Plans call for his next bout in five weeks, with a national television appearance in the works. Porter has fought on Showtime’s “ShoBox” series and the ESPN2 “Friday Night Fights."
Shawn Porter, now 16-0 with 13 knockouts, dropped Robert Kliewer (10-11, 6 KOs) in the second and third rounds, then flattened him four times in the fifth before the match was called to a halt at 1:08 of the round on Saturday.BOXING INSIDER
It’s a good thing the seven-knockdown rule was not in effect.
Robert Kliewer only had to hit the canvas six times in losing to Cleveland’s Shawn Porter on Saturday night in Tunica, Miss. Porter, now 16-0 with 13 knockouts, dropped Kliewer (10-11, 6 KOs) in the second and third rounds, then flattened him four times in the fifth before the match was called to a halt at 1:08 of the round.
It was another rousing victory for Porter and second since going the distance against veteran Russell Jordan at Cleveland State’s Wolstein Center on Feb. 19. In that one, Porter suffered a cut eye and had to weather a solid effort from a strong opponent. Porter, 22, said he learned from going those 10 hard rounds.
“I gained a lot of experience in that fight,” said Porter, a graduate of Stow High. “We refer to it and keep progressing. We haven’t changed a lot of things per se, but we have taken a different approach. It’s about being more proficient.”
According to his father and trainer Ken Porter, one new aspect is to land body shots.
“We worked a lot on body punches,” said Ken Porter, who was back in Cleveland on Monday. “That’s what Shawn dropped him with the first time, a liver shot. The final one was to the body, too.”
Ken Porter said his son will be moving into the welterweight ranks, dropping the seven pounds from 154. He has been training at Health 360 in Mayfield Heights and at King’s Gym in Bedford Heights.
Plans call for his next bout in five weeks, with a national television appearance in the works. Porter has fought on Showtime’s “ShoBox” series and the ESPN2 “Friday Night Fights,” which was the CSU bout.
Pacman down: Manny Pacquiao has a mild stomach ulcer that put him in the hospital in Manila, Philippines, for a few days. It may have been from all the angst in trying to put the megafight deal together for the bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Bloodbath: In keeping with their previous brutal get-togethers, featherweight Rafael Marquez (39-5, 35 KOs) benefited from a bloodied Israel Vazquez (44-5, 33 KOs) on Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Cut above the left eye in the second round and above the right in the third, Vazquez was a bloody mess and getting hit with too many punches. It forced referee Raul Caiz Jr. to call it off at 1:33 of the round.
It should put an end to the valiant Vazquez’s career. At least that’s what his manager, Frank Espinoza Sr., said after the bout.
“That’s it,” Espinoza said in the postfight news conference. “His career is over. He’s not going to fight again.”
Let’s hope so. For the record, the fighters ended their series since March 2007 at 2-2, with Marquez bookending the series with victories.
Farewell: Condolences to the family and friends of Paul “Pablo” Ramos, who died in Florida last Saturday. Ramos was the Cleveland Golden Gloves champion at 178 pounds in 1975 and 1976. As a pro, he went 19-4-1 (8 KOs), ending his career in 1982.
Results: On the Los Angeles show, International Boxing Federation bantamweight champ Yonnhy Perez (20-0-1, 14 KOs) and Abner Mares (20-0-1, 13 KOs) fought to a 12-round draw. Mares got the nod from one judge, 115-113, with the other two scoring it even, 114-114. . . . In Germany, former World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev (26-1-1, 17 KOs) won a unanimous decision against Kali Meehan (35-4, 29 KOs). Chagaev becomes the mandatory challenger for WBA champ David Haye. There’s not much excitement for that one.
On this date: Joe Frazier stopped Ron Stander in the fifth round in Omaha, Neb., to retain the heavyweight title in 1972.
Friday: The ESPN2 “Friday Night Fights” are in Quebec City, Quebec, where Eric Lucas (39-7-3, 15 KOs) faces Librado Andrade (28-3, 21 KOs) in a light-heavyweight bout at 9 p.m.
Saturday: WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (39-2, 37 KOs) defends against Albert Sosnowski (45-2-1, 27 KOs) in Germany. If you want to shell out $24.95, it’s a pay-per-view telecast at 3 p.m.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: jmaxse@plaind.com, 216-999-5168