Porter Decisions Diaz In Rematch For Their Fox Sports 2 Headliner

PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Hogan – Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions

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In the main event of Thursday’s fights from the MGM Grand, Shawn Porter (21-0-1) re-matched Julio Diaz (40-8-1) in a 10 round bout for the vacant NABO welterweight title. The two 147 lb stars picked up where there last encounter left off but this second chapter was a slightly more violent battle in comparison to its predecessor. The veteran Diaz looked to counter punch his unbeaten opponent with looping left hooks and crisp, short right hands on the inside. However,  Porter stayed constantly in his foe’s chest ripping away to his body with uppercuts and hooks as well as mixing up his attack with straight right hands. The pace was tremendous from the opening bell and the action was non-stop specially when any shot landed by either man would be returned in the form of two more for the first few rounds.

Heading into the second half of the fight Diaz aimed to give as good as he got but began missing in close quarters due to Porter’s magnificent footwork. The undefeated Ohio native circled out when needed to avoid return fire and slipped punches by dipping and sliding across the ring. Going into the final rounds Porter’s superior conditioning clearly carried him to victory as well as his punch output and connectivity  which effortlessly overwhelmed the California veteran who never let up on grabbing the upset victory but fell short on the second go around with Porter. A head butt temporarily stopped the action in the 9th round but as soon as the punches continued Porter put on a show of determination and supreme conditioning to close out the remaining rounds on his way to victory.

In the end the judges saw the fight for Shawn Porter via unanimous decision as he remains unbeaten by defeating veteran Julio Diaz with scores of (98-92), and (97-93) by the two remaining judges.

Badou Jack (15-0) vs. Marco A. Periban (20-1)

(10 round NABF Super Middleweight Title Bout)

Jack and Periban put on a solid co-main event performance to add to their boxing careers by exchanging rounds as well as blows for their NABF title tilt. Both men remained poised as they implemented their own game plans in the match making for a very entertaining battle. Periban looked for the better shots on the inside using various combinations as Jack caught him with the more impressive shots and head hunted for that game changer.

The action between the two talented 168-pound fighters really heated up in the second half of the fight when a cut over Periban’s right eye poured blood round after round. Jack’s punches seemed to stagger his foe but Periban would not go quietly and when he threw his own combos they completely stopped Jack in his tracks.

Once the dust settled the back and forth action proved to even leave the judges wanting more as one had the bout (96-94) for Periban while the other two saw it (95-95) declaring the contest a majority draw.

Result:

Julian Williams (13-0-1) vs. Hugo Centeno Jr. (19-0)

10 round WBC International  Super Welterweight Title Bout

Williams landed the cleaner and more exciting punches as he pressured Centeno from round 1. Towards the end of the 1st stanza, Williams had his man along the ropes and landed a solid counter-right hand punch that partially stunned Centeno who tried to counter punch for the next few rounds. He didn’t have much luck with it as Williams beat him to the punch by landing in combinations and before and attack could be mustered by his adversary, he circled out or moved out of the pocket. In the 4th round both men came in to land something but unfortunately a clash of heads occurred which opened up a bad cut on Centeno’s forehead. The referee called time and asked for the doctor to have a look and due to the severity of the cut, the bout was called off resulting in a no contest seeing as how it happened so early into the match.

Result: Bout is declared a No Contest at (0:59) seconds of the 4th round maintaining each fighter’s unbeaten records intact.

Jermall Charlo (15-0) vs. Rogelio De La Torre (10-3)

(8 round Middleweight Bout)

Charlo used his superior height and reach to keep his foe at bay for the bulk of the fight.  If his jab wasn’t landing his overhand right found a home in almost every round. If De La Torre managed to get in on the inside, Charlo caught him flush with a left hook or upper cut. Occasionally De La Torre managed to counter some of the crisp punches thrown by Charlo but they did not have the same impact as to the ones Charlo landed which snapped his opponent’s neck back. The constant attack by Charlo took its toll on his man in the 7th round as he sent De La Torre to the canvas. The referee saw the accumulation of damage and called the fight.

Result:  Jermall Charlo remains unbeaten by defeating Rogelio De La Torre via TKO at (1:50) of  the 7th round.

Errol Spence Jr. (7-0) vs. Jesus Tavera (5-3)

(8 round Middleweight Bout)

Spence came out of the gate firing with ruthless intention as he landed at will on his opponent during the 1st round. He landed looping right hands that ultimately set up a monstrous left hook to the body of his foe, forcing Tavera to drop to a knee. He beat the count but got on his bike and retreated, backing up defensively  and covering up as Spence switched to target practice mode. Anything he threw curled up his foe and hook after hook or over hand rights took their toll, giving the referee no choice but to step in and end it.

Result: Errol Spence Jr. remains unbeaten by defeating Jesus Tavera via TKO at (2:33) of the 1st round.

Diego De La Hoya (0-0) vs. Luis Cosme (8-3)

(4 round Super Bantamweight Bout)

De La Hoya brought everything into the ring for his pro boxing debut: jabs, hooks, crosses, uppers and counter shots. Cosme was game and looked to trade with Diego or even time him with a counter punch following the offensive combinations of Diego but to no luck. As the 1st round progressed, Diego opened up and really started to put his shots together using 3 and 4-punch combinations. One of them rocked his man when a left hook-right uppercut combo landed clean from Diego. The stunned fighter stumbled backwards along the ropes and the Mexicali, Mexico native did not let up on finishing Cosme. A few more shots sent him to the canvas as Cosme was badly hurt making the referee step in to call a stop to the match.

Result: Diego De La Hoya makes a successful professional debut with a TKO over Luis Cosme at (1:53) of the 3rd round.

Robert Easter Jr. (6-0) vs. Lance Williams (6-1)

(8 round Lightweight Bout)

Right out of the gate Easter kept command in the center of the ring thanks to his lightning quick jab that couldn’t miss its target. Whether he caught Williams on the head or body, it did damage. About a minute in, Easter floored his man with a picture perfect 1-2 combination. Williams beat the count but shortly thereafter the speedy shots of Easter hurt him again sending him to the canvas for the 2nd time then again towards the end of the 3rd round another hard combination reintroduced Williams to the floor prompting the referee to intervene and waive it off.

Result: Robert Easter jr. remains unbeaten by defeating Lance Williams via TKO at (2:43) of the 1st round.

Terrell Gausha (5-0) vs. Bruce Runkle (4-2-1)

(6 round Middleweight Bout)

As soon as the 1st round started Gausha closed the distance quick on Runkle and began grinding him down by using his jab and alternating between left and right hooks. Gausha stepped on the gas and drove his man to the corner, continuing his work eventually sending the over powered Runkle to the canvas off of a clean combination. Runkle covered up and took a knee from the onslaught but a right hand caught him on the way down. Runkle beat the count only to immediately receive more punishment from his undefeated Ohio opponent. Gausha walked his man down, threw some more shots and landed a beautiful pair of left hooks flush, sending his foe to the canvas flat on his back. The referee had seen enough and called a stop to the action.

Result:  Terrell Gausha remains unbeaten by defeating Bruce Runkle via TKO at (2:41) of the 1st round.

Dominic Breazeale (6-0) vs. John Hill (6-2)

(8 round Heavyweight Bout)

To open the fight card from the MGM Grand Conference Center, heavyweights Breazelae and Hill went to work. Hill however must have forgotten his briefcase at home because the bout was quite one-sided from the opening bell. After taking his time in the first round to find his range and rhythm, Breazeale dropped his man in the 2nd round. Hill beat the count and survived the round but in the 3rd round he again saw the mat. Breazeale’s combinations and power were too much for his man prompting the referee to call a halt to the action.

Result: Dominic Breazeale remains unbeaten by defeating John Hill via TKO at (1:08) of round 3.

PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Hogan – Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions