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Vinny’s Views: Shawn Porter Stops Andre Berto, Vinny Brags Once Again & What’s Next for Porter?

shawn-porterBy Vinny “Glory Days” Lucci

The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire……..Barclay’s Center Brooklyn hosted two barn burners this past Saturday night and both victors electrified the frenzied crowd with two thrilling stoppages. Once again yours truly picked the winners weeks in advance when handicapping both bouts but even I was in awe of how ruthless both winners would be in taking over the spotlight to punctuate their tiers and respective division’s pecking order.

The main event hosted Shawn Porter Vs Andre Berto in a WBC welterweight eliminator for a shot at WBC/WBA champion Keith Thurman. Porter desperately wanted the win to garner a rematch with Thurman having dropped a close but unanimous decision to him back in June of last year.

At risk was more than Porter’s high ranking but he needed to separate himself from the stigma of being a gate keeper at welterweight throne instead of defending champion. The adversary in front of him was a perfect foil to be able to execute a fight plan and recapture title consideration. Berto who always enters ring like a fire plug of iron but harboring a 4-4 ledger in last 8 bouts.

Andre has not been able to let his hands go as readily as he did several years back. Shawn Porter was hell bent in administering a beating in such a manner that it often appeared the only clean punches Berto could land after the first round were lone rabid punches to back of Porters head.

Andre managed to box and actually win the first round. He used a few key flurries to attack and used the entire ring to maintain proper distance. His punches had both snap and command on them. He took round comfortably with 10-9 scores as he was hoping to establish the distance and pace of bout. It was not to be. It was the last round I gave him as he had never again mounted an offense long enough for round winning consideration.

Round two Shawn came out like he was possessed with igniting a fire ring center and nowhere in sight were a fire hose or asbestos. He attacked Berto with a single minded mission of taking the man off his feet with every punch he threw. He succeeded and dropped his foe. While team Berto assumed it was just a stumbling block to hurdle, it in fact was a momentum changing round in which Berto was constantly stumbling around the ring as Porter pitched himself forward at his adversary digging to the body and head with both hands. Porter naturally won round 10-8.
Rounds three through seven saw mayhem unfold in an extremely ugly yet highly entertaining bout. Apologies here to Andre, it was not particular entertainment to see him unable to sustain an offense nor was it entertaining to see him sustain a prolonged beating. What captured the audience’s attention was Porter refused to come up for air and a myriad of accentual head-butts did little to discourage his ravaging the real estate in front of him.

Every time Berto conceded an inch, Porter took a yard. His huge shoulders and middleweight frame were often used as battering rams in which he pinned Berto to the ropes cascading devastating body shots that dug into ribs and hand grenades that exploded on his skull. Many combos were interrupted by a cleaver Porter left shoulder to chin. He clearly won all these rounds 10-9, regardless of what official scorecards read. Andre was in survival mode and never a threat to pull even on scorecards if bout could have continued. Along the pony express of windmill punches and roundhouse madness both fighters endured facial wounds with both combatants cut over the eyes.

Round eight was a throwback to the glory days of the forties and fifties when fighters went mad dog crazy like a prison cafeteria brawl without a second to breathe free air. Porter administered a wicked beat down from ring post to ring post concentrating on chopping down this stubborn oak tree in front of him with hellacious body shots that rained for three minutes. It could be easily accepted if any ringside judge awarded this round 10-8 regardless of the fact that Andre remained upright and never tasted the canvass. Fact is, few would have complained if referee stopped the fight.

Between rounds Berto’s trainer the honorable Virgil Hunter asked his fighter why he elected to get caught on ropes and remain there. He repeated question in Andre’s ear as to be able to implement a sixty second counter attack between rounds. Andre’s retort made it clear that he was unable by any stretch of the imagination to anything else but hold on.

Round nine, as Hunter predicted, Porter would look to capitalize on the previous stanza and continue to pound his body with leather hay makers. Twice Andre got caught with shots that sent him reeling into the ropes. The first was counted as a knockdown with the ropes the only prevention of holding him upright. Moments later another fuselage of punches repeated the sequence but the referee had seen enough and stopped fight at midway point in round.

During duration of bout ringside doctor earned his pay taking more than a handful of trips examining both boxers and the severity of their wounds.

Afterwards post-fight in ring center the jubilant but humble winner graciously apologized for the head butt lacerations due to his aggression. Still in all he would not be denied and went on to ask ringside and curious observer Keith Thurman how quickly they could get a rematch in order. Keith “One Time” Thurman took the long way around the barn before exclaiming, the only real obstacle would be negotiating the contract for his new mandatory challenger. He hugged Porter and congratulated him on his victory as Shawn gave a shout out to Brooklyn hoping that Barclay’s would once again host the boys “home away from home”.

Speaking of salaries, it was reported that Shawn would earn a million dollar payday for the night’s blood fest. At bouts conclusion his own face was a mask of vibrant crimson. Andre would take down 1.2 million in what now may be retirement money. He was non-committal as to future plans in ring. Andre congratulated Shawn but remarked that the accidental head butts took a toll on his equilibrium.

Touching moment at bouts conclusion. Just after in-ring interviews for Showtime network which sponsored the event Virgil Hunter had his sporting heart on display sharing an ice pack on both his fighter’s neck and Porters in tandem. If there is a classier trainer in all of boxing he has yet to show himself.

Porter upped his record to 27-2-1, 17 KO’s. Andre’s record adds a blemish with this stoppage and perhaps final bout at 31-5, 24 KO’s.

The co-main event saw WBC light middleweight champion Jemell Charlo up his record to a perfect 29-0, 14 KO’s defeating bitter rival Charles Hatley by knockout in sixth round. The challenger’s record fell to 26-2-1, 18 KO’s. I’ll recap this beauty in full detail in my next article.

Stay tuned…

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