Adrien Broner vs. Shawn Porter: Boxing’s true toss-up

By Case Keefer (contact)

Friday, June 19, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Adrien Broner shifted all of his weight from one foot to the other, rolling his shoulders from side to side with a treasure chest’s supply of gold chains around his neck causing a blur.

The 25-year-old boxer from Cincinnati refused to make eye contact with upcoming opponent and fellow statesman Shawn Porter while keeping his body in motion. Broner’s mouth matched the movement as he spewed insults in Porter’s direction during a promotional staredown.

“This is nothing,” Broner articulated loudly enough for the media at Thursday afternoon’s press conference in a tent outside the MGM Grand Garden Arena to hear. “This is easy work.”

For once, no one bought it.

In this age of boxing, almost every major fight has a clear favorite. More often than not, it’s the brash grandstander fighting out of the red corner.

But the bout between Broner (30-1, 22 KOs) and Porter (25-1-1, 16 KOs), the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions on NBC card scheduled to start at 5 p.m. Saturday night at the MGM, doesn’t conform to the sport’s contemporary constructs.

Some betting odds have the fight as a straight pick’em, with the sports books shading slightly toward one side favoring the reserved “B-side” fighter Porter, a 27-year-old from Akron, Ohio. It’s one contest where promoters’ timeworn promise of “an evenly matched fight” actually checks out.

“Shawn’s coming to knock Adrien’s head off,” said Ken Porter, Shawn’s father and trainer. “He’s in a real fight, a big fight. I think this is going to be an entertaining fight. They both have contrasting styles. Both have certain strengths that they do certain things well. It’s going to be very competitive.”

The matchup is compelling because each fighter appears uniquely positioned to re-create the circumstances of their opponent’s only loss. Broner was widely acknowledged as the heir apparent to Floyd Mayweather Jr., whom he trains alongside sporadically and considers a “big brother,” until Marcos Maidana upset him via unanimous decision in December 2013.

Maidana disrupted Broner’s Mayweather-esque gameplan of relying on defense first by closing the gap and savaging with nonstop combinations. Shawn Porter employs the same rough necking strategy, fancying himself as a “commander in the ring.”

“I’m the strongest fighter that Adrien Broner will ever get into the ring with,” he said.

“We look to do so much more than what Maidana did, but the pressure that Maidana applied that entire fight was great and what he needed. We’ll look to do some of that.”

Like Broner, Shawn Porter lost his welterweight title to an unexpected opponent. Kell Brook entered as a major underdog against Porter in August 2014, but utilized a reach advantage and counter-punching precision to win a majority decision.

Broner’s best offense often comes on counters and his reach is three inches longer — 71 to 68 — than Shawn Porter’s. Brook also clinched frequently, a technique of Broner’s that has frustrated several past opponents.

“I’ve learned a lot about how to not be held and how to get guys off of you,” Shawn Porter said. “That’s part of the process, and it will be important in this fight.”

Although both fighters were former champions at 147 pounds, Broner demanded the bout be conducted at a catchweight of 144. There’s also a rehydration clause that disallows weighing more than 154 pounds on Saturday after Friday’s weigh-in, which could affect the bigger Porter.

Much to Porter’s dismay, Broner declines to discuss his abnormal weight mandates. He’s too busy firing off incendiary remarks and trying to sway the opinion that this matchup is an exception to boxing’s usual theme.

“I’m going to put on a show,” Broner boasted. “This boy won’t beat me.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.