Ironically for a man who regularly claims to be so pretty, Adrien “The Problem” Broner (30-2, 22 KO) turned in a distinctly ugly performance at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night, losing a one-sided and largely dull twelve round contest to Shawn Porter in the latest instalment of the Premier Boxing Champions series.
Firstly, thanks are due to Al Haymon for the new PBC television format, which did at least mean that audiences were spared Broner’s traditional substandard rapping on his ring walk. Sadly though, it was all downhill from there, as the former three-weight world champion continued his drift into irrelevance with a listless display that briefly flickered into life in the twelfth round, as Porter was dropped, but was otherwise one in which Broner showed all the appetite of a supermodel with a newly fitted gastric band.
The biggest cheer of the night was reserved for when Tony Weeks finally docked him a point in the eleventh round for incessant holding and even his “big brother” Floyd Mayweather Jr didn’t stick around long enough to hear the unanimous verdict on the scorecards announced.
“At the end of the day, everyone here will take my autograph and my picture” Broner said in his post-fight interview, projecting an air of unshakeable confidence that borders on delusional and apparently blissfully unaware that without continued success inside the ring, the million dollar purses will disappear faster than his beloved social media following. Forget “About Billions”, this way “Austerity Beckons” for the brash Ohio native.
Undoubtedly talented, Broner blazed a trail through the lighter weights a few years back, showcasing smooth boxing skills, electric hand speed and impressive power that rightly earned him acclaim from pundits and respect from opponents. He reached number six in Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound rankings and deservedly so.
Then, after an unconvincing debut at welterweight against Paulie Malignaggi, Broner came unstuck with a surprise defeat to the tough, but limited, Marcos Maidana in 2013. He took a lot of punishment that night and stormed out of the arena with his ego momentarily bruised and the invincible pantomime villain aura severely dented.
Would he learn from his mistakes and bounce back from such a humbling loss? In boxing terms the signs leading up to the Porter fight were promising, with Broner coming off three disciplined and convincing points victories. Moreover, the template to nullify Porter was there, after Kell Brook had demonstrated the levels of concentration and skill required to combat such a live and tricky opponent. Instead the embarrassing trash talk resumed and was once again not backed up in the ring.
Still just twenty-five years of age, many feel that Broner can come again and it would be sad to see such incredible talent go to waste. However, the nagging feeling persists that he does not possess the mental aptitude or application to make it to the very top. If he is to succeed, he needs to fall back in love with the sport of boxing, rather than its byproducts of money and fame, learn humility and find a trainer and team that he respects more than himself.
He may be enjoying the trappings of infamy right now, but the history of boxing is littered with cautionary tales and unless he regains some focus and the desire to win, Broner promises to be nothing more than a footnote.
- Nick Austin / @futilityclinic
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