By Jim Dower: WBC junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo (28-0, 13 KOs) will be defending his title against his mandatory challenger Charles Hatley (26-1-1, 18 KOs) on April 22 on the undercard of the welterweight clash between Andre Berto and Shawn Porter on Showtime Boxing from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
By Jaime Ortega:
Lamont Peterson versus Saddam Ali
Akin Devon Alexander, Peterson was once the new Errol Spence Jr. Everyone expected Peterson to dominate the welterweight division and eventually fight the king-ping Floyd Mayweather Jr., but in boxing unexpected events set the standards and not fans expectations. Timothy Bradley ended his undefeated aspirations, and Lucas Matisse hurt his career. Peterson has slowly emerged as a casted shadow to rise to the top again. A lot of fans felt Saddam Ali, was also going to make noise, but after his fight with Jessy Vargas his fans vanished onto thin air.
By Eric Baldwin: Shawn Porter will be attempting to earn his way to a rematch against WBA/WBC welterweight champion Keith Thurman when he fights Andre Berto (31-4, 24 KOs) in a WBC 147 lb. eliminator match next month on April 22 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Porter (25-2-1, 16 KOs) wants a second chance against Thurman to avenge his loss to him last year.
It might take a while before Porter gets a second shot against Thurman, because he could be facing Danny Garcia in a rematch in the next four months. If that fight happens, Thurman will surely take a stay busy fight in his match after that one.
Former world champions Andre Berto and Shawn Porter are set to collide in a welterweight world title eliminator on Saturday, April 22 in the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, from Barclays Center, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™.
(Photo Credit: Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment)
Berto (31-4, 24 KOs) and Porter (26-2-1, 16 KOs) will battle in a 12-round eliminator for the WBC welterweight title live on SHOWTIME with televised coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The winner will become the mandatory for the WBC crown picked up this past weekend by Keith Thurman, who unified the WBA and WBC titles with a victory over Danny Garcia on CBS at Barclays Center.
By Eric Baldwin: After months of talk, former IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter and Andre Berto will reportedly be announcing their April 22 fight this Saturday. Porter vs. Berto will be taking place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
It’s a fight that both guys need, as they haven’t been that active of late. Porter (26-2-1, 16 KOs) lost his last fight to WBA World welterweight champion Keith Thurman in June of last year. Berto, 33, hasn’t fought since stopping Victor Ortiz in April 2016. Berto (31-4, 24 KOs) will have been out of the ring for 1 year by the time he faces Porter on April 22.
By Scott Gilfoid: Former WBO middleweight champion Peter Quillin sees Kell Brook (36-1, 25 KOs) having it tough going against Errol Spence Jr. (21-0, 18 KOs) in his next fight on May 20. Quillin says that Brook has a lot on his plate due to him having lost his last fight against middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, and now having to face one of the best prospects in boxing in Spence. It’s not good timing at all for Brook to have to face a fighter like the 26-year-old Spence right after the Golovkin fight.
Former IBF 147lb champion Shawn Porter also believes that Spence can beat Brook. Porter is well familiar with both fighters, and he thinks that Spence will emerge as the winner in the fight.
By Scott Gilfoid: Trainer Kenny Porter says IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook never had any intentions of giving former IBF 147lb champion Shawn Porter a rematch after he beat him by a 12 round majority decision on August 16, 2014 at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.
Kenny notes that after Porter the fight, he was removed from the International Boxing Federation’s top 25. He didn’t understand how Porter could be removed from the IBF’s rankings. Kenny points out that Kevin Bizier was kept in the IBF’s top 15 rankings after he lost to Jo Jo Dan, and was able to get a mandatory title shot against Brook in 2016.
By Eric Baldwin: Former IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter (26-2-1, 16 KOs) says he’ll be fighting Andre Berto (31-4, 24 KOs) in April. The fight still needs to be officially announced, but this is great news for the boxing fans.
Porter, 29, last fought in June of last year in losing a close 12 round unanimous decision to WBA World welterweight champion Keith Thurman. That loss ended a 2-fight winning streak for Porter, but he came close.
By Scott Gilfoid: Former IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter is picking former three division world champion Leo Santa Cruz (32-1-1, 18 KOs) to beat WBA Super World featherweight Carl Frampton (23-0, 14 KOs) in their rematch next Saturday night on January 28 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Like a lot of boxing fans, Porter had Santa Cruz winning their previous fight last July in New York. Porter thought Santa Cruz did enough to deserve the victory. Unfortunately, the three judges that worked the fight felt differently, scoring the fight 114-114, 116-112, and 117-111.
By Scott Gilfoid: In what is no surprise to anyway, former IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter is picking Kell Brook to defeat Amir Khan when/if the fight ever happens. Porter says that Brook is the stronger fighter. Porter knows this because the two of them fought each other two years ago in a fight that was won by Brook by a questionable 12 round majority decision in August 2014.
That was the fight where Brook clinched all night long to keep Porter from throwing punches. The referee never stepped in to address the nonstop clinching from Brook. Porter wants a rematch with Brook, but it doesn’t look like it’s ever going to happen.