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The long awaited Keith Thurman versus Shawn Porter welterweight title bout will likely be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on June 25th.
Third Delay
The two welterweight stars were originally booked to fight each other last March 12th at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut but Thurman pulled out of the fight after figuring in a car accident during a rainstorm in February. Although he wasn’t seriously injured, doctors ordered Thurman four to six weeks of physical therapy. The fight was subsequently rescheduled to June 25th but it was unclear whether the fight would take place at its original venue. Now it appears that the fight is headed to New York. The postponement was the third delay in the fight as it was originally planned for December, moved to January and then finally booked for March.
One Time
Should the fight finally push through, it will mark Thurman’s third defense of the WBA title he previously held as an interim champion after defeating Diego Gabriel Chaves in 2013. Three wins later, he was promoted to regular champion status and since then he’s beaten Robert Guerrero and Luis Collazo in 2015. Undefeated in 27 bouts ( 26 wins, 1 no contest), Thurman is known in boxing circles as “One Time” for his KO prowess. The Clearwater, Florida native has knocked out all but four of his ring opponents.
Back On The Hunt
Porter meanwhile is on the road to redemption. After capturing the IBF welterweight title by defeating Devon Alexander in 2013 and successfully defending it against Paulie Malignaggi in April of 2014, Porter suffered his first professional loss against Briton Kell Brook in August of 2014. Back to back wins over Erick Bone and Adrien Broner have put Porter back on the title hunt and now he’s once again knocking at that door.
Who Takes This?
The early betting lines have One Time as a slight favorite in this fight at -187. Porter meanwhile has a legit shot at +150. Many experts think that Thurman’s power is his biggest advantage over Porter, but Showtime is an excellent tactician who is good in staying out of harm’s way. Porter’s blue-collar fighting style wears his opponents down and for a guy like Thurman who’s gone the distance just four times, that could be a problem. The key for Thurman would be to establish his power while for Porter, he must take the fight to the championship rounds where Thurman hasn’t been tested. The longer the fight goes, the better it will be for Shawn Porter.
