Brook vs. Porter

By Ciaran McKInney: It has been quite an interesting week in the world of boxing. On Saturday night, Kell Brook (33-0) took the IBF Welterweight strap with a majority decision over the heavily favored and much hyped Shawn Porter.

This was a mandatory defence for the Ohio native, however not too many people would have given ‘Special K’ more than a punchers chance. The phrase that had been bandied about in reference to Porter, was that he was a ‘smaller Mike Tyson’, this being due to his unorthodox style, small stature and brute force.

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By Scott Gilfoid: Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn doesn’t think his fighter Kell Brook (33-0, 22 KOs) was holding Shawn Porter (24-1-1, 15 Kos) a lot in their fight last Saturday night at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

Hearn says what Brook was doing was he was tying Porter up rather than holding him, and he sees that as being different from regular holding. They both look the same, but Hearn is giving them different names.

“There’s a difference between holding and tying someone up,” Hearn said to IFL TV. “Andre Ward does it really well. If you watch the Froch-Ward fight, he tied Froch up brilliantly. That’s what Kell did. It was a case where when we get close I’m going to lock you down, and you’re not going to be able to do your work. He [Brook] got told once in the fight to stop holding.”

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(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) By Scott Gilfoid: Last Saturday’s Showtime card head-lined by Kell Brook vs. IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter brought in less than spectacular ratings for Showtime, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.

Porter’s numbers are down from his previous fight against Paulie Malignaggi from last April. We’re talking a big drop off in numbers. The Porter-Malignaggi fight brought in 897,000 viewers on Showtime compared to the 661,000 for the Porter-Brook fight. What was especially sad about the Brook vs. Porter ratings is that the Danny Garcia vs. Rod Salka fight did far better in averaging 808,000 viewers on Showtime. That was a terrible fight too.

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By Yannis Mihanos: As I witnessing Kell “The Special K” Brook (33-0, 22 KOs) for the first time in beating IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter (24-1-1, 15 KOs) last Saturday night, I must say that he did convince me. His performance was not outstanding but it was rock solid.

Anybody else would have fallen after the ferocious attacks of Porter starting from round 1 up to round 12, but no, not this one, not this guy.

At the beginning I was a bit sceptic with what I would see from Brook cause many times fighters who come with clean sheet records are not in reality what they seem to be (paper champs). That was clearly not the case here. The lad from Sheffield England was well trained and determined and win.

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By Rusty Nate: Having read a few articles and more importantly the comments regarding the fight between Kell Brook and Shawn Porter, I felt compelled to put across the truth behind the stupid comments.

The fight was built up as being close between the two fighters for much of the same reasons on both sides. They were men that were untested on a realistic world class level.

Brook is a fighter that appears to have been protected and spoon fed easier opponents over the years than he probably should have been. That’s no surprise and is pretty accurate. He has fought above domestic level but probably nothing to far north of European / Commonwealth level.

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By Gerardo Granados: Once up on a time the rules were clear and referees were very strong to make the fighters respect the rules and to obey their commands, but now a days things might have changed for worst. According to the current rules applied by the major boxing organizations it is clear that “holding” or be named as clinching is a FOUL.

Before I continue I´ll make clear that I am not a fan of either Brook or Porter but I do am a loyal boxing fan of an entertaining fight. What happen last Saturday night was not new; it has happen in the past and will keep on happening if the rules are not properly applied by the referee.

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(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) By Robbie Bannatyne: Nine months ago I wrote an article entitled ‘Now is Kell Brook’s time to shine’. Within my words though was a warning that Brook would miss his chance if he allowed procrastination to steal his time. The time for deep thought about becoming a world champion was over, decisive action was required if ‘The Special One’ was to realize his dreams.

As the action unfolded  last night between Kell Brook and Shawn Porter I had the sinking feeling that the words I had written were coming back to haunt me. Instead of seizing the initiative on the biggest night of his life, I felt Brook was thinking too much and not acting enough.

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(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) By Tom Berridge: Unbeaten Kell Brook (33-0, 22 KOs) last night became the new IBF welterweight world champion just as predicted in the eyes of many intelligent boxing fans in beating IBF 147 pound champion Shawn Porter (24-1-1, 15 KOs) by a 12 round majority decision at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. Brook absolutely schooled Porter and made him look terrible in the process of winning a 12 round decision by the scores 114-114, 117-111 and 116-112.

It was so one sided it simply reminded me of a dominant Floyd Mayweather Jr performance. Porter was coming back off an emphatic victory over Paulie Malignaggi from last April, and was being massively hyped up based on that performance and beating Devon Alexander.

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(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) By Lewis: Special #1 IBF Kell Brook (33-0, 22 KOs) really lived up to his nickname last night by out pointing the talented and proven IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter (24-0-1, 15 KOs) in handing him his first defeat of his career at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. The final judges’ scores were 114-114, 117-111 and 116-112, all for Brook.

This win has opened up many doors for the Sheffield fighter who trains at the well known Ingle gym that produced Prince Naseem, such as potential fights against Amir Khan, Floyd Mayweather Jr, Manny Pacquiao, Devon Alexander, Keith Thurman, Tim Bradley and a rematch with Porter if Brook wants it. Porter said after the fight that he wants a rematch with Brook.

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