Last night in Las Vegas and on NBC, Shawn Porter pounded out a unanimous decision win over Adrien Broner in a welterweight bout between two former World Champions. For Porter, it was a good showcase fight as he outworked Broner with body shos and ower punching.
Broner was way behind on the cards, and he had a point deducted in the late rounds when his holding had become too much, but he managed to make it interesting, landing a big punch that sent Porter down for the first time in his career. Porter got up and resumed where he eft off, and that was going after Broner to end the fight aggressively.
Broner is simply a “B” class fighter, at least in welterweight. Porter was able to get to him with punches, and he showed that Broner’s defense and shoulder roll are nothing that can’t be hit. Once he gets hit, he relies on the poor defense, and he stops punching himself, Broner’s punch output throughout this fight was extremely low until the final round when he finally let go with his hands.
The fact is that the fight was at a catchweight, and Porter spoke of Broner’s trying to ease his way into the welterweight class, Broner can call himself a former welterweight world champion, but he beat light hitting Paulie Malignaggi to do it, and he barely beat Malignaggi. In his next outing he got creamed by Marcos Maidana, and this fight with Porter was his first fight back at welterweight since that fight.
Porter stated in the media prior to the fight that Broner was stepping up into the welterweight class, but that he wasnt being a man about it, with the catch weight and a bizarre re-hydration clause request. And Porter fought like he was trying to prove that point to Broner. Porter called out Floyd Mayweather Jr after the fight. Though he probably wont get that fight, Porter has put himself in the mix at welterweight.
As for Broner, he is going to have to regroup. In the aftermath of the fight he was his usual arrogant self, and he did not acknowledge his bad performance. Regardless of his delusions, if Broner is to be heard from again, it should be at light welterweight.
