Adrien Broner vs. Shawn Porter – Showtime Is A Problem For Anyone

Photo From Suzanne Teresa/Premier Boxing Champions

The welterweight landscape is about to get a serious makeover before the year is over. Its pair of undeniable cash cows and world famous superstars; the unbeaten champion Floyd Mayweather and Filipino icon
Manny Pacquiao, are both simultaneously turning the page on the final chapter of their historic careers. In their absence, a couple of immensely large shoes will need to be filled if other rising stars are willing to accept the
challenge. Enter Mayweather and Pacquiao counter parts, Adrien “The Problem” Broner and “Showtime” Shawn Porter. As the weekend creeps up on us and another solid Premier Boxing Champions event draws near, what better way to answer the question of: “who will be the next big thing at 147 pounds”, then a bout to answer that inside Floyd and Manny’s home away from home, the MGM Grand Garden Arena?

Nothing fulfilling and good in life ever comes easy of course.

Following their own minor setbacks within the span of 9 months, the road to riches and redemption for these regrouping warriors has ironically enough led them towards headlining in the fight capitol of the world. For Adrien Broner (30-1 w/22 KOs), the self-proclaimed heir apparent to the Mayweather Kingdom, things began crumbling down about 18 months ago and he is still trying to gain back his momentum.  An embarrassing loss to Marcos Maidana as a 5-1 favorite in December of 2013 left his ego battered & bruised, not to mention the physical bumps from being sent to the canvas for the first time in his career that night, twice. The defeat sent the money train totally off the track making many critics question the legitimacy of his previous claims to greatness leading up to the match. The Cincinnati, Ohio native was not shy about declaring that he would be the next box office smash once his mentor and “big brother” Mayweather retired.  We have seen no such thing and with Broner going on to snag a few mediocre unanimous decision triumphs in 2014 and 2015 after that Maidana loss, they were not the type of performances to ignite a huge interest from the public. Luckily, this step up in competition against a fellow former unbeaten title holder can present the perfect opportunity for rejuvenation that “The Problem” so desperately needs while piggy-backing off of all the attention that his weight class has received recently due to the
MayPac event.

Nevertheless, how much of Adrien Broner’s fighting spirit still lingers throughout the bleachers or dark tunnels of the Alamodome as a result of that cold December night? Has he truly shaken the ghosts of his past learning
to be somewhat humble? Or even use that learning experience as a gauge to which he can catapult his second act? Another Maidana-like, heavy handed, all-action, come forward welterweight stands in his way so if the time to man up or shut up was coming, it’s here and the clock reads : June 20th.

For the former Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao sparring partner, Shawn Porter (25-1-1 w/16 KOs), the sky was the limit as he thrashed his adversaries with an iron fist while sky rocketing towards the top of the division.  The Filipino icon himself had blessed Porter by hinting that he would soon be “the guy” at 147lbs. Then, August of 2014 rolled
around bringing along with it an unbeaten Brit named Kell Brook who traveled half way across the world into enemy soil to challenge Porter.  The Akron, Ohio native strolled into the bout a 3-1 favorite for his showcase on what other premium cable channel than what else- the Showtime network?  The fighter nickname matched the network banner
floating in the sky while electricity charged the Stub Hub Center crowd. Talks of the fight not going past 6 rounds from the Porter camp had people buzzing even more. Everything seemed in order once the first bell rang until a few rounds in, the trickle of blood over Kell Brook’s eye resembled hopes of Porter one day headlining a PPV as those hopes trickled away even faster.

Brook’s uncanny timing off his foe plus his precise and pungent pot shots had Porter not only hesitant to come forward with authority but simultaneously trapped inside a box. It seemed as if Brook moved to the
opposite side or slipped a Porter attack before “Showtime” even fully committed to the maneuver. The champion had nothing with which to decipher the Brook code but to his credit lasted the whole 12 rounds yet it was clear, Porter had lost his belt as well as his undefeated streak so it was back to the drawing board.
He would bounce back with a lackluster 5th round KO over a lesser tier opponent March of 2015. Porter needed that about as much as he needs extra lightbulbs in his dressing room mirror. What he desperately needs is a problem
to conquer, a high class opponent and a dominant performance to show that it’s his time.  Come this Saturday, that problem may be solved.

Life sometimes has a funny way of bringing people together. Life also figures out a way to resolve an issue while on the same token finding a way to take care of other relevant matters all at the same time. This
Saturday live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena fight fans will witness one of these momentous occasions. The headliner for the latest installment of the exciting Premier Boxing Champions features a high stakes cross roads match. Two men who were once unbeaten, who were once title holders  and who were once poised to rule their
division with relative ease  are getting a chance to jump to the front of the line of superstardom, again. Adrien Broner believes that he is the man to beat once the welterweight world comes to a new order. Shawn Porter believes that he can architect the new landscape once the dust clears and things begin to rebuild. They can’t both be right and we will find out who is wrong on NBC when they step into the ring Saturday live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

By: armando romo