Thurman and Broner Victorious With Decision Wins In Premier Boxing Champions Inaugural Show From Vegas

The world renowned MGM Grand in Las Vegas served as the backdrop to the first ever Premier Boxing Champions series event on NBC. After a decades long drought, boxing aficionados finally got to sink their teeth into a high quality boxing show on network television. Undertaking the main event duties were fan favorites Keith “One-Time” Thurman and Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero who brought the house down with an action-packed welterweight battle for the WBA Welterweight Championship. ‎From the 1st round both men met in the middle of the ring trading bombs at close range, Thurman’s over hand right against Guerrero’s looping right hook. They continually met in the pocket unleashing hard short punches or power uppercuts, however that same momentum ended up creating a head clash since the fighters use opposing stances. The Floridia native got the brunt of the impact as grotesque swelling developed on the left side of Thurman’s forehead reminiscent of Hasim Rahman’s horrible swelling in a match a few years back.

The headbutt seemed to have only given more life to Thurman who masterfully used fluid angles and perfect lateral movement‎ to glide in and out of the pocket on a flat footed Guerrero. Had “The Ghost” popped his jab more the south paw may have been able to cut the ring off better but he instead opted to square up with his foe if not follow Thurman around the ring employing little offense. To his credit, Guerrero took some clean shots from his opponent all throughout the fight but did have some moderate success when he attacked the body or got off first. Thurman lead this dance of violence clearly being the first to initiate beating his foe to the punch more and more as the fight passed the middle point. In the 9th round Thurman doubled up on a right uppercut, the second one landed on Guerrero’s ear sending him straight to the canvas. The California native beat the count but was visibly stunned as the round came to a close from a shot that likely threw off his equilibrium.

The 10 th round witnessed another momentum shift as Guerrero came out of his corner on fire in a rage to avenge the extra point loss in the previous round. He kicked it into high gear pressuring Thurman, smothering him at close range making it a phone booth fight along the ropes which prompted everyone at the MGM Grand to stand on their feet cheering both men. Thurman landed some shots of his own but after putting on a boxing clinic for roughly a half an hour, he looked visibly drained. Guerrero kept up the same approach for the championship rounds as he backed up “One-Time” even with blood streaming from his left eye and a swollen right eye. Thurman cruised those last two rounds by landing one or two clean shots before backing up and using his legs to avoid unneeded damage.

Once the dust settled the judges all saw it a unanimous verdict for Keith “One-Time” Thurman who successfully defended his WBA Welterweight Championship improving to (25-0 w/21 KOs)  thanks to scores of 120-107, 118-109 and 118-108. The loss lowers Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero to (32-3-1 w/18 KOs).

BRONER TAKES EASY DECISION OVER MOLINA

The co-main event of the evening featured hard nosed slugger, John “The Gladiator” Molina taking on the former 3-division champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner in a 140-pound duel. Molina held his by avoiding much punishment using nice upper body movement for the first couple of rounds as he looked to counter his man with a hacking over hand right but connected mostly with air when he threw it since he didn’t set it up with a jab first. When he did, the shot found some success but it was too far and in-between. Broner let his opponent get comfortable for those first few rounds before he started shooting a left to the body or popping his lightning quick jab after round 3. For the middle portion of the 12-round bout Broner blocked the bulk of Molina’s shots with his glove or slipped the shots with relative ease since they got wider and wider as the match progressed. What also hindered Molina was the lack of jab on his part as well as much combination punching, that hole in his offense gave “The Problem” an answer as to how to avoid any unnecessary harm.

Going into the second half of the bout Broner had timed Molina to a “T”. The Cincinnati native stuck Molina with his jab to the head and chest before jabbing him to the stomach, stopping him in his tracks. If the Californian came in with multiple shots, Broner caught him coming in with a clean hook then wrapped him up with the clinch, sneaking some short shots on the inside while they maneuvered for position. What also kept Broner out of any real trouble was his ability to slide in and out of the pocket like he was on roller skates. If his man pushed forward, the Ohio native knew instinctively to stick and move as he cruised to a unanimous decision victory.

The judges had the bout 120-108, 120-108 and 118-110 for Adrien “The Problem” Broner who now improves to a mark of (30-1) while the loss drops John “The Gladiator” Molina to (27-6).

MARES CONTINUES WINNING STREAK

The pride of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Abner Mares kept up his winning ways ever since his only loss a couple of years back. The Mexican star effortlessly boxed his way to a unanimous decision win over Arturo Santos Reyes over the course of 10 rounds. The highlight of the bout besides Mares’ ever improving defense was his quick hook on the inside that sent Reyes to the canvas in the 2nd round. From then on his poise, composure and slick defense allowed Abner to pocket a solid win as he climbs his way back up the rankings.

The judges all saw it for Abner Mares with scores of 98-91, 96-93 and 99-90 which improves his record to (29-1-1 w/15 KOs). The loss drops Arturo Santos Reyes to (18-5).