The first Premier Boxing Champions card on Spike TV took place last night. The night’s main event featured Andre “The Beast” Berto (30-3, 23 KOs), who recorded an impressive stoppage of Josesito “Riverside Rocky” Lopez (33-7, 19 KOs) in front of a very lively crowd at Citizens Business Bank Arena.
The opening televised bout saw Shawn “Showtime” Porter (25-1-1, 16 KOs) stop a spirited Erick Bone (16-2, 8 KOs), who was tabbed to fill in as the last-minute replacement for Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia.
In the swing bout, extremely heavy heavyweight Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola (36-4, 31 KOs) managed to win a hard fought battle against extremely outmatched but yet competitive Curtis Harper (12-4, 8 KOs). It appeared that the bout was destined for early stoppage after a near KO by Arreola in the first round. However, Harper was able to compose himself and force the fight to go the distance.
ANDRE BERTO
“I thought I did OK tonight. I was getting in my groove those first couple rounds, and then I realized he couldn’t hurt me. Then I let my hands go.
“The jab kept him away. I was using it to beat him up and get to his face. I was catching him with the jab all night. I felt strong after that first time I knocked him down.
“Josesito is a tough fighter. He took all my jabs and more.
“This is an amazing opportunity. I can’t wait for the numbers. They’ll show that PBC is for real.
“I don’t know what’s next just yet. I’m going to relax with my family and then talk to Al Haymon and see what he has in store for me.”
JOSESITO LOPEZ
“I wasn’t 100% tonight. I ruined my left hand in the third round. I just wasn’t at my best. I had opportunities. I just couldn’t get to him.
“I wasn’t doing much well for the ability that I have. I just couldn’t snap off the punches that I wanted to. He was there to get hit, but I couldn’t get it done.
“The first knockdown he caught me and I rolled my ankle a little, but I was fine. This stoppage was 10 times worse than the Maidana stoppage. I wasn’t unstable or hurt tonight and I could have kept going.
“Berto is just tough. I didn’t see anything that I couldn’t beat though. If it wasn’t for the stoppage then I think I could have beat him. He was resilient, but his jabs weren’t great.
“I want to keep fighting the best. Losing sucks and I wasn’t ready for it tonight. I bring out my best when I fight the best.”
SHAWN PORTER
“I thought I gave a great performance tonight, but I could have done a better job of listening to what my corner was asking of me. I could have been a lot sharper tonight.
“The faints worked for me. We wanted to mix it up and set him up with the jab. Once I got to his body it was over. My mistake was taking shots to give shots.
“Bone was impressive on tape, but I wasn’t really sure what to expect tonight. He was strong and quick though. He came to fight.
“I don’t know what happened with Garcia. I think it’s unprofessional not making weight. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family though because I know they were looking forward to tonight.
“We did it our way tonight. I hope I was able to please the fans. At the end of the day we’re going to learn from what happened here tonight.
“I’m not sure what’s next, but I’m healthy and ready to get back in the ring as soon as possible. We’ll take all comers.”
ERICK BONE
“Everything was going well and then in the second round my knee gave out and it affected my performance the rest of the fight. I don’t want to make any excuses though. I tried to give it my all.
“I normally fight at 140. So again I don’t want to make excuses, but my opponent had a lot of leverage tonight.
“Tonight I learned to stick to my weight class at 140. It’s very tough to jump a weight class overnight, but I did what I could.
“It’s an honor to be showcased like this. Where I come from these things don’t happen very often and I consider this a blessing.
“We’re going to keep fighting at 140. Whoever they want to put in front of me at 140 I’ll welcome the fight.”
CHRIS ARREOLA
“I give myself a “D” overall tonight. I just wasn’t throwing enough combos.
“Whenever I threw punches it was working for me. I just have to stay more active in the ring.
“Harper is a tough man. I caught him with a lot of good punches and he hung in there very well.
“PBC has a great new platform for the masses to see me do what I do. It’s great to have the sport of boxing back in primetime!
“I want to get back in the ring the sooner the better. I’m ready to get back in the gym and work as soon as possible.”
