(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) ByAhad Khan: Kell Brook (33-0, 22 KOs) stayed undefeated and handed Shawn Porter (24-1-1, 15 KOs) the first loss of his professional career on Saturday night by a 12 round majority decision at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. The judges had it 114-114, 117-111, and 116-112. The three judges only had a unanimous score for 5 of the 12 rounds.
Brook took a major step up in competition by facing Porter for the IBF Welterweight Championship, a title for which Brook has been the number one contender for almost two years. Although Brook has battled injuries during that time, he appeared in good form on Saturday night against Porter.
Brook was the sharper fighter throughout the fight, landing cleaner shots and defending himself effectively against an aggressive but ultimately ineffective attack by Porter. Brook was cut in the second round as a result of an accidental headbutt and although the cut continued to bleed, it did not seem to affect Brook or alter his game-plan. Brook was able to hold off constant pressure by Porter by effectively counter-punching and clinching. He was able to catch Porter with flush shots upstairs and appeared to wobble Porter on at least two occasions. Porter never seemed actually hurt, however, and did good work to the body throughout the fight. It was not enough to win rounds though, as Brook seemed to gain confidence as the fight carried on and even appeared to taunt Porter in the closing rounds
After the fight, Porter stated that he believed that Brook did not do enough to take the belt from the champion. The judges collectively disagreed, however, with one judge giving Brook 9 of 12 rounds. In his post-fight comments, Brook mentioned making his first championship defense a big fight, discussing Keith Thurman, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and Amir Khan as potential opponents. On a possible Khan fight, Brook commented that the British public “needs that fight.”
With the victory, Brook solidified his name as part of a list of legitimate contenders in a stacked welterweight division. Danny Garcia, who was in attendance, is rumored to be considering a move to welterweight for his next fight. Thurman, also in attendance, mentioned wanting the winner of Porter-Brook or Amir Khan for his next fight. Any combination of those opponents would produce an intriguing match-up for later this year.
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