Broner Feeling Dissed, Ready To Show Porter He’s The Better Boxer

Published

10 years ago

June 16, 2015

Talent, it’s there, it’s undeniable.

You might debate the degree, the longterm upside, but Adrien Broner can box.

And he’s a character, isn’t he? No debate about that…You might not be overly enthused by or find his antics humorous. You might be an old school sort who doesn’t care for the yapping and cavorting and such. But the kid has a personality, and that keeps folks interested in his career arc.

And in this age, we can all agree, it isn’t easy to break through, keep buzz alive, even if you’re talented. There’s a lot of content, and it ain’t easy to snag attention spans.

So yeah, there is interest in this Adrien Broner vs. Shawn Porter Best of the Buckeye State showdown Saturday night in Las Vegas, which will run on NBC.

It is, I think, the most highly anticipated fight put together by the Al Haymon crew for their various PBC platforms. It’s pretty much a coinflip fight, two welters at their prime stage facing off, with the winner, should he perform well, due to get a severe bump in acclaim. The loser, depending on how he performs, could endure a harsh comedown, and need to scramble sort of hard to make up ground in the relevance department.

Broner, after all, lost some luster when he had his chin checked by Marcos Maidana end of 2013, and the 27-year-old Porter didn’t live up to his burgeoning rep when Kell Brook bettered him in their summer 2014 tangle. One element of this affair that strikes me as a wild-card is the Broner antics. The kid–he’s 25–didn’t show up to take calls on the conference call yesterday (Monday). Hmmm…what’s up with that? Was he just too “game-faced” to deal? Hey, our questions can be on the annoying side…not sure how many “how is camp going?” queries I could handle myself without going into madness mode…But the reports of the partying, the clubbing, which were bopping around not that many weeks ago…I do wonder about that, especially if as I suspect Porter is dialed in, not being prone to enjoying the hoopla that comes with being a celeb.

You’ll recall–especially if you don’t dig the guy–Broner went down in round two and eight against Maidana in Texas, when they tangled. Broner was on the short list to become a PPV attraction and this win was supposed to be his final leap into that sphere..instead he had to backtrack, do remedial work, take on slower footed and lighter hitting guys, like Carlos Molina, and John Molina, and guys not on their career upswing, like Emmanuel Taylor…which brings him to here, and now, butting heads with Porter. Porter is better than Molina, Taylor and shopworn (other) Molina. Even carved and starved down to 144, he has more pop in the mitts, arguably, and that could maybe bother Broner. The Cinci boxer hasn’t stopped his last five foes, so what if the grinder Porter isn’t put off by what’s coming back at him, and his intensity and bull-rushes have Broner on the back foot, and he gets buzzed and disoriented? Porter didn’t over-impress against Erick Bone in his last tangle, but Bone is a savvier boxer than the guy he was setting to fight, Roberto Garcia, who was scrubbed last minute because of weight issues. The Clevelander’s stock rose hard when he steamrolled Paul Malignaggi–but what if Father Time had as much or more to do with that triumph than did Porters’ skill set?

Can you see Broner sidestepping, potshotting, having an accuracy edge, a ring generalship edge, in this one? Do you see Porter being a bit too frenetic for Broner, being wild, missing with over-eager tosses? Porter isn’t a bomber; I think he might not be able to muster the mustard to check the Broner chin. Oh, and Broners’ trainer agrees. He told me that all AB has to do is show his God-given talent, and he will get the W. The two men have met before, Mike Stafford told me, years ago, in sparring, and it went well for AB. AB, he said, was around 130, and Porter around 154, and “Adrien still did his job too well.”

Stafford said that Broners’ ring IQ is too high, and also cited his “will to win.” Add to that, he feels a little irked that so many people see this as a coinflip fight. “That fires him up,” said Stafford.

He alluded to the fact that Broner felt disrespected, and that’s why he didn’t make the conference call, by the way. He will use that ire to his advantage, the trainer told me. Also, Stafford said he’s not pleased he’s been hearing the Porter crew bust on AB’s personal life. This is boxing, and in ring skills will be what matters, he stated. Leave the personal talk for the rumor mill, he said. Broner is a three-time world champ, Stafford said, and why aren’t folks comprehending that? Plus, his sparring has been on message. Emmanuel Taylor, and Eddie Gomez got work, and can attest to how sharp AB is…

And partying? Nah; AB has been doing his regimen, getting up, running, treating the boxing seriously. Before training regimen kicked in, would he go out and whoop it up; yep, “he’s a kid,” the trainer said. “But any of that talk, that’s just hearsay,” Stafford told me.

Porter at 144 won’t be able to be a bully, steamroll Broner, said the trainer. “You can’t bully nobody and box. The bullies I know got beat up, or they not around anymore. This is boxing, two men and a referee, and the ref don’t allow the hitting behind the head and stuff. That’s why it’s called boxing, not street-fighting, or football.”

Stafford continued; he said Team Porter knows full well how it went when they sparred years ago. “Two separate times, Porter knows what happened, I’m not going to put it out there, they know how dangerous he is. And talking his personal life, it’s not going to win him the fight, skills and pop will. I know AB is taking it serious. We covered all the bases.”

Follow @Woodsy1069

Post Views: 1,290

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Michael Woods

Ever-Improving Callum Walsh KOs Dean Sutherland at Madison Square Garden

Published

16 hours ago

March 16, 2025

David A. Avila

Ever-Improving-Callum-Walsh-KOs-Dean-Sutherland-at-Madison-Square-Garden

Irish luck was not involved as Callum Walsh won the battle of hard-hitting southpaws over Dean Sutherland by knockout on Sunday.

One right hook was all it took.

“You’re never going to beat the Irish,” said Walsh.

In a contest between Celtic super welterweights Walsh (13-0, 11 KOs) retained the WBC Continental America’s title against Sutherland (19-2, 7 KOs) in quick fashion at the Madison Square Garden Theater in Manhattan.

Usually fights between southpaws can be confusing to both contestants. But Walsh had expressed a fondness for fighting lefthanders then vividly exhibited the reasons why.

Walsh, 24, a native of Cork, Ireland, now living and training in Los Angeles, quickly demonstrated why he likes fighting lefties with a steady flow of combinations from the opening bell.

He did not hesitate.

Sutherland, 26, had only lost once before and that was more than two years ago. Against Walsh the Scottish fighter was not hesitant to advance forward but was caught with lefts and right hooks.

After two minutes of scattered blows, Sutherland fought back valiantly and when cornered, Walsh tapped two jabs then unleashed a right hook through the Scottish fighter’s gloves that floored the Aberdeen fighter for the count at 2:45 of the first round.

“I’m feeling very good. Dean Sutherland is a very good opponent. I knew he was going to be dangerous. That was my best opponent,” said Walsh.

It was the fourth consecutive knockout win for Walsh who seems to improve with every single combat.

“I’m looking forward to the future. I’m getting stronger and stronger,” said Walsh who is trained by Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach. “Anyone that comes to me I will take him out.”

Other Bouts

Super featherweight Feargal McCrory (17-1, 9 KOs) survived a knockdown in the fourth to out-muscle Keenan Carbajal (25-5-1, 17 KOs) and batter down the Arizona fighter in the seventh and again in the eighth with volume punching.

Carbajal was deducted a point early for holding in round two, but regained that point when he floored the Irish southpaw during an exchange in the fourth.

Despite suffering a knockdown, McCrory continued stalking Carbajal and floored him in the seventh and eighth with battering blows. Referee Arthur Mercante Jr. stopped the fight without a count.

A rematch between two Irish super middleweights saw Emmet Brennan (6-0) remain undefeated by unanimous decision over Kevin Cronin (9-3-1).

Cronin started quickly with a pressure style and punches flowing against Brennan who resorted to covering and countering. Though it looked like Cronin was building up a lead with a busier style, the judges preferred Brennan’s judicious counters. No knockdowns were scored as all three judges saw Brennan the winner 98-92 after 10 rounds.

Dajuan Calloway (11-3, 9 KOs) emerged the winner by technical knockout over Thomas Carty (10-1) who was unable to continue after two rounds when his leg tangled and thereafter was unable to stand. Because he could not continue the fight was ruled a technical knockout win for Calloway in the heavyweight match.

Also

Cletus “Hebrew Hammer” Seldin (29-1, 23 Kos) defeated Yeis Solano (15-5) by majority decision after eight rounds in a super lightweight contest.

Donagh Keary (1-0) defeated Geral Alicea-Romero (0-1-1) by decision after four.

Light heavyweights Sean O’Bradaigh (0-0-1) and Jefferson Almeida (0-1-1) fought to a majority draw after four.

Photo credit: JP Yim

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 653

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Nick Ball Wears Down and Stops TJ Doheny Before the Home Folks in Liverpool

Published

2 days ago

March 15, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Nick-Ball-Wears-Down-and-Stops-TJ-Doheny-Before-the-Home-Folks-in-Liverpool

Fighting in his hometown, Liverpool’s five-foot-two fireplug Nick “The Wrecking” Ball stopped TJ Doheny after 10 progressively more one-sided rounds to retain his WBA belt in the second defense of the featherweight title he won with a hard-earned decision over Raymond Ford in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Referee Michael Alexander, with the assent of Doheny’s corner, waived it off following the bell ending Round 10, much to the chagrin of the brave but mildewed Doheny who burst into tears. But then, Doheny’s right eye was closed shut and he was plainly exhausted. This may be the end of the line for the 38-year-old campaigner from Perth, Australia via Portlaois, Ireland who was 26-5 heading in following his first loss inside the distance which came against pound-for-pound king Naoya Inoue.

There were no knockdowns, but Ball (22-0-1, 13 KOs) was docked a point in round nine for throwing Doheny to the canvas after having previously been warned for this infraction. Earlier, both he and Doheny were warned for an incident that could have ended the bout prematurely. At the end of the first round, Ball extricated himself from a headlock by kicking Doheny in the back of his knee. The challenger’s leg appeared to buckle as he returned to his stool.

Going forward, Ball has many options. The 28-year-old Liverpudlian purportedly relishes a unification fight with WBC belt-holder Stephen Fulton, but the decision ultimately rests with Ball’s promoter Frank Warren.

Other Bouts of Note

In a 12-round bantamweight contest that was close on the scorecards but yet a monotonous affair, Liverpool’s Andrew Cain won a split decision over former WBC flyweight title-holder Charlie Edwards. The scores were 116-112 and 115-114 favoring Cain with judge Steve Gray submitting a disreputable 115-113 tally for Edwards. At stake were a trio of regional titles.

The science of boxing, they say, is about hitting without getting hit. Charlie Edwards is adept at the latter but the hitting part is not in his DNA. He was on his bicycle from the get-go, a style that periodically brought forth a cascade of boos. Cain, who trains in the same gym with Nick Ball, was never able to corner him – Edwards was too elusive – but Cain, to his credit, never lost his composure.

In improving to 14-1 (12), Cain achieved a measure of revenge, in a sense. In his last documented amateur bout, in 2014, Cain was defeated by Charlie’s brother Sunny Edwards, also a former world title-holder at the professional level. Heading in, Charlie Edwards (20-2, 1 NC) was unbeaten in his last 13 which included a comfortable decision over Cristofer Rosales in his flyweight title fight. Charlie relinquished that belt when he could no longer make the weight.

Showboating Cuban lightweight Jadier Herrera, who fought 13 of his first 14 pro fights in his adopted home of Dubai, advanced to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a seventh-round stoppage of spunky but outclassed Mexican import Jose Macias (21-4-2). The official time was 2:31 of round seven.

An all-Liverpool affair between super flyweights Jack Turner (11-0, 10 KOs) and Ryan Farrag (23-6) was over in a jiff. The match, which went next-to-last in the bout order, ended at the 42-second mark of round two. A barrage of punches climaxed by a left hook sent Farrag down hard and the referee waived it off.

The noted spoiler Ionut Baluta, whose former victims include Andrew Cain, forged another upset with a 10-round split decision over local fan favorite Brad Strand. The judges favored Baluta 98-91 and 96-94, out-voting the Italian judge whose 97-93 tally for Strand was deemed the most accurate by the TV pundits.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 524

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Avila Perspective, Chap. 317: Callum Walsh, Dana White and More

Published

3 days ago

March 14, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective-Chap-317-Callum-Walsh-Dana-White-and-More

As Callum Walsh stood on the observation deck at the top of the Empire State Building with fists clenched, it harked back to actor Jimmy Cagney, an actor of Irish descent, yelling “Top of the world, ma,” in the 1949 motion picture White Heat.

The Irish-born Walsh brings that kind of attitude.

Once again Walsh (12-0, 10 KOs) returns to New York City and this time faces Scottish warrior Dean Sutherland (19-1, 7 KOs) in a super welterweight match set for 10 rounds on Sunday, March 16, at Madison Garden Theater.

UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions event.

Flanked by master trainer Freddie Roach and managed by Dana White it brings questions as to the direction that Walsh will be steered. It was just revealed that White will head a new boxing promotion outfit with big plans to make a more UFC type of organization.

Is Walsh part of the plans?

It’s a lot to digest as the hot prospect from Cork, Ireland proceeds toward world championship dreams. Can he cleanse his mind of this major distraction?

Walsh and Sutherland are both southpaws who are meeting at the crossroads in the heart of New York City. At this point of their careers a loss can mean rebooting and taking a few steps backward. The winner moves on to the next crucial step.

Sutherland, 26, hails from Aberdeen and has never fought outside of his native Scotland. It’s a lot to ask of someone whose country’s population of 5 million is dwarfed by New York City’s 8.2 million inhabitants all packed together.

Ireland’s population is also 5 million. So basically, both Walsh and Sutherland are on even terms when they enter the prize ring on Sunday.

Who knows what kind of competition Sutherland faced in Scotland. He beat two undefeated fighters and also conquered two foes who each had more than 100 losses on their resumes.

Meanwhile, Walsh has faced only one undefeated fighter but handled veterans like Benjamin Whitaker, Ismael Villareal and Carlos Ortiz Cervantes. But you never know until they meet face to face. Anything can happen in a prize ring.

Walsh has a three-fight knockout streak. Sutherland has slept two out of his last three foes. They will be joined by several Irish fighters on the card plus Cletus “The Hebrew Hammer” Seldin.

Dana, Turk and TKO

The announcement earlier in the week that Turki Alalshikh together with TKO Group Holdings that include Dana White and Nick Khan formed a new boxing promotion company.

White, who does not own UFC but guides the MMA ship, works for Endeavor, the parent company of UFC and WWE. Their events are all shown on ESPN, the powerful sports network (albeit WWE’s flagship weekly show “Raw” recently moved to Netflix). It seems Endeavor has decided to allow White to guide its boxing program too.

Where does that leave Top Rank?

It seems the partnership plans to rid boxing of the many sanctioning organizations and have only one champion per division. The champion will be given a Ring Magazine belt. Recently, Turki Alalshikh purchased The Ring magazine from Golden Boy Promotions. This seems to have been the plan all along.

Is this good for boxing?

Mark Shapiro, the president of TKO Group Holdings, said:

“This is a strategic opportunity to re-imagine the sport of boxing globally. TKO has the deep expertise, promotional prowess, and longstanding relationships. HE Turki Alalshikh and Sela share our passion and vision for evolving the current model. Together, we can bring the sweet science back to its rightful place in the forefront of the global sports ecosystem.”

DAZN all day

Three boxing cards take place on Saturday beginning with WBA featherweight titlist Nick Ball (21-0-1) the human cannonball, defending against former champion TJ Doheny from Liverpool, England. The first bout begins around 9:30 a.m. (Pacific Coast Time). Ball likes to charge forward and punch. Doheny is no slouch and has experience.

Later, Matchroom Boxing presents a show from Florida that features Edgar Berlanga (22-1) fresh off a solid contest against Canelo Alvarez. He fights undefeated Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) in a super middleweight match. Also, Ammo Williams (17-1) returns to face dangerous Patrice Volny (19-1) in a middleweight clash. The card starts at 3:30 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time.

Saturday evening MarvNation presents Amado Vargas (11-0) meeting Eduardo Hernandez (8-2) in a super lightweight contest at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California. Start time is set for 8 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time). The son of the great Fernando Vargas remains undefeated.

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 11:30 a.m. Nick Ball (21-0-1) vs TJ Doheny (26-5).

Sat. DAZN 3:30 p.m. Edgar Berlanga (22-1) vs Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) ; Ammo Williams (17-1) vs Patrice Volny (19-1).

Sat. DAZN 8 p.m. Amado Vargas (11-0) vs Eduardo Hernandez (8-2).

Sun. UFC Fight Pass 3 p.m. Callum Walsh (12-0) vs Dean Sutherland (19-1).

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 637

Share The Sweet Science experience!