Broner-Porter Preview

The Welterweight clash between former world champions Adrien Broner and Shawn Porter on June 20th will pit two of Boxing’s hottest rising stars in a battle where the winner may find himself in position to fight for a Welterweight world championship. In one corner stands Adrien Broner, a former three-division world champion, who has scored thirty wins in thirty-one professional fights. Broner is known for having a good mix of hand speed, punching power, and having very solid defense.

What has made Broner a difficult opponent for most fighters is not just his ability to combine hand speed and punching power, but also to be extremely accurate with his offense. At only twenty-five years of age, Broner has already achieved success that some might argue can take fighters an entire career to achieve winning world titles in the Jr. Lightweight, Lightweight, and Welterweight divisions.

Broner however, has had to deal with adversity in his career. In December 2013, Broner suffered the only defeat of his career when he lost his WBA World Welterweight championship to Marcos Maidana in a twelve round unanimous decision. Although he lost that fight Broner showed his mettle getting up from knockdowns in the second and eighth rounds as well as taking significant punishment throughout the fight and continuing to fight on.

Following his loss to Maidana, Broner moved down in weight from the 147lb. Welterweight division to the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division and has won three straight fights. In his last fight, Broner scored a twelve round unanimous decision over former world title challenger John Molina Jr. in March of this year. Now Broner prepares to move back up to the Welterweight division.

Standing across the ring from Broner will be former IBF Welterweight world champion Shawn Porter. Porter, a winner of twenty-five of twenty-seven professional fights won the IBF Welterweight world championship in December 2013 with a twelve round unanimous decision over Devon Alexander. In April of last year, Porter successfully defended his title with a fourth round stoppage of former two-division world champion Paulie Malignaggi. Porter’s reign however, would not last as he would lose the IBF world championship in August of last year to Kell Brook in a closely fought contest that could have gone either way.

The twenty-seven year old Porter was able to bounce back from the only loss of his career in March of this year when he scored a fifth round knockout over Ecuadorian contender Erick Bone.  Porter now looks to continue his climb back to a world championship when he takes on Broner.

This figures to be an interesting tactical fight between two fighters who can both box and punch. In this observer’s opinion it is a battle of Broner’s solid defense and accurate offense versus Porter’s ability to be aggressive, offensive minded, and look to gradually break down his opponents. The key to this fight in my eyes will be whether Porter can establish a fast pace, apply consistent pressure on Broner early in the fight, and maintain a fast pace as the fight goes on.

An argument can be made that the only fighter who was able to execute a similar fight plan against Broner was Marcos Maidana. If Porter can be effective in his aggression, break through Broner’s solid defense and force Broner to fight at a pace where Porter dictates how it is fought, it will be to Porter’s advantage.

Porter however, must not let up if he has success in the early and middle rounds. Porter was able to have success in the first half of his fight against Kell Brook by using his aggression to bring the fight to Brook and being the busier of the two fighters. By the middle and late rounds however, Brook was able to gain control of how the fight was being fought and landed the cleaner more effective punches in the second half of the fight. Brook was also able to nullify Porter’s attack by tying him up on the inside.

Although Porter needs to establish a fast pace in this fight and maintain that pace throughout, he must keep in mind that Adrien Broner is a precision counter puncher and he needs to be careful in his attack and not lunge in. While it is logical to assume that Porter will look to be aggressive and bring the fight to Broner, it is also logical to expect Broner to look to use Porter’s aggression against him by countering Porter and looking to land the more effective punches. Kell Brook was able to have success throughout his fight against Porter by landing counter punches.

For a fighter known for being very economical with his offense and making the most of the punches he throws, Broner may study what Porter has to offer in the early rounds and will look to gradually slow the pace of the fight down where he can take control. Although as I have often said over the years, “Anything can happen at any given time in the sport of Boxing and that is what makes the sport great.” it would not surprise me if this fight were to end up in a close decision where there could be a healthy difference of opinion as to who wins this fight.

Whomever wins this fight however, could elevate himself into discussion for a potential world championship fight in their next fight. No matter the outcome of this fight, one can only hope that it lives up to the intriguing battle it appears to be on paper.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved. 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

Update:

We want to let our readers know that new material will be released on Thursday, June 18th. Stay tuned.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

Is Povetkin Next For Wilder?

A question that all new champions are asked is how will they respond when they defend their world championship for the first time. For undefeated WBC Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder, the answer to that question came on June 13th when he defended his world title for the first time against WBC number seven rated contender Eric Molina at the Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

Although Wilder, who had a career knockout percentage of nearly 97% going into the fight was heavily favored to retain his title over the challenger, Molina showed that he was not interested in being a mere opponent for a world champion making his first title defense. Not only would Molina put up a fight, but he would also become the first fighter to show significant resistance after being hurt by the champion’s power.

The tempo of this fight was dictated by Wilder who established his jab from the outset and mixed in his right hand and combinations in the early rounds. Prior to this fight this observer stated when discussing Eric Molina’s last fight against Raphael Zumbano that it would be interesting to see what strategy he would use in this fight against Wilder. Much like his fight with Zumbano, Molina allowed Wilder to walk straight in and position him on the ropes. Molina also did not let his hands go consistently in the early rounds, perhaps out of respect for Wilder’s punching power.

As the fight progressed however, Molina would begin to let his hands go more frequently having success landing his right hand to the body and head of the champion. Molina also was able to briefly stagger Wilder with a left hook in the third round. Although Molina seemed very disciplined in his attack of Wilder when he did open up threw punches, he did not throw many combinations and appeared to be looking to land one punch that would turn the fight in his favor.

The champion was able to recover quickly from being rocked in round three and would respond by dropping Molina with a left hook in the closing seconds of round four. The challenger showed his mettle by coming out and being willing to engage with Wilder in round five. Molina however, would face more adversity as he was dropped for the second time in the fight by a right hand later in the round.

At this point in the fight, I wondered if it would be allowed to continue following the second knockdown. After being hit by Wilder’s right hand, Molina turned his back as he was going down. Under circumstances where referees have stopped fights due to a fighter turning his back away from combat, Referee Jack Reiss after asking Molina if he wanted to continue following the second knockdown, admonished the challenger not to turn his back and allowed the fight to go on.

Molina however, would be knocked down for the third time in the fight seconds later by another Wilder right hand. Although some may question why Referee Jack Reiss allowed the fight to go on following the second knockdown, I believe Reiss, who is one of the best referees in the entire sport should be commended for giving the challenger every possible opportunity to remain in the fight. Molina once again showed his heart by getting up from the third knockdown and the fight continued.

Despite suffering three knockdowns and being significantly behind on the scorecards, Molina remained determined and continued attempting to bring the fight to Wilder mixing in offense to the body and head. Although Molina was able to be effective in spurts throughout this fight, I feel he was most effective in rounds six through eight where he was able to let his hands go more frequently than had been the case in previous rounds, landing combinations to the body, right hands to the head, and be able to have some success landing uppercuts to the head of the champion.

What was a determined effort by the challenger however, would come to an end in round nine. A flush right hand from Wilder would send the challenger to the canvas for the fourth time in the bout. This time there would be no count from Referee Jack Reiss, who immediately stopped the fight at 1:03 of the ninth round. Deontay Wilder advances to 34-0, with 33 Knockouts. Eric Molina falls to 23-3, with 17 Knockouts.

It was an impressive performance by a world champion in his first title defense, but one where some might be critical of Wilder simply because it took him a while to get his opponent out of there and Molina was able not only provide resistance after being knocked down, but also able to have periodic success throughout the fight. In this observer’s eyes however, although he was faced with an opponent who provided more resistance than some believed would be the case prior to the fight, he was still able to score four knockdowns and ultimately get the knockout win.

Prior to this fight, I stated that if Wilder were to impress his fans and critics alike by making a statement in his first title defense that it may put him on a collision course with unified IBF/WBO/WBA/IBO Heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko, in what would be a fight to determine an undisputed Heavyweight world champion. Wilder however, would appear to be heading toward a fight against longtime contender and former world title challenger Alexander Povetkin, who is currently the WBC’s number one rated mandatory challenger at some point in the near future, perhaps later this year. 

If and when that fight happens it will be interesting to see if Povetkin will look to implement some of the things that Eric Molina was able to have success with in this fight. Povetkin is a fighter who has hand speed, punching power, and has only lost to Wladimir Klitschko. If the fight can be made, it just might be one of the more intriguing fights in the recent history of the Heavyweight division.

Although the potential Wilder-Povetkin fight will certainly be a hot topic of discussion in regard to the Heavyweight division for weeks and maybe even months to come, there is one other topic that Boxing fans and experts alike should also discuss coming out of this fight. The valiant effort put forth by an extremely “Game” challenger Eric Molina.

Even though Molina, who was rated number nine in the world by the WBC in the Heavyweight division prior to the fight, but announced as rated number seven by the same organization when he entered the ring to face Wilder was not given much of a chance in this fight by some, he proved that he belonged in the ring with Deontay Wilder. Despite suffering the third loss of his career, Eric Molina established himself as a player in the division in defeat and has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Although he came out of this fight on the losing end, he put up a hell of a fight and should be proud of his performance.

“And That’s the Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

 

Lara Dominates Rodriguez

Top Jr. Middleweight contender Erislandy Lara scored a dominant twelve round unanimous decision over longtime contender Delvin Rodriguez on Friday night at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois. Lara was in command from the opening bell in a bout that at times resembled a sparring session.

Lara’s ability to use angles, be elusive and pick his spots with precision timing was the story of this fight. Lara was able to frequently snap the head of Rodriguez back throughout this fight with crisp and accurate combination punching. The highlight of the fight came in the closing seconds of round six when Lara dropped Rodriguez with a left hand. Although the always “Game” Rodriguez was able to get up from the knockdown and ultimately did go the distance in this fight, he was simply unable to solve the puzzle of Erislandy Lara and was outclassed.

At the end of the twelve round bout, all three official judges Bill Lerch, Steve Weisfeld, and Robert Hoyle scored the fight identically 120-107, a shutout in favor of Erislandy Lara. Erislandy Lara advances to 21-2-2, with 12 Knockouts. Delvin Rodriguez falls to 28-8-4, with 16 Knockouts. Unofficially, I scored this fight the same as the official judges 120-107 in favor of Lara.

For Lara, who holds interim/regular champion status in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) Jr. Middleweight ratings, this victory will likely keep him in line for a title shot. It will be interesting however, to see where Lara will fit into the equation as Floyd Mayweather recently announced his intention to relinquish all world titles he currently holds in both the Welterweight and Jr. Middleweight divisions. This would appear to open an opportunity for Lara to fight for a vacant world title seeing as Mayweather holds both the WBC and WBA world championships in the Jr. Middleweight division.

It is also certainly possible if Mayweather, who also holds the WBC, WBA, and WBO world championships in the Welterweight division, does indeed relinquish his championships in both divisions that Lara could be named WBA champion per his holding interim/regular status in the WBA Jr. Middleweight ratings. Following his victory over Delvin Rodriguez Lara expressed his interest in seeking fights against Mayweather or moving up six pounds from the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division to the 160lb. Middleweight division to seek fights against either WBC world champion Miguel Cotto or undefeated unified WBA/IBO world champion Gennady Golovkin.

Although Lara dominated his fight against Delvin Rodriguez, a possible criticism of some might be that Lara did not take advantage of some opportunities throughout the fight when it appeared that Rodriguez could have been on the verge of succumbing to accumulated punishment and did not close the show. Even though the crowd in attendance periodically expressed dissatisfaction during the course of this fight by booing due to lack of action, for Boxing purists Lara put on a masterpiece and even though he did not go for the knockout, it was as close to a perfect performance as one could get from a pure Boxing standpoint.

A conundrum however, that Lara might face as he seeks more lucrative opportunities potentially against the likes of Mayweather, Cotto, or Golovkin is that those fighters might view an encounter with him as a high risk/low reward scenario. Lara is after all highly skilled, very elusive, and has a style that has proven difficult for opponents to solve.

Lara however, has only been defeated twice as a professional by Paul Williams and Saul Alvarez. An argument can be made that Lara could easily be an undefeated fighter. He did after all give Saul Alvarez all he could handle in their fight in July of last year and some feel he deserved the decision in what was a very close fight. Many observers, this one included, also feel that Lara was the victim of injustice in a fight where the three judges who scored the fight in favor of Williams via majority decision were indefinitely suspended by the New Jersey State Athletic Board Of Control following the fight. Despite those setbacks, Lara has remained a key player in the Jr. Middleweight division.

Although Lara may not always be a crowd pleasing fighter to watch, there is no denying his skill level. Regardless of where Lara will choose to fight whether he continues to campaign as a Jr. Middleweight or decide to move up to the Middleweight division, he should get an opportunity to face the best fighters in either division. 

There is no doubt that fighters like Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, and Gennady Golovkin are stars of the sport and in the case of Mayweather and Cotto are first ballot future Hall of Famer’s. All great fighters however, have to from time to time take risks. 

Whether Mayweather, Cotto, Golovkin, or another star in the sport decides to take what may be considered a high risk/low reward scenario by facing Erislandy Lara, it is clear he has earned the opportunity to show when he can do against the best of the best. Whether he gets that opportunity remains to be seen.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison