StubHub Center, Carson, California – Kell Brook (33-0, 22KOs) has now fulfilled his potential with a twelve round majority decision to capture the IBF welterweight championship from Shawn Porter (24-1-1, 15KOs), who suffered the first loss of his pro career.. The scores were 114-114, 117-111 and 116-112 for Brook.
Porter was being rugged in the first round and trying to rough Brook up for most of the round. Neither fighter landing anything of note in the early going. In the second round, a clash of heads opened up a cut above the left eye of Brook.
The rounds were close in the first half, with Porter being the more aggressive fight and landing the more telling punches in spots. The sixth round saw Porter suffer a cut of his own above the right eye. Both had their moments in the seventh. Brook had the edge in the eight with the better boxing and actiity.
The ninth was a mixed bag. Porter was more active and Brook landed the better punches. Porter edged the tenth, but it was Brook who did the better punching to nab the eleventh. And the twelfth, with the close action or lack thereof – made it a scoring nightmare for most at ringside.
