Blood and guts in Brooklyn.. Porter stops Berto in 9.

Last night at the Barclays centre in Brooklyn, former world champions Shawn Porter and Andre Berto fought for the right to become Keith Thurmans, WBC mandatory challenger. In a dogged rough bout, Porter came out on top, stopping Berto half way through the 9th of a scheduled 12..  Both fighters appeared in tremendous condition and started fast, with Porter dictating that the fight be fought at close quarters..  The first breakthrough came for Porter when a short right hand dropped Berto in round 2, Berto struggling with the swarming style continued to allow Shawn the luxury of a telephone booth affair..  An accidental head clash initially opened a cut over Porters left eye, soon followed by a similar incident opening Berto's eyelid..  As the rounds drew more torrid and gruelling, further head clashes interrupted the action, showing noted affects on Berto who began to look despondent going into the 6th..  Porter looking noticeably sharper turned on the pressure in the 9th, leaving Berto literally unable to counter the volume of accurate punches, driving the Haitian native into the ropes, forcing a count for a second time, Porter then closing the show, a series of unanswered shots forcing the stoppage..   Berto 31-5 (24 Ko's) appearing more demoralised than hurt at the close..  Porter 27-2-1 (17 Ko's) looked far superior tonight employing a perfect strategy to out-hustle the generally more technically capable Berto with volume and pressure..  Both fighters were extremely courteous at the conclusion, Berto a little disappointed with the referees failure to prevent continual head-clashes, which obviously affected his rhythm. Porter actually taking the time to apologise to Andre for his part in the head butting, assuring him that it was not his intention, admitting that in this kind of a fight it's something he was self conscious of..   Porter and Thurman exchanged compliments following the interviews and look almost certain for a rematch of last years thriller that saw Keith the points victor in a fight of the year candidate.