Bad Left Hook - Porter vs Brook: Live streaming updates and full fight week coverageGlobal Boxing News and Commentaryhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47131/backingthepack-fave.png2014-08-25T08:00:07-04:00http://www.badlefthook.com/rss/stream/57491082014-08-25T08:00:07-04:002014-08-25T08:00:07-04:00Brook vs Porter: The Mechanics of a Messy Fight
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<figcaption>Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
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<p>BLH's fight analyst initiates old-fogey mode when studying Kell Brook vs Shawn Porter, a fight marked by both fighters' frequent tactical and technical mistakes.</p> <p>Sometimes you'll hear the word "ugly" being used positively in boxing circles. "He needs to make it ugly to win," an analyst will say, describing the less technical but more mental style that many of the sports toughest fighters adopt. Used this way, the word is not a criticism so much as an endearing description of a gutsy style.</p>
<p>I say all of this to underline that, when I describe Kell Brook vs Shawn Porter as an ugly fight, the word is not complimentary.</p>
<p>As much as I love an underdog victory, there was very little in the way of good boxing from either Shawn Porter or Kell Brook. This is especially disappointing for Brook who, as a product of the storied Ingle Gym in Sheffeild, England, occupies a place in one of the sport's most technical and entertaining lineages. Suffice it to say that Brook did not live up to the level of his predecessors, and Shawn Porter did not do enough to beat him.</p>
<p>Today we're going to explore the mechanics of the fight to understand why neither man was able to look impressive against the other in a bout that failed to live up to expectations.</p>
<p><b>GETTING STUCK<br></b></p>
<p>As happy as I am that Dominick Ingle is keeping his father's lineage alive, it's hard to avoid the feeling that he just doesn't understand the nuances of the system the way Brendan did. Ingle the elder crafted some of modern boxing's best technicians, proving in the process that punching power can indeed be taught, and that a fighter can hang his hands around his hips and still be defensively sound. This new generation of Ingle Gym fighters, however, don't characterize the tenets of the system at all. They possess some of the trappings of Brendan Ingle's style, but their movements betray a lack of understanding of what makes the system work.</p>
<p>Kell Brook's stance exemplifies this dichotomy between the Ingle fighters of today, and the masters of old.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/4929632/brook_and_nelson.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Brook_and_nelson_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/assets/4929632/brook_and_nelson_medium.png"></a></p>
<p align="left">Here we have Brook, on the left, opposite one of Brendan Ingle's greatest students, 13-time WBO Cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson. The similarities between the stances of these two men are evident. Both Brook and Nelson stand with their weight forward, left heel down and right heel up. Their heads are slightly forward, and their shoulders squared.</p>
<p align="left">This is a familiar position for Ingle fighters, but I'll let Nelson demonstrate the <i>purpose</i> of the pose.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2354486/johnny_252Bnelson_252Bfootwork.gif"><img alt="Johnny_252bnelson_252bfootwork_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2354486/johnny_252Bnelson_252Bfootwork_medium.gif"></a></p>
<p>Nelson's right heel is raised to facilitate movement in the direction of that foot. When his opponent, Rüdiger May, throws a jab at him, Nelson is instantly able to move his rear foot back, pulling his head out of range and countering with a sharp jab of his own. For Brendan Ingle's fighters, the forward starting position was a trap. With the back foot placed behind the body and ready to move, Ingle's boxers could use their apparently wide-open heads to bait their opponents and walk them into counters.</p>
<p>Ingle's system is designed to give his fighters maximum leverage, and allow them maximum manipulation of distance. As such, this head-forward position is just one of many positions, all adopted with a particular movement or attack in mind. In other words, everything leads to something else. Ideally, no attack or movement is executed in such a way that another attack or movement cannot immediately follow.</p>
<p>The following video features another Ingle standout, Herol "Bomber" Graham, widely considered one of the best fighters in history never to win a world title, explaining the concept of preemptively creating space in order to move and counter an opponent.</p>
<p align="center"><iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/vTFxpuba5FI" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe> <br id="1408930948366"></p>
<p>If you're interested in hearing a cerebral boxer explain a key facet of his style, this video is definitely worth a watch, but for the lazy and short-for-time, Graham's point can be summed up as: "the rear foot moves back so that the body can shift over it." In other words, Ingle fighters are supposed to be able to rock back and forth between their feet, creating space where there appears to be none, even without moving their feet.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the head-forward position was not one among many for Brook. Instead of adopting the best position for the situation, Brook seemed incapable of standing without his head forward and his weight fixated over his left foot. Even worse, when threatened he was consistently unable to pull back onto his rear leg, and tended instead to swat ineffectually at punches and attempt desperate, improvised head movement.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2354552/brook_252Bgetting_252Bstuck.gif"><img alt="Brook_252bgetting_252bstuck_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2354552/brook_252Bgetting_252Bstuck_medium.gif"></a></p>
<p>Note that when Brook overcommits on his jab, he is forced to defend until Porter simply decides to stop punching. Ducking his head and covering up, Brook's right foot remains sticking out to his rear. And where Herol Graham or Johnny Nelson would have shifted their weight back onto that foot, Brook is at a loss for how to get out of range of Porter's punches. He's stuck over his lead foot, and that's a bad place to be as a counter puncher.</p>
<p><b>FALLING IN</b></p>
<p>Another major drawback of Brook's default position is that he consistently falls in with his strikes. With the majority of his bodyweight already positioned over the lead foot, Brook can't send a weighted punch forward without his head drifting past his own feet and right into enemy territory. Brook's strongest attribute is his timing, so he was able to land frequently, but even then his bad habit can be seen.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2354576/brook_252Bfalling_252Bin.gif"><img alt="Brook_252bfalling_252bin_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2354576/brook_252Bfalling_252Bin_medium.gif"></a></p>
<p>Landing a right hand on Porter, Brook's body falls forward so dramatically that his rear foot completely leaves the ground, drifting forward until Brook is almost completely square to his opponent. Brook manages to roll under Porter's counter left hook, and the roll is indeed a sound defensive option after a right hand. The problem is that Brook has no <i>choice</i> but to roll after throwing his cross. He is incapable of quickly pulling back to his right foot, which would be impossible since, during the punch, his foot isn't even on the ground. Brook's only option is to duck his head and hope that Porter doesn't throw an uppercut.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2354594/brook_252Bslo_252Bmo_252Bgetting_252Bcountered.gif"><img alt="Brook_252bslo_252bmo_252bgetting_252bcountered_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2354594/brook_252Bslo_252Bmo_252Bgetting_252Bcountered_medium.gif"></a></p>
<p>Here's another example, in which Brook runs face-first into a jab while throwing his right hand. Despite landing his punch very cleanly, he is forced to reset entirely before he is able to punch again and pivot out of the corner. The flow from one position to the next that marked the Ingle fighters of old is all but entirely absent from Brook's game. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--UxsTfMbfug/U_phtkDnbnI/AAAAAAAAAqo/-h0I9Ayo-dE/s1600/brook%2Bslo%2Bmo%2Bgetting%2Bcountered.gif"></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The problem is worse when Brook's punch misses the target. With nothing to stop the inertia of his straight punches, Brook continually fell into the shorter-armed Porter's range, where he could do nothing but hold and wait for the referee to help.</p>
<p align="center"><a href="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2354600/porter_252Bsmothering_252Bhis_252Bown_252Bwork.gif"><img alt="Porter_252bsmothering_252bhis_252bown_252bwork_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2354600/porter_252Bsmothering_252Bhis_252Bown_252Bwork_medium.gif"></a></p>
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<p>Watching this GIF, keep in mind that the jab is meant to be the safest punch that one can throw, requiring virtually no commitment of bodyweight to be effective. For Brook against Porter, however, a missed jab was a narrowly-averted catastrophe at best. Here, Porter slips inside Brook's jab and Brook slides uncontrollably into Porter's punches. The inside game was where Porter expected to do his best work, but the only thing saving Brook from serious punishment here is Porter's own inability to control the distance. If, instead of barreling into Brook's chest, Porter had taken a tiny step back off of his slip, Brook would have been incapable of avoiding his punches. As it was, Porter smothered his own work by standing too close to Brook, even as Brook offered him opportunity after opportunity by careening headlong into Porter's range.</p>
<p><b>CONCLUSION</b></p>
<p>I realize that I may sound like a bit of a sourpuss with this assessment, but it's difficult to watch a fighter out of one of England's best gyms turn in such an underwhelming performance. Perhaps my doomsaying is all for naught and this was simply an uncharacteristic performance from Brook--he wouldn't be the first person that Shawn Porter made to look unimpressive. Watching Brook's other fights, however, one does not get the sense that he knows the ins and outs of the Ingle system the way that Brendan's earlier fighters did.</p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2014/8/25/6051601/kell-brook-shawn-porter-breakdown-analysis-mechanics-of-messy-fight-gifConnor Ruebusch2014-08-23T19:00:02-04:002014-08-23T19:00:02-04:00Hearn: JMM, Thurman, Rios, Lopez on Brook radar
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<p>Eddie Hearn says that Juan Manuel Marquez, Keith Thurman, Brandon Rios, and Josesito Lopez are on the radar for Kell Brook's December return to action.</p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2014/8/23/6060937/eddie-hearn-drops-names-of-marquez-thurman-rios-and-lopez-for-nextScott Christ2014-08-23T18:15:02-04:002014-08-23T18:15:02-04:00Brook: I'm finally recognized as elite
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<p>"I wanted that recognition of being an elite fighter, and I think that I'm getting the recognition I deserve now I'm world champion."</p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2014/8/23/6060895/kell-brook-im-finally-recognized-as-an-elite-fighterScott Christ2014-08-17T06:00:03-04:002014-08-17T06:00:03-04:00Photos/quotes: Porter upsets Brook + undercard
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<p>Kell Brook stole the headlines at the StubHub Center last night, defeating Shawn Porter to win the IBF welterweight title. Also on the card, Anthony Dirrell became a first-time world champion, Omar Figueroa defended his lightweight title, and Deontay Wilder and Jorge Linares picked up wins.</p> <p><strong>KELL BROOK</strong></p>
<p>"You can tell how much it means to me by my reaction. I've been dreaming about this moment since I was nine-years old. It's unbelievable."<br><br>"I was scrappy tonight, and not as slick as I wanted to be. But I'm the world champion now, baby. I was born to do this."<br><br>"I'm ready for a mega, mega fight next. I'll take on Keith Thurman or Floyd Mayweather. Amir Khan should get in queue now. I'm the world champion now so they're all going to want to fight me."</p>
<p><strong>SHAWN PORTER</strong></p>
<p>"I think I'm still the champion. I'm 24-1 and Team Porter will be back to the drawing board. There are no excuses. I do want the rematch."</p>
<p><strong>ANTHONY DIRRELL</strong></p>
<p>"This journey has been amazing and I can't even fathom it. I already overcame the biggest fight of my life by beating cancer. I can't see anything being bigger than this. I was never close to giving up. I stuck to it and now I'm WBC world champion.</p>
<p>"This means the world to me, what else can I say? After beating cancer, making it back from a motorcycle accident and getting a second chance at boxing, I just knew I was going to make the best of it."<br><br>"Tonight the referee did a wonderful job. Bika is rough, he's a helluva fighter. But I'm glad to finally have him in my rearview mirror. I'm not gonna complain about the close scores. I got a unanimous decision and I couldn't be happier."<br><br>"The difference between this fight and our first one is that I wasn't on the ropes this time. I came out and boxed. But I know I got his attention at the start."</p>
<p><strong>SAKIO BIKA</strong></p>
<p>"I fought very hard. He was a better fighter tonight. I'm going to go back to the gym and come back stronger. This (losing) happens."</p>
<p><strong>OMAR FIGUEROA</strong></p>
<p>"I don't think I did that great and obviously felt I could be more explosive and maybe get him out of there earlier. I was a little concerned that the referee or doctor would stop the fight because of the cut. I knew Estrada would be open for the right hand. I was playing a little possum when I caught him."<br><br>"My left hand is a little swollen, but my right hand feels pretty good."<br><br>"I'm not 100 percent positive I am going to stay at 135 pounds. I'm sure my body would be more comfortable fighting at 140. But if the money is right, I would defend again at 135."</p>
<p><strong>DANIEL ESTRADA</strong></p>
<p>"I'm grateful for the opportunity. "Initially I felt good but he hurt me and I couldn't recuperate. I had the mentality to win, but I was up against a great champion."</p>
<p><strong>DEONTAY WILDER</strong></p>
<p>"This was fun. I wanted to go some rounds. A lot of people are still asking so many questions to me; I tried to answer some of them today."</p>
<p>"Of course, I could have landed my right hand more in the first couple rounds. He was leaving me openings, but I didn't want to show off everything. I wanted to save that for next time."<br><br>"I'm ready for that world title fight. I want the WBC champ Bermane Stiverne next, hopefully in late November."</p>
<p><strong>JORGE LINARES</strong></p>
<p>"This was the kind of fight I didn't expect but that I wanted. I was able to watch tapes on him extensively so I was well prepared. I definitely want to fight for the world title next. That's why I was here and took this fight. I'm just waiting for my opportunity.<br><br>"That was a good straight right hand I landed on him. Once I connected I knew it was over."</p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2014/8/17/6026079/photos-and-quotes-kell-brook-beats-shawn-porter-wins-for-dirrellScott Christ2014-08-17T00:27:44-04:002014-08-17T00:27:44-04:00Brook tops Porter to lift IBF belt
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<figcaption>Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
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<p>Kell Brook outpointed Shawn Porter tonight on Showtime to win the IBF welterweight title.</p> <p>Kell Brook had to sweat it out before the scores were read, but in the end, he left the StubHub Center this evening as the new IBF welterweight world champion, beating Shawn Porter by majority decision on scores of 116-112, 117-111, and 114-114. BLH had it 116-112 for Brook.</p>
<p>Brook (33-0, 22 KO) showed he was ready for the world stage with this win, traveling abroad to win a world title in his first opportunity. At 29, Brook has been waiting since he first won an eliminator fight in 2012, having to win another one last year after injuries kept him from a winter and then spring 2013 date with Devon Alexander, who later lost the belt to Porter (24-1-1, 15 KO).</p>
<p>It was a tough night for Porter, 26, whose aggression wasn't effective, as he lunged constantly, missed a ton of shots, and got picked off with jabs and counter shots from Brook. That's not to say it was a truly sterling performance for Brook, either, as the fight certainly lacked grace. Aside from counter shots, and maybe even more than those, Brook's strongest asset in this fight was his ability to smother Porter, often clinching him when he'd get in close. To Brook's credit, it worked and was smart. And Porter, it seemed, let himself simply get too far inside -- a half-step back, and his work might have wound up tidier, even if Brook did intend to hold.</p>
<p>"20 years since I was a little boy, being nine years old, dreaming of being world champion. Now I'm champion of the world. It's unbelievable," Brook told Showtime's Jim Gray after the fight. "I'm normally a slick fighter. It might have been scrappy at times, but I'm the champion."</p>
<p>Both men suffered cuts in the bout, with Brook's seemingly less severe and/or dealt with better by his corner. "It didn't bother me at all," Brook said of the cut. "I kept calm, listened to my corner, I did what I needed to do tonight. I've come here and took it off him in his backyard."</p>
<p>Porter didn't agree with the judges' decision, but also didn't say that he was robbed, or go into any hysterics over the scoring.</p>
<p>"Too much went on tonight for me to give my final conclusion. I will say that I think I'm still the champion. I fought like a champion, and I don't think he beat the champion tonight," Porter said to Gray.</p>
<p>"I thought I was effective with my attack," he added. "He was ready for it. He did hold a substantial amount tonight. Giving no excuses at this point. He took my belt tonight. I want the rematch. I'll fight him wherever he wants next to take it from him."</p>
<p>Porter gave the typical answer when asked what was next, saying he'd learn from this loss and come back better than he was tonight.</p>
<p>"Tonight, we didn't get it all right, but next time we will get it all right," he said. "We'll come back stronger and we'll win the next one."</p>
<p>For Kell Brook, it's affirmation that his hard work has been worth it, and that he truly is as good as advertised.</p>
<p>"It's been a long time coming, but it's worth it, let me tell you. Training hard, going to bed early, sacrificing for this moment now. It's worth it, ten times over."</p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2014/8/17/6025813/kell-brook-upsets-shawn-porter-to-win-ibf-welterweight-titleScott Christ2014-08-16T23:09:07-04:002014-08-16T23:09:07-04:00Dirrell beats Bika, wins WBC belt
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<figcaption>Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
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<p>Anthony Dirrell picked up the WBC super middleweight title tonight on Showtime, beating Sakio Bika in a down and dirty rematch.</p> <p>It wasn't pretty, and the science sure as hell wasn't sweet, but Anthony Dirrell picked up his first world title in pro boxing tonight, outpointing Sakio Bika in a rugged, messy fight at the StubHub Center, winning an unanimous decision on scores of 117-110, 116-111, and 114-113. BLH had it 116-111 for Dirrell.</p>
<p>Dirrell (27-0-1, 22 KO) beat the odds once again in his career, as he's already overcome non-Hodgin's lymphoma and a bad motorcycle accident, and now has surprised many by becoming the first of he and brother Andre to win a world title in boxing. If you'd made that prediction four or five years ago, you could have gotten some great odds.</p>
<p>Bika (32-6-3, 21 KO) didn't go quietly, which he never does. The Cameroonian, now living in Australia, was his usual dirty, hard knocks self tonight, clinching a lot, diving into Dirrell plenty, and to be fair, that all came back from Dirrell, too.</p>
<p>But what Anthony managed to do that Bika never did was land clean, telling blows. He was clearly the superior technical boxer, and he appeared to hurt Bika a few times, too.</p>
<p>A big credit goes to referee Jack Reiss, who took control of the fight and turned it into something resembling a boxing match starting in round three, after an opening pair of rounds that hardly looked like professional boxing at all.<span> </span></p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2014/8/16/6025669/anthony-dirrell-wins-first-world-title-beats-sakio-bika-in-rematchScott Christ2014-08-16T22:21:47-04:002014-08-16T22:21:47-04:00GIF: Figueroa closes Estrada in nine
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<p>Omar Figueroa defended his WBC lightweight title with a win tonight over Daniel Estrada.</p> <p>Omar Figueroa kicked off tonight's Showtime Championship Boxing triple-header with a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2014/8/16/6025453/omar-figueroa-stops-daniel-estrada-to-retain-wbc-belt">ninth round stoppage of Daniel Estrada</a>, finishing a tough opponent after both had been cut in a back-and-forth battle.</p>
<p>Figueroa (24-0-1, 18 KO) will now move up to 140 pounds, he says, and made the final defense of his WBC lightweight title in this fight. If you missed it, check out the GIF of the stoppage, as Figueroa floors Estrada with a clean right hand, then finishes things off with a big flurry.</p>
<p>Check out the GIF, courtesy <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/zprophet_mma">Zombie Prophet</a>:</p>
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https://www.badlefthook.com/2014/8/16/6025571/gif-omar-figueroa-finishes-daniel-estrada-in-nine-roundsScott Christ2014-08-16T22:01:29-04:002014-08-16T22:01:29-04:00Figueroa stops Estrada in nine, moving to 140
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<figcaption>Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
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<p>Omar Figueroa got a good test tonight, but overwhelmed Daniel Estrada in nine rounds on Showtime.</p> <p>It was no easy night tonight at the StubHub Center for WBC lightweight titlist Omar Figueroa, but the Texas slugger retained his belt with a TKO-9 victory over Daniel Estrada, overcoming a good stylistic test and a bad cut that opened up in round eight.</p>
<p>Figueroa (24-0-1, 18 KO) was cut as the result of a headbutt in the eighth round, a nasty, deep gash over his left eye, between the point of the eyebrow and the bridge of the nose. Estrada (32-3-1, 24 KO) had boxed nicely at points in the fight, but the cut added a new dimension, and brought an even greater aggression out of the always aggressive Figueroa, who led 77-75 on our card when the fight was stopped.</p>
<p>Figueroa scored a knockdown about 40 seconds into the ninth round, when he cracked Estrada with a right hand that flew in over a lazy jab. That punch landed square on the button, and put the Mexican challenger down for the second time in his career.</p>
<p>Smelling blood -- some of it his own -- Figueroa looked to immediately close the show, throwing his hands in what Showtime's Mauro Ranallo described as a "blitzkrieg" offensive flurry. Referee Raul Caiz Sr moved in, waited for Estrada to deliver something back, and then stopped the fight as Figueroa continued to unload on a prone opponent.</p>
<p>"I knew the doctor might think it was bad, and I didn't want them to stop the fight," Figueroa told Showtime's Jim Gray, adding that the cut didn't personally bother him. When asked if he felt a sense of urgency, Figueroa said no. "I was kind of playing possum for the last few rounds, because I felt he might have thought I was hurt or something. I knew that punch was going to come."</p>
<p>"I didn't think I did that great. It wasn't up to par to what I expected," Figueroa added. "We prepared for a good fight, and this is the result."</p>
<p>Figueroa also said that his hands held up "for the most part" in the fight, and reiterated that he'll be moving up to fight at 140 pounds, saying his body is ready for the move up. That means that <a href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2014/8/16/6024897/jorge-linares-stops-ira-terry-in-two-rounds-moves-on-to-possible" target="_blank">Jorge Linares, who won earlier tonight</a>, won't get a shot at Figueroa's belt, or at least that's the idea for now.</p>
<p>Judges at the time of stoppage had it 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73 for Figueroa. Lousy scores, but since they didn't get the chance to have those decide the fight, no one will much care.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.badlefthook.com/2014/8/16/6017249/porter-vs-brook-live-streaming-results-and-round-by-round-coverage" target="_blank">Our live coverage continues here</a>. Join us!</p>
https://www.badlefthook.com/2014/8/16/6025453/omar-figueroa-stops-daniel-estrada-to-retain-wbc-beltScott Christ