On August 16th, 2014, Britain’s Kell Brook landed his biggest win to date after he scored a Majority Decision against Ohio’s Shawn Porter. Brook became the new IBF Welterweight Champion at the StubHub Center, California, following official scores of 116-112, 117-111, and 114-114.
The fight was absorbing and competitive throughout, albeit somewhat difficult to score given the styles both fighters brought to the ring. Neither man broke type; Brook was the refined, patient boxer, and Porter the pressure-volume puncher known for throwing the kitchen sink. Going into the final round, the contest seemed very close, and the more so because of this dynamic.
Brook vs Porter: Clash of Styles
Brook landed the cleaner, ‘scoring’ shots of the contest, but Porter threw the higher amount, looking the busier fighter in terms of punch output. And so it came down to the text-book boxer vs the relentless swarmer. Unlike in Porter vs Malignaggi, Porter was up against a superior boxer in Brook who could bang and hold his ground physically.
BoxingBase.com felt the right man won, though a Draw wouldn’t have caused outrage. Neither fighter looked spectacular, but it was Brook who landed with the effective jab and counter shots – something that should arguably be valued higher than Porter’s many shots which landed with less frequency. This opinion won’t be to everyone’s taste. But hey, that’s boxing – one of the most subjective sports in the world!
So lively was the action that cuts were almost unavoidable in the contest. Brook suffered a cut over his left eye from an accidental head butt in the 2nd round, while Porter received his on his right eye from a clash in the 6th.
The victory itself couldn’t have come quick enough for Brook, given his recent injuries that caused his matchup with Devon Alexander to fall through several times. He now finally finds himself in possession of a world title, and can start calling some shots at 147 pounds. The Brit remains unbeaten in 33 fights with 22 knockouts. (see Brook vs Porter Highlights)
As for Porter, the first loss of his career will come as a heavy blow. At 26, he will no doubt bounce back and, given his marauding style, find himself challenging for a world title before too long. His record now drops to 24 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw, with 15 knockouts.
Brook vs Porter: Undercard
Sakio Bika’s undercard title defense against Andre Dirrell contained the familiar stop-start action and ugly scenes of their first encounter. The more quality work undoubtedly came from Dirrell, however, which enabled him to capture the WBC Super Middleweight title. Needless to say, a trilogy-making third fight is not necessary anytime soon. Seriously, enough now. Ringside scores tallied in at 111-116, 110-117, and 113-114.
Deontay Wilder’s bout didn’t end with his opponent splayed out, concussed on the floor as usual. However, Jason Gavern’s 4th round Retirement still spoke volumes of the danger Wilder presents to those campaigning north of 200 pounds. Prior to declaring defeat on his stool, Gavern had been dropped in both rounds 3 and 4.
What did you think of Brook vs Porter? How did you score the fight? Was there any controversy here? And what’s next for the new IBF Welterweight Champion?
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