Is Kell Brook scared of Shawn Porter or is Eddie Hearn?

brook21By Gavin Duthie: One more chance is all I would give Eddie Hearn to deliver a tile shot for Kell Brook 32-0(22). He has been the mandatory IBF challenger for what seems like an eternity yet has never managed a crack at the belt. 

During this time Brook has seen three separate dates for fights with then champion Devon Alexander 25-2(14) fall through, twice due to mysterious injuries to Brook and one for Alexander. Then he had to watch British level fighter Lee Purdy 20-5-1(13) bravely but poorly attempt to dethrone Alexander. After this he witnessed the title change hands from Alexander to Shawn Porter 24-0-1(15) followed by a snub for a shot in favour of Paulie Malignaggi. Trolling through the news sights and forums there is more talk of Porter next fighting Amir Khan or Keith Thurman, enough is enough. 

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Kell Brook vs. Shawn Porter won’t happen, says Amir Khan

brook45453By Scott Gilfoid: Amir Khan doesn’t see a fight between IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter (24-0-1, 15 KO’s) and #1 IBF Kell Brook (32-0, 22 KO’s) will take place in July, as the International Boxing Federation has ordered. Khan believes that Brook doesn’t have the stomach for the fight after watching the magnificent job that Porter did on Paulie Malignaggi in stopping him in 4th round last April.

“Brook-Porter is not going to happen because Kell doesn’t think he can win it,” Khan said via BBC Sport. “I don’t think Kell has got the bottle to take a big fight like that; he’s always been all talk when it comes to the big fights. Some fighters are like that.”

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Is Kell Brook being cut out the picture again?

brook1By Damien Dennis: It has been almost a month now since Shawn Porter (24-0-1) with only 15 knockouts defeated the light fisted journeyman Paulie Malignaggi (33-6) in a one sided optional first defense of his IBF welterweight title. Even though the talented Kell Brook (32-0) with a massive 22 knockouts, has been in a mandatory position for that title for a very long time now, Porter’s anxious team decided to take an easy first defense against a boxer with little or no punching power but who also happened to be from the U.S.A.

In the aftermath of the lop-sided mismatched Malignaggi brawl I expected terms between the accomplished Brook and Porter to be worked out smoothly and quickly. However, nearly a month later and there has been little or no news from either camp. This has led to a lot of speculation as to why the fight hasn’t been penciled into the calendar seeing as the IBF had originally stated that the skilled Brook would get his shot by the end of July.

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Put Khan in with Porter; Winner gets Mayweather

khan111By Michael Byrne: Amir Khan is once more running his mouth, chasing a shot at Mayweather. However, it has long been determined that Mayweather’s next fight will be in September, and Khan has admitted he can’t make this date as he wants three months to prepare for the fight, and Ramadan would get in the way of this. Khan is trying to pressure Mayweather to push the date back to November, but whilst Khan’s pressure in the ring is world-class, his influence over Mayweather outside the ring is non-existent: Mayweather fights who he wants, when he wants.

Also, after Mayweather’s very close fight with Maidana last Saturday, one which seen him behind on the scorecards at the mid-point of the bout, there is significant demand for a rematch. So if Mayweather fights Maidana again in September and comes through that bout, his fight date of May 2015 could well be against Khan.

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Khan doubts Brook will take Shawn Porter fight

brook324By Scott Gilfoid: Amir Khan (29-3, 19 KO’s) says he’d like to fight the winner of the possible July fight between IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter (24-0-1, 15 KO’s) and Kell Brook (32-0, 22 KO’s) next, but Khan doesn’t think that fight will happen, according to the Daily Star. Khan sees Brook ducking out of that fight due to the risk involved in facing Porter.

Khan will likely be steered around the winner of the Brook-Porter fight, and, yes, that fight will take place. Brook pretty much has no other choice but to take on Porter because he’s not going to get a shot at the WBA/WBC champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. and definitely not against WBO champion Manny Pacquiao. Neither of those huge stars are going to burn up a valuable fight against a guy that the American boxing fans have never heard of or seen before in Brook.

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Hearn wants Kell Brook vs. Shawn Porter staged in UK on July 12th

brook5By Scott Gilfoid: Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn says he’s going to make a play to have the Kell Brook (32-0, 22 KO’s) vs. IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter (24-0-1, 15 KO’s) fight staged in Sheffield in the UK on July 12th. Hearn promotes Brook, and he feels that the fight will do well there by attracting a large crowd of Brook fans. Hearn doesn’t believe that a Brook-Porter fight will do well in the U.S, because Porter doesn’t bring in large crowds yet at this point in his career.

“I have already spoken to Richard Schaefer this week, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, who look after Porter, and I have told him that I want to bring this fight to the UK,” Hearn said. “My offer would be to stage the fight in Sheffield, possibly on July 12…Ultimately, they would like the fight in America…but I think it makes more sense for it to be in the UK.”

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Shawn Porter and Keith Thurman move up Ring rankings at 147

thurman32222By Dan Ambrose: IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter (24-0-1, 15 KO’s) and WBA interim welterweight champion Keith Thurman’s recent victories have given them a push up the Ring’s rankings at welterweight. Porter destroyed Paulie Malignaggi in 4 rounds on April 19th of this month in an impressive performance at the DC Armory in Washington, DC. Boxing fans expected Porter to beat Malignaggi, but few thought that it would be in such a brutal manner.

Malignaggi was beaten badly in a fight that he was never competitive in for even an instant. He ended up with a bad concussion, and he even had to sit out his regular Showtime analyst job last weekend to have more time to recover from the beating. Thurman (23-0, 21 KO’s) obliterated a very good fighter in Julio Diaz in 3 rounds last Saturday night at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

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Keith Thurman: I’m gunning for Mayweather in 2015; I want Porter next

thurman5By Chris Williams: WBA interim welterweight champion Keith Thurman (23-0, 21 KO’s) says he’ll be shooting for a big fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. (45-0, 26 KO’s) next year in 2015, after he hopefully fights IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter next. Thurman believes he knows how to beat Mayweather now after studying his style, and he’s going to try and overpower him the same way he overpowered 34-year-old former IBF lightweight champion Julio Diaz last Saturday night in stopping him in 3 rounds at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

“I want to fight Shawn Porter based off of the fans want it,” Thurman said. “We’re gunning for Mayweather in 2015.”

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IBF orders Shawn Porter vs. Kell Brook fight

porter3222By Scott Gilfoid: The International Boxing Federation (IBF) has reportedly ordered a fight between IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter (24-0-1, 15 KO’s) and #1 IBF Kell Brook (32-0, 22 KO’s), according to Dan Rafael of ESPN. Porter just finishing obliterating Paulie Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KO’s) in 4 rounds last Saturday night at the DC Armory in Washington, DC, and already he’s being ordered to face the untested Brook.

Porter has no problem taking the fight with Brook, because he feels like he matches up well against him and most of the other fighters in the welterweight division right now. Brook doesn’t have an inside game, and this fight could end rather quickly unless Brook takes a crash course in learning how to fight in close.

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Schaefer intrigued by Mayweather vs. Porter fight possibility

porter03By Scott Gilfoid: IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter (24-0-1, 15 KO’s) made a name for himself last Saturday night in destroying a still very good Paulie Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KO’s) in a 4th round TKO victory on Showtime. The victory showed clearly that Porter is one of the best fighters in the 147lb division, and he’s ready for bigger fights against the big names in the division.

Porter’s promoter Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions says he likes the idea of matching him against WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the future, and he thinks it would be a great fight.

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