Photo by Ismael Gallardo/RBRBoxing
Ohio’s favorite sons do battle this weekend when Cincinnati’s Adrien “The Problem” Broner (30-1, 22 KOs) and Cleveland’s “Showtime” Shawn Porter (25-1-1, 16 KOs) lock horns on June 20 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in the latest installment of Premier Boxing Champions. The action will air on NBC at 8:30 pm, EST.
The matchup between these two former welterweight champions—going down at a catchweight of 144 pounds—is a study in contrasting styles. Broner, 25, still hasn’t shaken the psuedo-Mayweather act.
Porter, on the other hand, has developed a swarming attack all his own and all kinds of wrong for “The Problem.” He was last seen bludgeoning Erick Bone to a fifth-round knockout on network TV earlier this year.
This aggressive attack, similar to Marcos Maidana, makes Porter the betting favorite going into this weekend. It’s going to take a lot for Broner to beat him.
Here are three keys to doing so.
Get Those Feet Wet
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Shawn Porter is a swarmer supreme, crouching into position before leaping into his opponent with ruthless right and left hooks. If that doesn’t work he fires out a long, exaggerated double-jab to work his way in, something he did especially well against former world champions Devon Alexander and Paul Malignaggi.
Adrien Broner, a former super featherweight (albeit a large one), lacks the brute strength it would take to halt Porter’s onrush like the physical specimen Kell Brook did with a large measure of holding and grappling last year.
So instead, Broner needs to commit to using his feet to avoid the freight train that is Porter’s offense. This is something Broner has seemed to have a problem doing.
Too often are Broner’s feet rooted to the ground. He has a good chin—the murderous-punching Marcos Maidana thumped him around the ring but failed to take him out. But the brash Broner shouldn’t test his chin in the pocket the way he does, allowing himself to get touched up for the first half of his fight with the unheralded Emmanuel Taylor last year.
His stagnant feet nearly cost him way back in 2009 against an inexperienced Fernando Quintero (7-0-1) in a fight that analyst and former trainer Teddy Atlas scored a draw on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights broadcast.
He did use every inch of the canvas earlier this year when he cruised to an uninspiring decision victory over John Molina Jr., but his offense completely vanished.
Add a healthy dose of counter punching to that kind of mobility and Broner is one step closer to upsetting Porter.
Stay Off the Ropes
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Paul Malignaggi is the only common opponent between Shawn Porter and Adrien Broner.
The “Magic Man” is a swift boxer who was overwhelmed by Porter especially along the ropes where he was eventually left sprawled out and unconscious for good within four rounds.
Broner wasn’t so impressive, eeking out a split-decision win over Malignaggi in 2013. In his very next fight, the hyper-aggresive Marcos Maidana handed him the first loss of his professional career.
Maidana hit Broner with anything and everything he could for 12 rounds, even knocking him down into the ropes in Round 2 with the same lunging left hook Porter throws so well.
The Cincinnati native may enjoy referring to pound-for-pound kingpin Floyd Mayweather Jr. as “big brother” but he shouldn’t want to continue to emulate Mayweather’s weakness for high-output brawlers.
Broner needs to avoid the ropes Saturday night lest he’s suffocated by punches again like he was against Maidana or even the unheralded Vicente Martin Rodriguez who viciously swarmed Broner back in 2011 for three-and-a half rounds before being cracked by Broner’s patented right uppercut.
Capitalize on Porter’s Leaky Defense
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Shawn Porter’s punches reel in quick shoeshine fashion. His head, however, does not.
He fights with his hands down and head bolt upright. In his very last fight with Erick Bone, “Showtime” was continually countered with a left hook after laying flurries into his opponent. That’s not something that should be happening to a fighter of Porter’s talent against a late-replacement like Bone.
Broner’s defense isn’t all that much better despite showing off a shoulder roll stance. While Broner should have dropped the shoulder roll charade a long time ago he is excellent at utilizing the most effective counter-punch from the shoulder roll position: the uppercut.
When Broner has a lapse in movement this weekend (which he will), Porter will jump on him. But when he does, look for Broner to implement the shoulder roll and stuff his left elbow into his opponent’s face to gauge distance and let those right uppercuts fly. The right hand can always reach where the left elbow is. Floyd Mayweather has made a career out of this and it was a part of what Broner used to batter WBC lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco in 2012 and he even managed to sneak in a few amidst his drubbing at the hands of Maidana.
Porter was clipped and staggered by this very same punch in Round 7 of his fight with Kell Brook. Broner can do the same.
Still, Brook did everything right in his majority decision win over Porter, firing off his potent jab and tying up the brutish Porter when the smaller man was in punching distance. All of this along with a significant size advantage and Brook still barely beat Porter.
That’s because the flocking overflow of punches “Showtime” applies will always be the great equalizer in this sport.
Maybe Broner can present him problems. Maybe not.
