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British boxer Kell Brook fought the fight of his life and wrested the IBF Welterweight title from Shawn Porter in a close majority decision at the StuHub Center in Carson, California.
In Elite Company
The 28 year old Sheffield fighter now joins Pound for Pound leaders Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao as the owners of the major welterweight titles after defeating Porter with the scores of 117-11, 116-112 and 114-114. Incidentally, the two judges who gave him the win were Americans, while the lone English judge turned in a draw.
Brook used sharp footwork and a steady left jab to keep the hard-hitting Porter at bay and claimed his first ever world title in only his second fight outside of Britain. He improved unbeaten record to 33-0 with 22 knockouts.
More Accurate Fighter
Porter (24-1-1 with 15 knockout) looked like he was ahead early because he was the busier fighter. He consistently peppered Brook’s face with right hands early on, but it was obvious that the elusive Englishman had the perfect game plan. Brook stayed away from Porter’s power punches and was content in out boxing the champion. Brook admitted that it was “scrappy” but he did “what he had to do to win.”
Brook began to take control in the middle rounds as he established his jab and battled Porter in the pocket only in selective moments. Porter’s woes were compounded when he suffered a cut near his right eye in the sixth round as a result of a clash of heads. As the fight went deep, Porter looked frustrated because he could not establish his famous inside work.
In the end, Brook’s accuracy was awarded more than Porter’s high work rate. The new champion out landed Porter 158-156 although the latter threw close to 200 more punches in the twelve round bout. Porter said he had “no excuses” and would “go back to the drawing board.” However, he asked Brook for a rematch.
Battle of Britain?
The win might just have set up a possible Battle of Britain against British superstar Amir Khan. The two have been known rivals back home, although they have not fought each other in the ring. Brook has been chasing Khan in the last few years, but the bigger star has opted to fight in America against the bigger named boxers.
Recently, Khan has been seeking a bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. but has not been successful. With a world title to dangle now, Brook now a legitimate bait to lure King Khan to a mega fight at home which he says is a “fight that the British public needs to see.”
