Thurman wins close decision over Porter

BROOKLYN–Keith Thurman retained the WBA Welterweight title with a close unanimous decision over Shawn Porter in a action-packed bout at Barclays Center in front of 12,718 fans.

It was a terrific bout with both guys having big moments through the 36 minutes of intense action.  It looked like Thurman would solidify himself with boxing in round one, but in round two, Porter in round two began to smother Thurman on the inside and get in some hard power shots of his own.

The two seemed to trade rounds, with Thurman doing a lot of moving and landing his best shots when Porter would dive in at him.  Porter was able to get inside and maul Thurman against the ropes, which facilitated some furious exchanges much to the delight of the crowd.

Down the stretch both guys gave it their all and it was a close fight with not much separating the two.

Thurman 146 lbs of Clearwater, FLA won by scores of 115-113 on all cards and is now 27-0.  Thurman, 147 lbs of Las Vegas, NV is now 26-2-1.

KEITH THURMAN

“I want to thank Shawn Porter for a tremendous fight, he’s a great warrior. Defense is the key to victory He smothers his punches a lot and makes it difficult for the judges to score. I was able to rock him with clear, effective blows and I believe that was the difference today.

“It’s all about defense. I had a great defense today.”

SHAWN PORTER

“At the end of the day, I’m blessed. We worked hard, Keith is a great champion. My dad says to keep your head up. I think I won the fight, but I’m satisfied because the competitor came out tonight.

“We need that rematch. I know the fans want that rematch. If he gives me another chance, I’m going to work hard in the ring and leave with his title.”

Jarrett Hurd scored a 10th round stoppage over Oscar Molina in the final round of their junior middleweight bout.

In round one, Hurd landed a big right uppercut that put Molina on the deck.  Hurd continuously had the upper hand in the bout as he landed digging shots to the body and some hard head shots.  Molina showed plenty of heart as he would fire back and land some good rights of his own.

The two fought a spirited final frame as they landed power shots.  Hurd landed a big three punch combination to the head and the bout was stopped at 2:02.

Hurd, 153.8 lbs of Accokeek, MD is 18-0 with 12 knockouts.  Molina, 154.8 lbs of Norwalk, CA is 13-1-1.

“Molina is a great fighter. This is definitely a big win for my career. He was taking a lot of shots, but he knew how to survive.

“It was a big uppercut that knocked him down in round one. People know from my last fight that I have a great right uppercut.

“This fight here puts me up with the top contenders in the division. I felt like I could have gone three or four more rounds. I was getting stronger as the fight went on.

“We wanted to get him out early because we knew that he had a lot of ring experience. We had to break him down first.

“I’m very happy. This was the first fight on CBS since a Muhammad Ali fight. I made history today. This is a blessing. Me and my team have done a great job.

“I can’t see what the ref sees. He was hurt a couple of times. I don’t think it was a bad stoppage. Molina is a very tough guy who just kept coming through.

“We’re going right back to the gym so we can get in there again.”

OSCAR MOLINA

“I went low and I had my head down and he caught me with that uppercut in the first round. He got me with a shot I wasn’t expecting but it was definitely a flash knockdown. I wasn’t hurt.

“I felt like Hurd was throwing a lot of punches in the tenth round but they weren’t really hurting me. He was staying busy but he was never really hurting me.

“I was supposed to use my footwork a lot more but I ended up smothering my shots. He had an awkward defense with a lot of bending down and I couldn’t get into a rhythm.

“This was a big opportunity for me and I felt like I fought a good fight. I’m going to come back stronger. We’re going to work on a lot of things and get back in there.”

Heather Hardy remained undefeated as she pounded out an 8-round unanimous decision over Kristie Simmons in a featherweight fight.

Hardy, 123.2 lbs of Brooklyn, NY won by scores of 79-73, 78-74 and 78-74.  and is now 17-0.  Simmons, 122.8 lbs of Aurora, CO is 8-2.

David Benavidez remained undefeated with a controversial 7th round stoppage over Francy Ntetu in a light heavyweight bout.

Benavidez was ahead on the cards as he won close rounds, where he outpunched a game Ntetu.  The fight was curiously called off after a clinch where it did not look like any consequential punches were landed.

Benavidez, 168.6 lbs of Phoenox, AZ is 15-0 with 14 knockouts.  Nteti, 170 lbs of Quebec, CAN is 17-1.

Good looking prospect Regis Prograis stopped Luis Florez in round four of a scheduled 10-round junior welterweight bout.

Prograis dropped Florez in round three with a hard left.  Prograis continued the onslaught and he landed a hard combination in the corner and the bout was stopped at 1:47 of round four.

Prograis, 139.8 lbs of Houston, TX is now is 18-0 with 15 knockouts.  Florez, 140 lbs of Puerto Libertador, COL is now 21-4.

Josue Vargas remained undefeated by winning a 4-round unanimous decision over Ryan Picou in a junior welterweight bout.

Vragas, 140.8 lbs of Bronx, Ny won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is mow 5-0. Picou, `40.8 lbs of Las Vegas, NV is 2-10-1.

Nicklaus Flaz scored a devastating first round stoppage over Mack Babb in a scheduled 4-round junior middleweight bout.

Flaz landed a booming overhand right that folded Babb down to the canvas and the bout was immediately stopped at 1:13.

Flaz, 150.6 lbs of Bayamon, PR is 3-0 with 3 knockouts. Babb, 150.8 lbs of Brooklyn, NY is 1-7.