By Ian S Palmer
There will be more boxing action at the StubHub Center in Carson, California this Saturday, August 16 as IBF Welterweight Champion Shawn Porter of Akron, Ohio takes on Kell Brook of Sheffield, England. This 12-round title bout between the two undefeated boxers can be seen live in Canada on Super Channel and in the USA on Showtime. Fans in Britain can catch it on SkySports1.
The 26-year-old Porter enters the ring with a record of 24-0-1 along with 15 Kos. He won the title via a unanimous decision over Devon Alexander and defended it against Paulie Malignaggi in his most recent contest by a fourth-round stoppage in April. He stands 5-feet-7-inches tall and has a 69.5 inch reach. The 28-year-old Brook comes into the fight with a perfect mark of 32-0 with 22 Kos and this is his first shot at a world title. He’s 5-foot-9 and has a 69 inch reach. Brook has the slight edge in experience with 155 pro rounds to his name while Porter has fought 133, but against tougher opposition.
Porter enters the fight with some momentum behind him while Brook has been struggling with canceled fights due to injuries lately. One such proposed bout that never came off was to be against Alexander. This means for at least once in his career Brook will be the underdog going into this fight. He’s already faced stiff opposition in Carson Jones and Vyacheslav Senchenko and struggled in booth those bouts even though he came away with victories. Brook is an upright European style boxer while the smaller and stockier Porter likes to work his way to the inside. This gave both Alexander and Malignaggi all sorts of problems. In addition, the champion also has a solid chin and has more snap in his punches than Brook.
Brook had problems with Carson Jones in their first meeting since Jones was the aggressor and he kept coming forward. He’s likely going to have a problem with Porter’s style here too since the champion likes to leap in and attack . Brook has some good skills too though and he may even have faster hands than Porter. He’s also quite mobile due to his footwork and agility. He’s a precise puncher who doesn’t waste many shots and has decent power which is usually set up by a fine jab. He’s also got a good uppercut which could come in hand against the shorter champion. Brook isn’t exactly in over his head here, but this is a significant step up in class for him.
Prediction
This bout features contrasting styles. Brook likes to box and move while Porter prefers to get inside and brawl. This means the champion will have to get inside of Brook’s stiff jab to reach his head and body. If Brook can take the punishment then it’s possible he’ll outbox Porter. It could turn into an exciting bout since we know Porter has the chin to absorb Brook’s power and if Brook can do the same this will be a fan-friendly fight. However, Brook may get worn down in the later stages and this should lead to a late stoppage victory for Porter.
