Porter blasts out Berto in nine
Former IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter (27-2-1, 17 KOs) stopped former IBF/WBC champion Andre Berto (31-5, 24 KOs) in the 9th round in a world title eliminator on Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Porter's harder shots dominated the action on the way to the TKO victory, which earns him a rematch with WBA/WBC 147lb champion Keith Thurman (28-0, 22 KOs).
Porter was cut over his left eye from an accidental head clash in the second, but later in the round he floored fellow American Berto with a right hand to the head.
Berto fought back in the following rounds during which Porter suffered another cut, this time over the right eye in the fourth from another accidental head clash. Later in the round, yet another accidental head clash opened a cut over Berto's left eye, which appeared worse than Porter's cuts.
Porter was landing heavy blows as the fight progressed, and in the 9th a solid right hand sent Berto stumbling into the ropes. The ropes kept Berto on his feet, and referee Mark Nelson ruled it a knockdown.
When the fight resumed, Porter piled on more punches with Berto against the ropes and Nelson waved off the bout at 1:31 of the round.
With the win, Porter earned a mandatory title fight against Thurman, who outpointed Porter last June in a thrilling bout to retain his WBA belt.
Thurman went on to dethrone WBC titleholder Danny Garcia on points in March.
Also on the card, American Jermell Charlo (29-0, 14 KOs) retained his WBC light middleweight title with a sixth round KO over countryman Charles Hatley (26-2-1, 18 KOs).
Charlo landed hard blows from the start and dropped Hatley in the third with a left-right combination.
The champion remained in control and he ended it in the sixth with a vicious right to the chin that sent Hatley falling face-first to the canvas, before referee Harvey Dock waved off the fight at 0:32 of the round.