Porter will beat Broner, says Loeffler

    0
    1011

    Shawn PorterK2 Promotions CEO Tom Loeffler praised the main event of the upcoming Premier Boxing Champions show that is scheduled for June 20th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada when talking to Esnewsreporting.com recently.

    The card will be headlined by a delectable match-up between two of the sport’s most talented young practitioners. Adrien Broner (30-1, 22 KO’s) and Shawn Porter (25-1-1, 16 KO’s) will meet at a catchweight of 144 lbs., halfway between their respective light-welter and welterweight divisions.

    Both are former world champions and though they have each suffered a significant setback -Broner against Kell Brook last August and Broner in 2013 against Marcos Maidana- they remain near the top of the pile.

    Loeffler is just as enthused as the rest of the boxing community to see these two Ohio natives go at it and talked through what compels him about this fight.

    “I’ve said a number of times I think it’s the best fight that PBC has put on so far. I really like that fight. Two great fighters, both world class fighters fighting each other.”

    Interestingly, Loeffler finds himself assigning his favour based on traits each has shown in their personalities as opposed to their repertoires. Like so many before him, he just cannot connect with the blunt brashness of Adrien ‘The Problem’ Broner.

    “Shawn Porter is much more likeable than Adrien Broner so I’ll be rooting for Porter but you can’t take anything away from Broner he’s he’s definitely a flashy guy.”

    Elie Seckbach -who was holding the camera and posing the questions- jumped to Broner’s defence following this statement and defended his character somewhat, so Loeffler clarified his position.

    “It just seems to me that Porter is a lot more humble than Adrien. I don’t see Porter flushing money down the toilet like Adrien does.”

    That particular shenanigan needs no further explanation for it sums the act up perfectly. It drew a decidedly negative response from most of the onlookers who voiced their opinions and is a prime example of why he polarises the boxing audience to such an extent.

    However, Loeffler did not try to deny that some of the character traits he finds disagreeable in Broner are part of why he has become such a big star.

    “But like I say you can’t take anything away from Broner it’s a great fight either way. You got Broner, who’s the talkative guy and marketed himself and certainly is one of the most talked-about guys in boxing. Whenever Broner puts out a video people watch it.”

    When predicting a winner, he found his head aligned with his heart and picked the more appealing Porter to triumph.

    “Porter, he lost to Kell Brook but I would lean towards Porter because I think his skills -even at the, I guess the weight is 144?- even at that weight I would lean towards Shawn Porter. I just think he would have the edge on that.”

    Porter rolls forward in a rough and stumble fashion, lashing out with hooks and mauling up close when he is allowed to.

    The former middleweight is intensely strong and was only deterred by a combination of technique and strength from Kell Brook.

    Broner began pug-life as a super-featherweight before jumping the twelve pounds between lightweight and welterweight to dethrone Paulie Malignaggi for his WBA strap in 2013; his third belt in three weight classes.

    His physicality did not count for as much against a big, stronger Marcos Maidana six months later though, as he was knocked down twice and outpointed by the Argentine banger, who walked through most of Broner’s punches without trouble.

    It will be a big ask for the naturally smaller Broner to hold off the bullish Porter over the entire 12-round distance, should it indeed go that long.

    Broner will have to move those sometimes-sticky soles of his after he fires off his combinations, a key weapon he will need to do to deter Porter.

    Porter will make it a long night for his younger opponent if he stifles him with activity and intimate aggression. He is more than capable of reproducing Maidana’s tactics and can do it at a higher pace over longer periods.

    One of the bigger intrigues in this fight is whether he will show the same endurance three pounds below his normal fighting weight. He is a big boy for the division already and that extra weight-loss may prove a taxing obstacle to overcome, and it could negatively effect his performance.

    The styles they have shown in past bouts, where they are content to hold their feet and fight it out on the inside, suggests this will take on a similar form.

    When two top-level fighters do that, too much holding and clinching are the only thing that can make it a boring watch. But these two have never prove to be gun-shy anyway.