Friday nights around my house are always a lot of fun, and tonight will be no different. There’s no way I can miss the season ending episode of “Banshee” on Cinemax, just like there’s no way I’d ever miss “Deadliest Warrior”. I loved how they used to give us “The CIA” vs “The KGB” or a “Shaolin Monk vs. a “Japanese Ninja”.
They looked for the hottest match-ups in history between the greatest warriors the world has ever known.
And so it is the network that gave us “1000 Ways to Die”, is looking to give us one more reason to keep “PBC”, aka “Premiere Boxing Champions”, on rotation in our living rooms tonight (@9pm EST/SPIKE).
Since showtime is fast approaching, let’s get to the bottom line: I hope this show is better than last week’s.
Tonight’s main attractions will feature Shawn Porter and Andre Berto, two fighters I would have rather seen on the premiere of PBC last week. Not that Keith Thurman vs. Robert Guerrero wasn’t a scintillating affair (it was and I get it- given Guerrero’s exposure via Floyd Mayweather in May 2013).
Its just that I know Thurman vs. Porter would’ve been a blockbuster affair of a fight. Porter (who lost his IBF welterweight belt via clear UD to UK product Kell Brook) is a brickhouse in the mode of Jack Dempsey and a former sparring partner of Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao. Let’s say that fight was preceded by Adrien Broner vs. Andre Berto instead of John Molina Jr.
Obviously Al Haymon to tying things in with Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, given how many Pro-Floyd ad spots we saw throughout last weeks broadcast, so why not really play that angle up with the fighters?
A few years ago, Floyd sat at ringside to witness and scout Berto’s epic war with Victor Ortiz to face the winner. That would’ve been a cool narrative to segue, as a comebacking Berto clashed with his understudy in the brash Broner. It would’ve been a guaranteed action fight, something I guarantee you Broner vs. Molina Jr. was not.
That fight sucked.
Throw in Porter’s obvious ties to Pacquiao, and now we’ve got a card that really promotes May 2 and some serious fireworks for a show’s debut. But aight f*ck it I’m reaching (smile). But hey, admit it it works!
Something this card better do tonight. Oh, lemme tell ya who Porter and Berto are fighting…
SHAWN PORTER VS. ERICK BONE
Erick Bone? Who the f*ck is Erick Bone?!? By the time I figured out that Porter wasn’t going to be facing the already legendary Roberto Garcia – only to be replaced by former stablemate Karim Mayfield, it got more interesting when I found out Mayfield (who was already flown in Ontario, CA) was going to be replaced with Bone.
All I could do is laugh.
I don’t know a damn thing about Bone except that he’s from Equador. But given that I know Porter was familiar with Mayfield and that its a fairly tough fight Porter should win, I can only think that Bone is a little less threatening than Mayfield. I’ll go with Porter via 4th rd KO.
ANDRE BERTO VS. JOSESITO LOPEZ
Former world welterweight champion Berto is no longer an enigma to me. Berto is a physically strong athlete with defensive limitations. Contrary to what he thinks, he does not possess unlimited power, and sports a chin that may have been made in China. The last time I saw Lopez he was being grinded to the canvas by Canelo Alvarez. They do have a common opponent in Victor Ortiz, as Lopez was able to break a weak-minded Ortiz.
I think this is a very good fight and a war while it last. I’ll roll the dice here and say that Lopez will have a little more will than Berto, and get him out of there late. I still can’t get over him sparring with Former Jay-Z partner and co Roc-A-Fella founder Damon Dash. Like, it was more serious than Berto wants you to believe. I like Lopez to stop Berto in round 7.
I’ll be back to update this later.
T@z
3/14/15 10:20AM (in workout gear, eating breakfast and reflecting on SPIKE TV fight card)
It was a nice surprise to see Chris Arreola in there with the unheralded Harper. I had no idea he was going to be on the telecast at all. While he didn’t look to be in premium condition, it was incredibly refreshing to see two heavyweight raise hell. I’ll be damned if they both didn’t try to send each other to heaven. An early fight-of-the-year candidate, a good win for Arreola, and a stock raising performance for Harper.
Its amazing what a week can do, and I was very pleased with this card. Like any fan, all we want are the best match-ups that can be provided, while setting up foreseeable ones in the future. I think last night’s card did that.
I’m convinced that Shawn Porter is a modern day welterweight equivalent of a 1920’s Jack Dempsey, and that Virgil Hunter is a seismic difference maker for Andre Berto. I don’t think he beats Josesito Lopez without Hunter last night. Though I would argue the stoppage was premature, it was a good win for Berto, and keeps him at the table.
Porter proved too much for the better-than-I-expected Eric Bone, who fought the grimey Porter tooth and nail before succumbing to Porter’s clubbing arsenal.
With Danny Garcia vs. Lamont Peterson on the horizon and 2 cards now under his belt, Al Haymon now has a few options he can play out. He probably has to match Broner better than he did last time out to salvage a sorry ass fight with John Molina Jr., and let’s not forget he has Amir Khan on deck to add to this suddenly intriguing situation going on between the super lightweight and welteweight divisions.
This PBC sh*t is getting interesting folks.
