Shawn Porter survives late knockdown to beat Adrien Broner
LAS VEGAS - Floyd Mayweather talked up Adrien Broner all week and said that he believed his protégé could become the next boxing star after "Money" leaves the game.
It was Shawn Porter, however, who came to fight. He survived a final-round knockdown and dominated the matchup to win a unanimous decision over Broner by scores of 114-112, 115-111 and 118-108 before 8,138 fans Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
"That's how you beat a great fighter intelligently," Porter, 27, said. "We did everything we needed to do in preparation for this fight and coming out we wanted to establish our jab and establish that we are the better boxer. I think we did that over the course of the fight. We tried to stick in some pressure as well, just to establish dominance and I think that's what got us to the scores that we got and the win."
Porter (26-1-1, 16 KOs) pushed the action during the entire PBC on NBC fight and racked up points, while Broner was happy to land one good shot and never attempted to put together combinations. Every time the Cleveland native landed an effective punch or got close, Broner (30-2, 22 KOs) tied him up, which led to repeated boos from the crowd and several warnings from referee Tony Weeks.
UNDERCARD: Spence dominates Lo Greco
During Round 11, Weeks finally deducted one point from Broner after he draped himself over Porter's back. The crowd roared its approval.
The Cincinnati native was down on the cards, knew he needed a knockout and almost got it. He dropped Porter in the opening moments of Round 12 with a sharp lead left hook and Porter beat the count, but was clearly hurt.
"That was my first time going down," said Porter, who made $1,000,000. "I feel like at some point you need an experience like that to know what it feels like, work your way through it and know what you're really made of … I don't think it will ever happen again. I obviously came out (for Round 12) a little too lax."
For the first time all night, Broner ratcheted up the pace and followed Porter around the ring, but it was too little, too late. Porter's dedicated body work, non-stop pressure and effective punching were far superior to Broner's strategy (or lack thereof) to look for one big counter shot.
BEHIND-THE-BACK PUNCHES: Odd shots from Broner
"Listen, I still will fight anybody," Broner, 25, said. "It don't matter, man. I'm a real animal. I'm an animal. This time I didn't get the decision but it's OK. At the end of the day, everybody in here will take my autograph and take my picture."
"The Problem" connected on just 88 of 309 punches, while Porter landed 149 of 590, per CompuBox. He consistently fouled Porter with forearm shivers and even threw a punch behind his back on the break. It was a listless performance from Broner aside from the late knockdown. Mayweather insinuated afterward that Broner didn't take preparation seriously enough, saying he didn't rest sufficiently following the weigh-in.
The bout was contested at a catch weight of 144 pounds amid much controversy. Kenny Porter, Shawn's father, manager and trainer, said he didn't receive the stipulation contract until Friday morning, leading to much uncertainty.
The brash Broner unleashed a tirade on the Porters at Thursday's news conference and accused Kenny of stealing money from Shawn, a claim the dad adamantly denied. Broner also was incensed when he thought he was going to speak first and screamed "I'm not the B-side!" Porter never seemed fazed and Broner wasn't able to back up his big words.
Porter won the IBF welterweight title from Devon Alexander in 2013 and made one successful defense, a drubbing of Paulie Malignaggi. He dropped the belt to Kell Brook in his next fight, a razor-thin decision loss. Porter said he'd love to avenge the defeat, but would rather face Mayweather next. The pound-for-pound king, though, said he wouldn't consider it and wants Porter to face Errol Spence Jr. on the undercard of what he's calling his final fight.
Broner, who made $1,350,000, won titles at 130 pounds, 135 and 147, but was soundly defeated by Marcos Maidana in December 2013 after suffering two knockdowns. Broner headed down to 140 afterward and rebounded with wins over Carlos Molina, Emmanuel Taylor and John Molina.
It was Broner who was being trumpeted as a future star, but it's Porter who is moving on after an impressive outing in The Battle of Ohio.