers have not been very active recently. Charlo only fought once in 2016 and twice in 2015, while Hatley did not fight in all of 2016 and fought twice in 2015.

They both had decent amateur careers, but Hatley was the more accomplished amateur. Hatley was the 2007 US National Amateur Welterweight Champion and the 2008 Olympic alternate. Charlo won the bronze medal in the 2005 Junior Olympics.

Charlo has the better resume as a professional. He has beaten the likes of John Jackson, Joachim Alcine, Vanes Martirosyan, Mario Lozano, Charles Bellamy, Gabriel Rosado, Demetrius Hopkins, and Harry Joe Yorgey. Hatley has beaten the likes of Emmanuel Augustus, Anthony Mundine, Saul Roman, and Jose Flores. His lone loss was to Lanardo Tyner, and he failed to go the distance in that bout.

At the age of thirty one and not having fought in over a year, ring rust is a serious concern for Hatley. Charlo is coming off a very good win against Jackson and momentum and age is on his side.

This should be a close bout early, but Charlo should take over in the later rounds.

Shawn Porter (26-2-1) vs. Andre Berto (31-4); WBC Welterweight Eliminator

This is a bout between two of the top contenders in the welterweight division that are looking for another chance at a welterweight title shot. Another loss for either boxer could spell the end of any hope of fighting for a title in the near future.
Both Porter and Berto had successful amateur careers. Porter was a World Golden Gloves Champion and came up short in qualifying for the 2008 US Olympic Team. Berto was a National Golden Gloves Champion, a bronze medalist in the 2003 World Championships, and represented Haiti in the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Both boxers have had some difficulties as of late. Berto has gone 3-3 in his last six bouts while Porter has gone 4-2. Porter has losses to the likes of Keith Thurman and Kell Brook by close decisions. Berto has lost to the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr., Robert Guerrero, Victor Ortiz, and Jesus Soto Karass.

Berto appears to have the harder punch of the two. He has stopped twenty four of his opponents while Porter has only stopped sixteen. However, Porter is five years younger than Berto and will have a half an inch height advantage and about an inch reach advantage.

Neither boxer has been very active the past two years. They both fought once in 2016 and twice in 2015.

Berto’s career started off strong but has since fizzled a little bit. He has wins over Victor Ortiz, Josesito Lopez, Jan Zaveck, Carlos Quintana, Juan Urango, Luis Collazo and Freddy Hernandez.

Porter’s two losses could have gone either way, and he has defeated the likes of Adrien Broner, Paulie Malignaggi, Devon Alexander, Julio Diaz, Phil Lo Greco, and Alfonso Gomez.

This should be a good bout and as typical for most Shawn Porter fights, will likely be very rough and chippy. Porter should be given the edge based on his edge and recent performance, but Berto has the power to stop the fight early if he lands a punch cleanly.

This writer believes Porter will win a close, and at times ugly, decision.

Posted on 12/23/2016

Best 10 Boxing Fights of 2016
By: Jordan Seward

With the new year approaching it’s time to reflect on the best boxing action of 2016, so in no particular order….

Orlando Salido vs Francisco Vargas

The two Mexicans treated us to a classic right up to the final bell for Vargas’ (23-0-2) WBC World Super Featherweight title. Vargas, coming off the back of Fight of the Year for 2015 faced a true, steely warrior in the 36-year-old Salido (43-13-4). It was a back-and-fourth slug fest between two champions who don’t know when to quit. In the end the pair couldn’t be separated and the judges correctly scored it a draw.

Tony Bellew vs Ilunga Makabu

The real life rocky story that saw Bellew (28-2-1) finally crowned a world champion. Just after starring in the new rocky film ‘The Bomber’ got his third bite at the cherry facing a dangerous and feared Congolese who had chalked up 18 knockouts in 19 fights. A packed crowed inside his beloved Everton football club’s stadium were stunned when Makabu (19-2) sent Bellew rolling over at the end of the first. The Everton man climbed off the canvas Balboa esque and rallied to stop Makabu in the third with a flourish of heavy punches to claim the vacant WBC World Cruiserweight strap.

Dillian Whyte vs Dereck Chisora

This one had it all. Filled with controversy from the start these two Heavyweights threw everything but the kitchen sink. A table was thrown though. At a press conference. Which, as a result meant the British title wasn’t on the line. But after all the talk, the bad mouthing and the attempted scrapping Whyte (20-1) and Chisora (26-7) done it properly in the ring and fought out a clean and action-packed-12-rounder. Both men were rocked and absorbed a lot of punishment, but Whyte’s superior stamina was just about enough to nick it for him on the judges’ scorecard by split decision.

Keith Thurman vs Shawn Porter

Thurman (27-0) was getting in the ring with probably the best opponent he’s faced. The only man to previously have defeated Porter (26-2-1) was Kell Brook, but, in a fierce competitive fight, Thurman successfully defended his WBA World Welterweight title dishing out Porter’s second loss of his career with a 115-113 unanimous decision. Although the announcement was greeted by booing, the stats suggested Thurman deservedly had his hand raised at the end, landing 43.6% of his punches while his opponent made 35.6%.

Andre Ward vs Sergey Kovalev

The fight that everyone scored differently. It was a fight we all wanted as soon as Ward made the jump up from Super-Middleweight. The defensive suave of Ward (31-0) met the aggressive power of ‘The Krusher’ (30-1-1) at the T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas. The American, fighting on home turf, was put down in the second round for only the second time in his illustrious career. But Ward, as Ward does, after falling behind on the cards managed to take the second half of the fight and claim Kovalev’s WBO, IBF and WBA Super World Light Heavyweight titles by unanimous decision.

Carl Frampton vs Leo Santa Cruz

After unifying his IBF super-bantamweight title by outpointing Scott Quigg, the Northern Irishmen capped off his impressive year by adding Leo Santa Cruz’s (32-1-1) WBA Super World Featherweight belt. ‘The Jackal’ (23-0) jumped up a weight division and battled it out with the Mexican champion in an absolute barn burner. After a hard and punishing 12 rounds it went to the judges’ scorecards and Frampton, was given the nod. Now, just for us, they’re doing it all again at the MGM Grand on the 28th January. Not a bad way to start the new year.

Hosea Burton vs Frank Buglioni

Words were exchanged between the pair in what was a heated build up to this Light-Heavyweight contest for the British title. But when the fighting started it quickly turned in to a very watchable and enjoyable scrap. Both Burton (18-1) and Buglioni (19-2-1) continuously plowed forwards, in attempts to assert their dominance. They were both taking serious damage and in the twelfth-round Burton’s chickens came home to roost. The 28-year-old was slowing down and deserved to hear the final bell but with just one minute left in the bout Buglioni landed some hurtful blows and the ref waved it off.

Thomas Williams Jr. vs Edwin Rodriguez

A fiery, hard fought contest… while it lasted. At the StubHub Center, on the undercard of Andre Berto’s knockout win against Victor Ortiz, Rodriguez, (28-2) displayed courage, grit, determination, and, a chin. In this two-rounder, it was Williams Jr (20-2) who was landing the more powerful and hurtful shots but a number of times Rodriguez remained upright and proudly came firing back. In the end, it took a monster left hook to knock the resolute 31-year-old out.

Gennady Golovkin vs Kell Brook

As far as unexpected fights go, this one took the biscuit. You couldn’t have called it. This was not a fight many had in mind, but, when it was made it was all the talk. The IBF World Welterweight champion, Brook, jumped up two weight division to face the feared Middleweight kingpin at the O2 Arena. Looking in great shape and as confident as ever the Englishman made a great start to the fight. However, as the fight went on we began to realise Brook wouldn’t be making history as Golovkin’s power started to take its toll and Brook’s trainer, Dominic Ingle threw in the towel stopping proceedings in the fifth round.

Anthony Crolla vs Ismael Barroso

After prizing away the WBA World Lightweight title from Darleys Perez in their second meeting, Crolla, (31-5-3)made his first defence against the man who, effectively, sent world title challenger Kevin Mitchell into retirement. As expected, the Venezuelan (19-1-2) started strong and, typical of a Joe Gallagher fighter, Crolla did not. He absorbed some early punishment and probably lost the first five rounds. It became clear after six though, that Crolla’s tactics were spot on, as the challenger noticeably began to tire. He had thrown all he had and was on empty, Crolla seized his chance and overwhelmed his opponent, eventually stopping him in the seventh.

Posted on 07/04/2016

Shawn Porter is Checking Names Off the List
By: Kirk Jackson

Shawn Porter 26-2-1 (16 KO’s) fell a bit short in his bid for another world title, losing to WBA welterweight champion Keith Thurman 27-0 (22 KO’s) in a closely contested bout, which is surely a leading candidate for the fight of the year.

After such a grueling affair, it’s expected both combatants would probably prefer a break to recuperate from the battle. Porter is different from the norm.

While Thurman appears open to a rematch with Porter down the line, his eyes seem locked in on current WBC welterweight champion Danny Garcia 32-0 (18 KO’s). Thurman has the goal of unification within the division, in addition to defeating another father/son duo.
While the intent of unification should be applauded, who knows how long that process will take, if the match-up between Thurman and Garcia even takes place?

Also to take into consideration, the WBA ordered the winner of the Thurman vs. Porter fight to face interim WBA welterweight champion David Avanesyan 22-1-1 (11 KO’s).

The father/son duo of Kenny and Shawn Porter has other plans.

“I don’t want to sit out for six to eight months, definitely not another year,” said head trainer Kenny Porter in an interview with FightHype.

“It is his [Shawn] livelihood to work out; this is what he does. We’re ready to go, we will be ready to go in 90 days. The only reason I’m saying 90 days is because I know it will take at least that much of a promotion for them to put a fight together.”

According to Kenny Porter, head trainer and father to Shawn, there is a hit list of names he would like to see his son battle.

The Porter Hit List:
✓ Keith Thurman
✓ Adrien Broner
✓ Paulie Malignaggi
o Danny Garcia
o Andre Berto
o John Molina
o Ruslan Provodnikov
o Brandon Rios

Out of the eight names on the list, Shawn Porter fought three and defeated two. The chances of Porter securing a rematch with Broner and Malignaggi appear unlikely.

Malignaggi has an upcoming bout towards the end of the month against Gabriel Bracero (hopefully a retirement bout), it may be safe to say Malignaggi probably does not want to re-enter the house of pain that is Shawn Porter.

From a stylistic standpoint, Broner would be better off avoiding a return bout with Porter. Broner has yet to develop an alternate strategy for dealing with constant aggression, which is something Porter excels at.

As mentioned earlier, Thurman has plans for Garcia. Speaking of Garcia, he may be in talks to fight Andre Berto, another name off the Porter hit list.

John Molina is coming off an impressive performance, recently defeating Ruslan Provodnikov. Either Molina or Provodnikov is a viable option and a likely win for Porter. The only issue could be the discussion of weight.

Porter is a welterweight, while Molina and Provodnikov are a weight class lower at junior welterweight. The last name to be addressed on the hit list and probably the most likely match-up is Brandon Rios.
Rios is a welterweight, currently does not have a fight although he is training, is looking for an opponent and has the perfect style to suit Porter and the fans.

Win, lose or draw, Rios likes to come forward and is very aggressive. Porter and Rios have similar styles with slight distinctions; both fighters are comparable height/size and with their arm reach. The match-up has fight of the year written all over it.

Something to keep in mind, Porter is still ranked as the No. 2 welterweight according to the WBA. Porter may want to consider adding Avanesyan to the list and challenging him.

It’s uncertain if Thurman will fight his mandatory next. They may strip Thurman, give him an extension, force a title eliminator between Avanesyan and Porter, either way, Porter can be placed in a position of benefit.

As time unfolds we’ll see what transpires. What do you make of Porter’s hit list? Who would you like to see Porter face next?

Posted on 06/25/2016

PBC on CBS Results: Thurman Scrapes by with Controversial Decision, Hurd S
By: William Holmes

Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions series was broadcast on CBS live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Two fights were televised tonight and featured a WBA World Welterweight Championship between Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter as the main event of the night, and featured a co-main event between undefeated prospects Jarrett Hurd and Oscar Molina in the junior middleweight division.

Abner Mares was originally scheduled to fight in the co-main event of the evening, but had to pull out at the last minute due to an injury. The Hurd and Molina fight got bumped up to the co-main event as a result.

The undercard featured several highly touted prospects. Regis Prograis looked impressive in his fourth round stoppage of Luiz Florez and David Benavidez was dominant over Francy Ntetu, despite the fact fans disapproved of the stoppage.

Heather “The Heat” Hardy continued to grow her fan base with an exciting decision over Kirstie Simmons in the featherweight division.

The attendance for the fight was 12,718 and most of the seats were filled by the start of the first televised fight.

The first televised bout of the night was between Jarrett Hurd (17-0) and Oscar Molina (13-0-1) in the junior middleweight division.

Hurd’s size advantage was evident at the opening bell and he was able to use his size advantage to push Molina back with a steady jab in the opening round. He was able to stun Molina and knock him down with a good counter right uppercut, but Molina was able to beat the count, get back to his feet, and survive the round.

Hurd patiently picked Molina apart in the second and third rounds. Molina was able to land some decent shots on Hurd, but he lacked the power to hurt him.

Hurd picked up his activity in the fourth round and was able to deflect most of Molina’s shots. The fifth round featured some good exchanged and both boxers were able to land their shots, but Hurd was landing the harder shots. The action in a phone booth continued in the sixth round as both fighters seemed content with trading shots.

Both boxers dug in deep with their punches in the seventh round, but it was one of Molina’s best rounds of the night and his double left hook worked well for him, but Hurd was able to have a strong eighth round and re-establish control of the bout and had Molina hurt at the end of the round.

Molina needed a knockout by the final two rounds to win the fight, but Hurd dominated and had badly bruised the face of Molina. Hurd unleashed several combinations in the final round and had Molina hurt before the referee jumped in to save Molina from himself.

Jarrett Hurd impresses on national television and wins by TKO at 2:02 of the tenth round.

Afterward Hurd stated, “Molina is a great fighter. This is definitely a big win for my career. He was taking a lot of shots, but he knew how to survive.”

The main event of the night was for the WBA World Welterweight Championship and was between Keith Thurman (26-0) and Shawn Porter (26-1-1).

The crowd and energy was high for this bout and both boxers appeared to be jumpy in the opening round. Porter was reaching for his shots and at times overly aggressive in the first round, while Thurman was able to land some clean counter right crosses on Porter.

Porter had a strong second round and kept the fight in close and beat up Thurman by the ropes and was very effective with his body work. Both boxers threw bombs in the third round and neither established control in the first two minutes, but Thurman landed a bomb of a right hook near the end of the round that got the crowd on its feet.

Thurman had a very strong fourth round and had Porter on the defensive with his check left hook. They had a vicious exchange in the middle of the ring in the fourth, but Thurman was able to briefly buckle the knees of Porter during the exchange.

The fifth and sixth rounds were close and at times it looked like Porter was a bull and Thurman was the matador, but Porter was the aggressor in these rounds and was able to pound the body of Thurman whenever his back was against the ropes.

Porter had another strong round in the seventh round and was able to land hard right crosses and decent body shots. The eighth round was close and could have been scored either way, but Porter was able to land some thudding body shots while Porter was able to land hard check left hooks.

Porter had a very strong ninth round and was able to open up a cut near Thurman’s left eye and had him on wobbly legs by the ropes by the end of the round. The tenth round was action packed. Thurman was able to momentarily stumble the legs of Porter near the end of the round with a hard left hook, but Porter answered back with hard combinations of his own.

Thurman was able to land a huge left hook in the eleventh round that got the crowd on it’s feet, but he was fighting backwards most of the round and did not want to engage Porter in close range.

By the final round this bout could have been scored in either boxer’s favor, as for many rounds were close, but Porter appeared the land more punches in the last round while Thurman appeared to land the harder shots.

This fight screams for a rematch, but the judges scored it 115-113 on all three scorecards for Keith Thurman.

The crowd thought otherwise and booed, loudly, the judges decision.

Undercard Quick Results:

Heather Hardy (17-0) defeated Kirstie Simmons (8-2) by decision in the featherweight division with scores of 79-73, 78-74, and 78-74.

David Benavidez (15-0) defeated Francy Ntetu (16-1) by TKO in the light heavyweight division at 1:30 of the seventh round.

Jonathan Alonso (10-0) defeated Brian Jones (13-6) by decision in the junior welterweight division with scores of 60-54 on all three scorecards.

Regis Prograis (18-0) defeated Luis Florez (21-4) by TKO at 1:47 of the fourth round for the NABF Junior Welterweight TItle

Josue Vargas (5-0) defeated Ryan Picou (2-10-1) by decision in the junior welterweight division with scores of 40-36 on all three scorecards.

Nicklaus Flaz (3-0) wins by knockout at 1:13 of the first round over Mack Babb (1-7) in the junior middleweight division

Posted on 06/24/2016

Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter and the Start of a New Era
By: Kirk Jackson

Finally, after talk and speculation, rescheduled dates and car accidents, we’ve arrived to the anticipated, precipice of warfare between the world’s top welterweights.

The battleground is The Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York.

The battle combatants; Keith “One Time” Thurman 26-0 (22 KO’s) and Shawn “Showtime” Porter 26-1-1 (16 KO’s).

This match-up brings much intrigue and can have a significant impact on the welterweight division. This is a fight that can get the ball rolling so to speak.

The welterweight division is stacked and fans are yearning for a series of fights to transpire, pitting the best against the best.

We recently witnessed the exit of two historically great welterweights, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Although it would not be a surprise if either Mayweather or Pacquiao suddenly decided to come back for another fight.

Omitting those two names, the division is stacked with a wealth of talent; WBC welterweight champion Danny Garcia, IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook, WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas, two division champion Robert Guerrero, three division champion Adrien Broner, two division champion Timothy Bradley, two division champion Amir Khan, undefeated contender Errol Spence and there’s a few other notable fighters in the division as well.

Of course we have two fighters leading the charge to represent the new welterweight era, Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter.

Thurman is defending his WBA welterweight title and aiming to establish himself as the best fighter in the welterweight division.

Porter is seeking redemption from his defeat to Brook in the form of gaining another world title and wants to firmly plant his declaration as the division’s premier fighter.

Fitting this fight will be broadcasted across network television under the Premier Boxing Champions banner.

The odds makers regard this fight as a close to even match-up with Thurman slightly favored, as each fighter holds certain advantages and distinct styles.

According to a who’s who of the welterweight division, the fighter who will emerge victorious is a toss-up:

Robert Guerrero: “This is a fight the fans are going to love watching. Both Thurman and Porter bring exciting styles to the ring. I think if Porter can keep the fight on the inside he’ll have a better chance to come out victorious. But Keith Thurman is a very smart and powerful fighter and will make the right adjustments. I just think Thurman is going to outbox Porter. I’m picking Thurman to win by decision in a very tough fight.”

Danny Garcia: “I think this is a great matchup. Thurman has the boxing ability and the movement while Shawn Porter is the aggressor and he’s going to bring the heat. To be honest with you it’s a 50-50 fight, but I would give the edge to Keith Thurman by a very close decision.”

Kell Brook: “This is a great fight, one I can’t wait to watch. If Shawn can stick to his boxing I think he can become world champion again on points, but Keith is heavy-handed and he could walk Shawn onto one – it’s really a pick ’em fight for me.”

Errol Spence Jr.: “I think this is a great fight between young fighters with good skill. Shawn throws a lot of punches while Thurman is a boxer who can punch too. I know Shawn will be aggressive and it should make for a great fight. If Keith can box and keep Shawn Porter on the outside I see Keith Thurman winning. If Shawn stays on the inside and stays in the chest of Keith, I see him winning.”

Andre Berto: “Shawn is going to come, but I think Keith will be on his toes and box but also drop hard shots as well when Shawn comes in. Keith can be very versatile in there and has a lot of great skills, while Shawn is more like a bull. Keith will hurt or knock Shawn down but will keep coming all night.’’ (Source USA Today).

Porter possesses the frame of a well-conditioned football player; resembling a short, stocky, rugged linebacker. His style of fighting plays off of that distinction, as he likes to blitz his opponents with aggression, utilizing his physical prowess and peak conditioning to overwhelm his opponents.

Despite standing the same height as Thurman and possessing a slight reach advantage, Porter prefers to fight in the trenches and that is to be expected when he faces Thurman.

Thurman is a power puncher living by his mantras, “All it takes is one time,” and “KO’s for life!”
But Thurman is quite the boxer as well; displaying the ability to adjust and adapt his game plan in previous fights against Diego Chaves, Jan Zaveck and Leonard Bundu.

Expect Thurman to set the pace whether as the matador, or as the one leading the charge. He wants to dictate and control the action.

There are many variables to this fight. If Thurman can catch Porter coming in and consistently create separation to allow his offense to thrive, he should win. If Porter can implement his imposing style and take this fight to the trenches, making the fight scrappy and ugly while attacking Thurman’s body, he should win. The fight can play out in various ways.

Ultimately this boils down to intangibles and who can better utilize them.

The great intangible Porter possesses is his strong will and determination. Despite constantly being heralded as the underdog and facing technical disadvantages in many match-ups, Porter typically rises to the occasion and perseveres relying on his determination and physicality.

An overlooked intangible Thurman possesses is his ring intelligence. Intelligence allows a fighter to pinpoint the opposing fighter’s weaknesses; allows the fighter to adapt to various situations and ultimately carves the path towards victory.

Thurman can make the necessary adjustments. Although he may not stop Porter within the distance, Thurman has enough power to keep Porter off, where he can consistently create space and find his range to land scoring punches.

The goal of Porter is to overwhelm and wear down opponents, but he will be on the receiving end of energy sapping punches for the more powerful and accurate Thurman.

Expect this to be a competitive, highly contested bout throughout, with Thurman creating enough separation as to who is the superior fighter en route to unanimous decision.

Nearly as important as the fight itself is what happens after the fight. The welterweight division has somewhat been at a standstill since the conclusion of the Mayweather-Pacquiao era and this event can trigger a series of significant fights moving forward.

Potentially there is a match-up featuring Kell Brook vs. Jessie Vargas later in the fall. Perhaps we’ll see the winner of Thurman/Porter take on the winner of Brook/Vargas.

Or we’ll see the winner of Thurman/Porter take on Danny Garcia or Adrien Broner or Errol Spence.

This match-up featuring Thurman and Porter should showcase the very best of what the welterweight division has to offer post Mayweather-Pacquiao era and is a nice transition into the new era of welterweights.

Posted on 06/23/2016

PBC on CBS Preview: Thurman vs. Porter, Hurd vs. Molina
By: William Holmes

On Saturday night Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions will put on one of their best cards on network television of the year as Keith Thurman defends his WBA Welterweight Title against Shawn Porter in the main event of the evening.

Abner Mares was originally scheduled to face Jesus Cuellar in the co-main event of the evening, but an injury to Abner Mares forced him to withdraw. Instead, fight fans will be get to see two prospects battle it out in the junior middleweight division when Jarret Hurd takes on Oscar Molina.

The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York has been a boxing hotspot since the Barclays Center inception and it will be the host site for Saturday’s fight card.

Jarrett Hurd (17-0) vs. Oscar Molina (13-0-1); Junior Middleweights

Jarrett “Swift” Hurd first burst into the national spotlight when he scored an upset stoppage victory over Frank Galarza, and win over Molina could lead to a big fight in the junior middleweight division.

His opponent, Oscar Molina, will be the third straight undefeated opponent he has faced in a row and is also known for his power. Hurd has stopped eleven of his opponents and four of his past five fights failed to go the distance. Molina has ten stoppage wins, and three of his past five fights failed to go the distance.

Hurd is twenty five years old and Molina is twenty six, but Hurd will have a four inch height advantage and a six and a half inch reach advantage. They both have been very active the past two years. Hurd fought three times in 2015 and four times in 2014 while Molina fought twice in 2014 and four times in 2015.

Hurd has the better professional record so far. He has beaten the likes of Jeff Lentz, Frank Galarza, and Eric Mitchell. He’s also never been knocked down during his professional career. Molina has not beaten many names of note, but has defeated the likes of Adrien Torres and drew with Domonique Dolton.

The only noteworthy advantage Molina has over Hurd is that he fought in the 2012 Olympics for Mexico. However, Hurd is in the middle of an impressive winning streak and his height, reach, and power will be too much for Molina to handle over the course of ten rounds.

Keith Thurman (26-0) vs. Shawn Porter (26-1-1); WBA Welterweight Title

The main event of the evening is the best fight the PBC can put on in the welterweight division.

Keith Thurman, the current WBA Welterweight Champion, is considered by many to be the best boxer in the welterweight division now that Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have retired. However, Shawn Porter recently beat Adrien Broner, the man many people felt would replace Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Porter is twenty nine years old and two years older than Thurman. Thurman will have a slight half an inch height advantage on Porter and Porter will have a slight half an inch reach advantage on Thurman.
They both fought twice in 2015 and in 2014. Thurman has the heavier hands, as he has stopped twenty two of his opponents while Porter has only stopped sixteen. However, as the level of competition that Thurman faces continues to get better his knockouts seems to be happening less often. Two of the past three opponents that Thurman has faced went the distance.

Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter both experienced success as an amateur. Porter was a US National Golden Gloves Champion and Thurman was an Olympic Trials Runner Up.

They both have an impressive resume as a professional. Thurman has defeated the likes of Luiz Collazo, Robert Guerrero, Leonard Bundu, Jesus Soto Karass, Diego Chavez, and Jan Zaveck. Porter has defeated Adrien Broner, Paul Malignaggi, Devon Alexander, Phil Lo Greco, and Alfonso Gomez. Porter’s lone loss was to Kell Brook.

This should be an excellent fight and could go either way. Thurman has to be considered the favorite based on his undefeated record and power. Porter is a physical and in your face type of boxer, but he can get sloppy at times and Thurman is the type of boxer that will eat up your mistakes.