UNDERDOG TAKES IBF BELT BACK TO ENGLAND
“Special” Night For Kell Brook
Carson, CA- IBF welterweight (147) champion Shawn “Showtime” Porter (24-1-1, 15 KO) lost his belt by majority decision to England’s Kell “Special K” Brook (33-0, 22 KO). It was a very competitive fight in which Porter outworked Brook in several rounds but was also hit with nice crisp counters.
BROOK STAYED FOCUSED ON TASK AT HAND
Kell fought on the outside and held on any time Porter got close. It was not the prettiest way to win, but he got the nod on two of the cards (116-112 and 117-111), with one score being even (114-114). Brook proved to be a little “special” after all. Can he beat the elite of the division? I am not so sure. Regardless, it was a nice performance and a good win. I am now 0-2 in predicting main events I attend at the Stub Hub Center. Next time you want to bet on a main event at that venue, bet on the opposite of whoever I pick.
DIRRELL TOPS BIKA IN UGLY FIGHT
WBC super middleweight (168) titlist Sakio Bika (32-6-3, 21 KO) lost his title to Anthony Dirrell (27-0-1, 22 KO) after 12 rounds of wild action. Bika outworked Dirrell early, but Dirrell began to land crisp counters that stunned Sakio in the 5th and throughout the rest of the bout. It was an ugly fight full of fouls and clinches. As usual, Sakio loaded up on every punch but missed the majority of them. Bika was lucky not to be disqualified in the 9th for hitting Dirrell after he slipped to the canvas. Scores were 114-113, 116-111, and 117-110 for Dirrell.
FIGUEROA STRUGGLES BUT CLOSES THE SHOW
WBC lightweight (135) champion Omar Figueroa (24-0-1, 18 KO) had a rough 8 and change with Daniel Estrada (32-3-1, 24 KO) before dropping him hard in the 9th with an overhand right. Estrada beat the count, but was subsequently finished with a flurry against the ropes at 1:00. The champ was bloodied by punches early on and a headbutt in the 8th, but persevered and closed the show in style. Figueroa seemed dissatisfied with his performance and mentioned a move to 140 pounds in the post fight interview. This move may be best, as I think WBO lightweight champion Terence Crawford (24-0, 17 KO) schools him
WILDER STOPS ANOTHER BUM
Heavyweight (200+) Deontay Wilder (32-0, 32 KO) had the longest fight of his career. Jason Gavern (25-17-4) managed to last 4 rounds with Wilder before his corner decided they had seen enough. Lightweight Jorge Linares (37-3, 24 KO) did not allow himself to get cut and suffer an unfortunate loss. He finished Ira Terry (26-12, 16 KO) off in the second round at the 1:21 mark. Heavyweight prospect Dominic Breazeale (12-0, 11 KO) scored a KO2 at 2:05 against Billy Zumbrun (27-14-1, 16 KO).
UNDERCARD RESULTS
WELTERWEIGHTS Haskell Rhodes (22-0, 11 KO) RTD4 John Nater (13-7, 10 KO)
WELTERWEIGHT Alan Sanchez (14-3-1, 8 KO) KO3 Jose Luis Ramirez, Jr. (7-1-1, 4 KO)
LIGHTWEIGHTS Luke Campbell (7-0, 5 KO) KO2 Steve Trumble (13-31, 8 KO)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS (175) Callum Smith (13-0, 10 KO) KO1 Abraham Hernandez (5-1, 3 KO)
WELTERWEIGHTS Fabian Andres Maidana (2-0, 1 KO) KO 1 Philip Soriano (0-5)
MIDDLEWEIGHTS (160) Jason Quigley (2-0, 2 KO) RTD 3 Fernando Najera (1-4)
Zak “Attack” Young