Porter, Berto set for April 22 title eliminator

With a win against longtime friend Andre Berto on April 22, Shawn Porter, right, could earn a rematch of his close decision loss to Keith Thurman, left, in their welterweight title fight last June
With a win against longtime friend Andre Berto on April 22, Shawn Porter, right, could earn a rematch of his close decision loss to Keith Thurman, left, in their welterweight title fight last June

 A few hours before Keith Thurman won a split decision against Danny Garcia to unify welterweight world titles on Saturday night at Brooklyn's Barclays Center in one of the year's most significant fights, a pair of former welterweight titlists with their eye on those belts -- Shawn Porter and Andre Berto -- met the media at the arena to announce their own upcoming showdown.

Porter and Berto, longtime friends, will do battle in a world title elimination bout that will headline a Showtime-televised card on April 22 (9 p.m. ET) at Barclays Center in a fight that will determine one of Thurman's mandatory challengers.

That means Porter could earn a rematch of his razor-close, action-packed decision loss to Thurman in their title fight this past June at Barclays Center, or Berto could earn a chance to reclaim the 147-pound title belt he once held.

Either way, the Porter-Berto pairing shapes up as a fan-friendly fight in boxing's deepest weight class.