Shawn Porter-Adrien Broner: Post-Fight Report Card

by Cliff Rold

The odds were stacked against him. Shawn Porter agreed to come in lower on the scale (144 lbs.) than he’d been since 2011. He made the weight the right way. He prepared the right way.

He won going away.

Saturday night’s biggest fight, pitting former Welterweight titlists Porter and Adrien Broner, wasn’t a good fight. It was however an interesting fight from start to finish with a strong dramatic flair at the finish. Broner became the first man to drop Porter in the final round but he couldn’t finish and didn’t seem all that bothered.

No one should have been surprised.

The way he fought Saturday, Broner couldn’t be bothered with the rigors of being a professional in the weeks leading to his second defeat. Shawn Porter has rebounded from a loss to Kell Brook and there are a number of fights to look forward too.

All hail the professional.

Let’s go the report card.

Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Porter B+; Broner B+/Post: A; C+

Porter let Broner know he was there to win in the very first round, rattling Broner with a big shot over the top and bulling forward to make things physical. It’s the way Porter often fights. Broner had two answers: single quick pot shots and clinches.

There were a lot more of the latter. Clinching, shoving, heeling, and the backwards slap shot were all on display from Broner as he lost round after round. Porter would take one, get close, and land in multiple on the inside while occasionally blasting Broner with clean shots upstairs.

It wasn’t pretty. The fight was a mugging affair, ugly more often than not. The drama was there though as Broner slowly got into the fight and started to get more leather in during the second half. The knockdown in the final round hinted at what might have been if he’d showed some fire from the outset.

He didn’t and it’s fair to ask if this is just what there is. The hype, star appeal, and flashes of talent are offset by his two losses to Porter and previously Marcos Maidana and questionable earlier decision wins over Fernando Quintero and Daniel Ponce De Leon. For all the attention Broner receives in and out of the ring, what does he really have to show for it?

He has career best wins over Paulie Malignaggi and Antonio DeMarco, a mighty struggle last year with an Emanuel Taylor who was fairly easily bested by Chris Algieri, and three belts that speak to just how easy it really can be to accomplish that feat these days without facing the best in one’s given weight class. Seriously, of his titles at 130, 135, and 147 lbs., only the Lightweight belt won from DeMarco was against someone with a case as the best in his class at the time.

And DeMarco’s position spoke to how shallow the pool at Lightweight was and continues to be.

Broner is clearly a good fighter. He is also a triumph of style over substance, of the smoke and mirrors of personality abetted by matchmaking. Twice, he’s come up against blue-collar pros of some real substance.

Twice he’s lost.

He’ll likely return to 140 lbs., talk some more, beat a couple guys on the fringe, and then be back in this position before long. He said he’s okay with losing on Saturday. Everyone else should be okay with focusing on people who want to win.

Porter isn’t going to ride this win to the top of the Welterweight division. He will continue to be a tough out, winning some and losing some, against the better Welterweights. The line between Floyd Mayweather and everyone else appears wide at 147 lbs. right now. The line between Manny Pacquiao and Kell Brook below him and everyone else also appears wide.

Brook has already handled Porter but there are several options in the division for Porter who haven’t had the chances to see where they shake out. Keith Thurman is first and foremost. Thurman is a talented guy who seems on the cusp but doesn’t yet have a deep pool of quality foes to his name. Thurman would be a great test.

And a perfect fall marquee for the PBC.     

Report Card and Staff Picks 2015: 51-13 (Including staff picks for Ward-Smith, Barthelemy-DeMarco, and Lemieux-N’Dam) 

Cliff’s Notes…

So Andre Ward intends to stay at Super Middleweight? If so, there are plenty of good options. Since he’s been away, there has been some new talent to emerge in the form of James DeGale if the fight could be made. There is also, of course, the possibility of Gennady Golovkin moving up. Ward needs a dance partner if he’s going to regain his lost momentum…As to Golovkin, if he stays to unify at Middleweight, he has a new option. David Lemieux was thrilling in winning a vacant belt last weekend against Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam. Golovkin would be heavily favored but that style clash would be must-see TV…Rances Barthelemy looks a lot better at 140 than he did at 130.

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at