Broner vs Maidana: Shawn Porter favors AB to retain, thinks he'd be a good matchup for Broner

The state of Ohio has two welterweight titleholders at the moment, and Akron's Shawn Porter believes he could give Cincinnati's Adrien Broner a run for his money if the two of them meet down the road.

Porter (23-0-1, 14 KO) won the IBF belt from Devon Alexander this past Saturday on Showtime, and Broner (27-0, 22 KO) will defend the WBA title against Marcos Maidana this coming Saturday night, also on Showtime. Porter is picking Broner to win.

The 26-year-old Porter does hope to get his own shot at Broner in due time, and thinks he's got the right style:

"I can go to the body, I can box you from the outside. I got it all. That was first showcase fight of many and I think the more people see me, the more they will see that I am a force to be reckoned with."

Few expected Porter to win against Alexander, and even fewer expected Broner to so mightily struggle with Paulie Malignaggi earlier this year. The real difference in what the two of them have done in the sport comes down to hype and showcase fights. Adrien Broner was pushed as a future star by HBO and is now a future star at Showtime. He's had every advantage, from careful matchmaking to constant exposure to, frankly, his own very effective self-promotion, even if you hate what he does in that regard (or any regard). Broner is never taking time away from the spotlight. He always does something or other.

Porter, meanwhile, has been on a couple ShoBox cards, a couple Showtime undercards, some ESPN2 cards, and he's been a solid prospect but not exactly hyped as the next Floyd Mayweather or Floyd Mayweather's "little brother." But is there any big difference in their actual fight records? No. Porter has a draw against Julio Diaz, yes, but Broner has three fights with Malignaggi, Daniel Ponce De Leon, and Fernando Quintero that could easily have left a blemish on his record, but did not.

That said, would Porter be a good matchup for Broner, assuming Broner can get through the Maidana challenge this weekend? Might those who wrote Porter off a year ago have jumped the gun and put too much stock into an iffy performance from a young fighter?