Tag Archives: adrien

Posted on 12/27/2018

By: Sean Crose

The chaos that seems to surround Adrien Broner’s life apparently rages away unabated both in and out of training camp. Broner, who is scheduled to fight none other than Manny Pacquiao on the 19th of January, has been arrested yet again. According to TMZ, Broner was busted in Florida on December 23rd for failure to appear in court after a driving infraction back in 2017. On the scale of things Broner has been arrested for, this latest incident appears to have been a minor one, as the man was released from jail in rapid fashion. The arrest also doesn’t look to impact his impending bout with Pacquiao.

Getting pinched isn’t the only stumbling block Broner has come across recently, however. It’s also been reported by TMZ that the multi-time titlist is being sued by a New York jeweler for owing an over one million dollar tab. Via TMZ: “Adrien told the jeweler he would pay for his bling after his April fight against Jessie Vargas, but the jeweler has only been able to collect $100k from Broner … leaving an unpaid balance of $1.152 million.” Broner has, in a sense, made a career of signing checks he can’t cash. Once known as one of the top fighters in all boxing, the man was hailed as possibly being heir to Floyd Mayweather’s spot atop the boxing world.

Broner’s reputation began to slide, however, after he was bested by Marcos Maidana in a 2013 showdown. Since that time, the Cincinnati native has yet to win a major fight, losing to Shawn Porter, and Mikey Garcia respectively. The man remains a major attraction, however, due to the fact that he doesn’t step away from challenges, and the fact that he has an exciting ring style…as well as the fact that his brash, sometimes antisocial personality makes him (for many, at least) must see viewing. Then, of course, there’s the hope of watching redemption unfold within the ring.

Broner has a huge chance to salvage his career next month when he faces Pacquiao for the WBA world welterweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Although Pacquiao is past his prime, a victory over an all time great would most certainly be a feather in Broner’s cap. It would also likely lead to other major and lucrative fights in the future. With all this in mind, Broner is said to be taking the challenge of Pacquiao quite seriously and engaging in an effective training camp.

Posted on 11/19/2018

By: William Holmes

Much has been written about in the past several months about the arrival of streaming as a viable platform for boxing promoters. Top Rank has aligned themselves with ESPN+, which is available to subscribers for $5 dollars a month. Golden Boy Promotions and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing have aligned themselves with DAZN, which is available to subscribers for $10 dollars a month.

Both platforms seem intent on convincing promoters to abandon the traditional Pay Per View(PPV) model in favor of the newer streaming model.

Photo Credit: Stephen Espinoza Twitter Account (@StephenEspinoza)

However, there’s still one major player in the sport of boxing that isn’t aligned with any streaming service, and they appear to be focused on their relationship with Fox Sports and Showtime with an eye towards PPV for their bigger fights.

That player is Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC).

HBO’s retreat from the Pay Per View Boxing business left a hole that the PBC appears to be more than ready to fill. On Saturday December 1st they’ll put on Heavyweight Title Fight on PPV between undefeated Tyson Fury and undefeated champion Deontay Wilder.

The Heavyweight division was considered to be boxing’s golden division in the Pay-Per-View business before Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. came along, and it is still the division that attracts casuals to the sport with its propensity for knockouts.

But the undercard for December’s heavyweight pay per view attraction shows the PBC’s serious commitment to PPV.

There appears to be at least nine different fights which showcase a boxer who has previously headlined a big event, holds a world title, or is line for a future title shot.

Jarrett Hurd will be defending his junior middleweight title in the co-main event with a possible shot against one of the Charlo brothers hanging in the balance. Luis Ortiz is looking for another title shot and will be facing Travis Kauffman in the heavyweight division. Anthony Yarde and Joe Joyce are two boxers who have been making a name for themselves in the United Kingdom and will be fighting stateside on December 1st in separate bouts. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is still a big name that carries a lot of attention, and he’ll be facing the always tough and former title challenger Alfredo Angulo.

Wait, there’s more…

Mark Barriga and Carlos Licona are also fighting on the undercard for the vacant IBF Strawweight Title. Chris Arreola is still a big name in the heavyweight division, and he’s facing Maurenzo Smith. Former world titlist Robert Guerrero is coming out of retirement to make his return in the welterweight division.

There’s a lot of fights and fighters on this card that are capable of headlining their own card on Showtime or Fox Sports that will be featured on this PPV. A card stacked with this much talent shows PBC’s commitment to the PPV model.

But, their PPV commitment doesn’t stop at the heavyweight division.

The PBC is expected to announce an upcoming PPV fight with Manny Pacquiao and Adrien Broner. Pacquiao, a long time client of Top Rank Promotions, is still a big pay per view draw if he is matched up with the right opponent. The only viable pay per view opponent Pacquiao had with Top Rank was Terence Crawford. Even though Crawford’s skills as a boxer and undeniable and he would probably be considered a favorite if he fought Pacquiao, he hasn’t shown that he has the name recognition to sell pay per view.

Broner is just one of many fascinating matchups that the PBC has for Pacquiao. Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Errol Spence Jr., Shawn Porter, and even Mikey Garcia are all possible opponents for Pacquiao that could eventually wind up on pay per view.

Most importantly, a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a more realistic possibility now that Pacquiao has signed with the PBC.

The PBC has also announced a PPV fight between Errol Spence Jr. and Mikey Garcia. Garcia brings the loyalty of the Mexican boxing fan base into play when it comes to pay per view buys and Spence is considered by many to be one of the top pound for pound talents in the sport today. It’s a good fight worthy of pay per view, but probably won’t sell as well as most Pacquiao or Mayweather PPVs.

What about the Charlo brothers? They’re highly entertaining and have engaging personalities. They’re two other highly talented boxers on the PBC roster with PPV potential, provided they can find quality opponents.

The co-main event of December 1st features one such opponent, IBF/WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Jarret Hurd.

The talent that the PBC has on their roster is undeniable. Can they turn that talent into PPV success? Wilder vs. Fury and the signing of Manny Pacquiao shows they’re certainly going to try.

Posted on 10/20/2018

By Jake Donovan

While the bout itself has yet to be formally announced, it’s entirely possible that by as early as Tuesday the heavily rumored showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Adrien Broner could very well have a fight date, location and televised platform.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission will meet on Tuesday, October 23 for its monthly agenda hearing, which covers reviews of past events and approvals for requested future business conducted in the state. Among the budget items is a list of three requested fight dates for TGB Promotions, with plans to stage events on January 19, February 16 and March 9 all at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Photo Credit: Manny Pacquiao Twitter Account

A Pacquiao-Broner showdown has been targeted for January 19, according to several sources who’ve declined to speak any further on the matter—even off the record—and with Las Vegas as the most likely location.

All three dates are currently slated for the rebranded version of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Fox, a development first reported by RingTV.com senior writer Mike Coppinger. PBC renewed long-term deals with Fox and Showtime, both of whom remain very interested in airing this event although BoxingInsider.com has learned through three credible sources that no decision has yet been made and likely won’t until the fight is formally announced.

The first Fox prime telecast under the renewed PBC on Fox series is currently slated for December 22, with plans to run shows once per month. There also exists the possibility of one or more of those dates moving to a Fox-distributed Pay-Per-View event, according to details revealed in the initial announcement this past September.

Speculation has already begun about Pacquiao-Broner likely going that route, as the price tag that would come with such a fight would figure to heavily eat into the allotted annual budget provided by either Fox or Showtime.

Talks of the matchup surfaced almost immediately after it was revealed that Pacquiao—the only eight-division titlist in boxing history and currently a secondary beltholder at welterweight—inked a deal with adviser Al Haymon, who founded PBC in 2015.

The move came as a surprise only from a historical perspective. Pacquiao managed to miss out on several key fights at welterweight due to his fighting for years under the Top Rank promotional banner, whose founder Bob Arum has been embroiled in a years-long feud with Haymon. The heart of that standoff stems from Haymon’s relationship with Floyd Mayweather, who left Top Rank for good in 2006 and has since emerged as the biggest box office attraction in boxing history.

Arum and Haymon were literally locked in a room and forced to do business together at the demand of Les Moonves, then head of CBS Corporation (parent company of Showtime) to make Mayweather-Pacquiao a reality in 2015 after more than five years of their careers managing to run parallel.

The bout itself was a stinker—with Mayweather winning a wide but dull unanimous decision—as was the half-assed promotion offered by Mayweather Promotions which demanded lead status. Still, the most anticipated boxing event of the 21st Century secured box office benchmarks which will likely never be surpassed, including more than $72 million at the live gate and more than $400 million in U.S. PPV revenue.

At the time, it was believed to be a one-and-done event, with the 12 rounds of non-action and the nauseating building not providing any reason to do it all again. However, the two were recently at the same event in Japan this past September and took to social media together in teasing the possibility off a rematch in 2019.

The postings came on the morning of the rematch between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Genandy Golovkin, leading many to believe it was just another tactic employed by Mayweather to upstage any event involving Golden Boy Promotions. He did as much in announcing his one-fight return to the sport in 2017, staging his August ’17 bout with UFC superstar and boxing debutante Conor McGregor in Las Vegas just three weeks prior to Alvarez-Golovkin I and drawing four times as many PPV buys.

Few paid this recent round of trolling any mind, until it was revealed that Pacquiao—no longer under contract with Top Rank—had joined forces with Haymon and the PBC family.

There still doesn’t exist any real possibility of Mayweather-Pacquiao II, with Mayweather having not fought since the aforementioned highly lucrative McGregor sideshow and more interested in boxing vs. UFC pairings (rematch with McGregor, or a first fight with his most recent conqueror and UFC pound-for-pound king Khabib Nurmagomedov). By his own admission, a Pacquiao rematch requires more public massaging.

In that vain came the idea to pair Pacquiao with Broner, a former four-division titlist who has long ago maxed out his boxing celebrity credit card and could stand a notable win or two in the twilight of a frustrating career.

Broner has not fought since a 12-round draw with Jessie Vargas this past April. The 29-year old from Cincinnati has not won a fight since a narrow victory over Adrian Granados in his hometown last February.

Pacquiao is 3-1 in his life after Mayweather, managing to win some version of a welterweight title in each victory. He entered as the challenger in a pair of 2016 unanimous decisions in Las Vegas over Tim Bradley (in their third fight) and Vargas bookending his successful turn at securing one of 12 open Senate seats in his native Philippines during the general election, following a two-term tour as a Congressman in the Sarangani province.

His title reign following the Vargas win lasted just under eight months, ending in highly controversial fashion in losing an unpopular split decision to Jeff Horn last August in his opponent’s native Australia homeland. Efforts to secure a rematch proved exhausting, also signaling the end of a nearly two-decade long stint with Top Rank.

Their last bit of business together came in July, when the Las Vegas-based company secured the U.S. TV distribution rights for his stoppage win over Lucas Matthysse. The bout took place in Malaysia, with Top Rank managing to distribute via ESPN+ through its ESPN deal. A subsequent dispute came when Pacquiao claimed to have not been properly paid the rights fee by Top Rank, with the two sides settling before moving about their separate ways.

Now under the PBC banner, Pacquiao’s debut on the other side of the street is not without its snags. The Filipino southpaw has yet to resolve a multi-million dollar tax debt with the U.S. IRS, the principle cause for his having not fought stateside since the Vargas bout.

That financial matter will need to be resolved before Pacquiao can ever again fight in the U.S. However, it won’t have any bearing on whether the Nevada commission approves TGB Promotions’ fight date requests, since none come with solidified main events including the planned January 19 show in Las Vegas.

Still, Pacquiao didn’t head to PBC just to sit on the sidelines or for the outfit—which has yet to stage a branded event outside of the U.S.—to take its act overseas on his behalf. Chances are, his tax status will soon be resolved—whether fully settled or through a long-term installment agreement—as will full details of his forthcoming showdown with Broner.

Posted on 04/20/2018

By: Kirk Jackson

Adrien ‘The Problem’ Broner aims to secure victory this weekend against fellow former champion Jessie Vargas, in what may be considered a crossroads fight for each fighter.

The fight between Broner and Vargas headlines a spectacular ShowTime event, action-packed featuring other boxing stars such as Gervonta Davis, Jermall Charlo, Hugo Centeno and Jesus Cuellar respectively.

Stream #BronerVargas fight week!

?12:30P ET: https://t.co/j7CpA4MP5z
⚖️ TOMORROW: https://t.co/JhUD8Z11lQ pic.twitter.com/qL156NyDBn

— SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) April 19, 2018

Oddly enough, the fight between Vargas vs. Broner is an underrated match-up and can potentially be one of the best fights of the year due to styles, skill -sets and stakes at hand for each fighter.

Often times Broner’s name is in the news whether he has a fight scheduled or during his off time. Controversy and headline news have no problems finding Broner.

Suggesting Broner has a colorful personality is an understatement; he exemplifies eccentricity and brashness. But to quote Broner, “AB is must-see t.v.”

Go check out me & @Gervontaa 25/8 EPISODE ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL NOW pic.twitter.com/yaFQTl17p7

— Adrien Broner (@AdrienBroner) March 26, 2018

Broner is an enigma; supremely talented from a physical, athletic stance and gifted artistically – (rapper and exceptional in the art of trash talk).

But at times, Broner displays senseless and idiotic behavior. He is the intelligent, gifted kid in class, choosing other routes aside from honing on his natural talent.

The major flaw or critique of Broner plaguing his professional career as a boxer is his lack of consistency. We can break down technical flaws, but most of his issues in the ring pertain to lack of focus and accountability.

That is the message Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe is attempting to convey towards the younger generation of fighters.

It’s fair to suggest, amidst the trash-talk and drama, who truly knows what goes on behind the scenes between Broner and the Mayweather Promotions camp. There may lie legitimate issues – and who’s to say who is at fault?

Or this could be publicity to promote the fight. Which may also be the case with Broner and Hip-hop artist Tekashi69?

Referencing back to the drama inside the ring, how many times will you hear in discussion about Broner and poor performances how he wasn’t focused, did not train properly or was dealing with outside distractions?

Viewing clips from Broner’s 25/8 documentary series on YouTube, Broner appears to be in great shape and up until fight week, was off social media and appeared extremely tuned in and focused in training.

This recent series of outbursts and conflict with fellow boxers, rappers and promotional executives alike perhaps is just that – PROMOTION.

Broner realizes the severity of this fight. If he loses, in spite of his personal and strong presence, he will not garner too many more opportunities in the fight.

Broner’s last fight against Mikey Garcia in the summer of 2017, Broner appeared in great shape as well. The issues with Broner are not physical.

He will be focused from a physical standpoint, his shortcomings inside the ring lie with mental issues. More specifically, the inability to let his hands go. This is boxing jargon for punching in combination.

One observing Broner’s career may suggest ever since his defeat against Marcos Maidana, Broner is less reluctant to throw punches in bunches.

But that’s not entirely true. Broner has never been a high-volume puncher. Broner picks opponents apart with accurate, fast, powerful pot-shot punches.

Broner was able to take his time and masterfully destroy opponents in the lower weight classes of super featherweight and lightweight due to the combination of his skills and size for each weight class.

Now Broner is in the higher weight classes at welterweight, he has to rely more on skill, technique and strategy; as opposed to physical strength and athletic advantages – which requires greater focus.

Oddly enough, the key to defeating both fighters may be through applying constant pressure. Based on interviews leading up to the fight, applying pressure is what Vargas will do.

As mentioned earlier, Broner is a natural counter-puncher and prefers to fight at slower pace, steadily dissecting opponents with blazing hand-speed, precise punches and maintaining a comfortable distance to operate.

Vargas aims to suffocate Broner with punches and break him and attack him mentally with pressure.

Will the addition of new head trainer Kevin Cunningham help Broner focus or is Vargas the problem solver?

This boils down to if Adrien Broner can focus at the task of winning, manage his problems, flush out outside distractions and implement the proper strategy to secure victory.

Posted on 04/19/2018

By: Bryant Romero

Adrien “The Problem” Broner enters this Saturday arguably heading into the most important bout of his 10 year pro boxing career when he takes on Jessie Vargas (28-2, 10 KOs) at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn. Broner (33-3, 24 KOs) will be putting it all on the line including a 300k side bet with a colorful rapper he’s been beefing with on social media during fight week. Another devastating loss could spell the end of Broner as a main event headliner. There is no doubt Broner has to be feeling some type of pressure heading into this fight, knowing that the future of his career hangs in the balance if he doesn’t defeat Jessie Vargas this Saturday. However, Broner has kept a relatively low profile during his preparations in training camp, which could mean he’s putting a lot of his focus on his upcoming fight.

Photo Credit: Jose Pineiro/SHOWTIME

““I’m very happy with this camp. It’s just what I needed. I’m catching up with sleep, eating well. The isolated training is really good. I love everything about this camp.

“Training in isolation is really good for me. I told everybody that they were not coming to Florida with me, that I will see them all after the fight and that if they really love me they will understand the situation and they will be cool with it.

“I actually did a camp with Coach Kevin before when Devon Alexander fought Timothy Bradley. And I’ve seen the way he is. We had our arguments and he cussed me out almost every day, but I was just missing the structure and that’s what I need,” Broner said.

After getting soundly defeated by Mikey Garcia last summer, Broner felt a major change was needed in the corner and he felt he needed a more authoritative voice. A voice that could keep him on his toes and keep him pushing a harder while in training camp, which is the major influence into why Broner decided to train with Coach Cunningham.

“I’ve known Coach Cunningham since my amateur days. We used to go up to St. Louis all the time and fight in his tournaments, on his shows. I have even fought for St. Louis in the Ringside Tournament. It was a great experience.

“I’ve known Coach Cunningham for a long time. He is the real deal He is not going to B.S. me. He’s going to keep me on my toes. I need that.

“There are coaches that change when their fighters get to certain levels. They still coach, but they don’t provide the structure the fighter needs. When I was fighting at 130, 135, Coach Mike [Stafford] will be at my door yelling ‘Get your butt up. We have to run. We have to train. Get up! Get up!’ But time went by and things changed.

“Coach Mike stopped being a coach and started being more of a friend. I needed him to keep being my coach. I need someone to keep me in line. Don’t get me wrong, he’ll always be like a father figure but when it comes to training and my career. I needed a change,” Broner said.

Broner has made the necessary adjustments in training camp that could help put on a better performance come fight night. Whether these changes could produce a great performance from Broner remains to be seen. The question is will Broner let his hands go? Against an experienced, confident and hungry fighter in Jessie Vargas who’s never shown a lack of discipline in his career.

The Vegas oddsmakers see Broner as a slight underdog in this fight, so expect a competitive battle this Saturday and perhaps a very controversial decision. Broner may never reach the heights where he was touted as being the next big boxing superstar, but a big win over Jessie Vargas will produce bigger opportunities in the future and help add to his accomplishments while remaining one of the sport’s most popular fighters.

Despite his multiple setbacks in the ring, Broner still feels he has plenty to give to boxing.

“I started my career young. I won titles in four weight classes. I’ve accomplished a lot and there’s still more to come. I got a lot of fighting left to do,” Broner said.

Posted on 04/19/2018

By: William Holmes

On Saturday night Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) will be putting on a stacked card on Showtime live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Three fights are planned to be televised with a main event featuring the always entertaining Adrien Broner and former World Title Challenger Jessie Vargas. Jermall Charlo will also be fighting on the card for the vacant WBC Interim Middleweight Title. Gervonta Davis will also be taking on Jesus Cuellar for the WBA Junior Lightweight Title.

Photo Credit: Jose Pineiro/SHOWTIME

The undercard will feature boxers such as former Olympian Rau’shee Warren, two sport star Heather Hardy, as well as Dylan Price.

The following is a preview of the three televised bouts.

Gervonta Davis (19-0) vs. Jesus Cuellar(28-2); WBA Regular Junior Lightweight Title

The opening bout of the night will be between Gervonta Davis, one of The Money Team’s best fighters in their stable, and Jesus Cuellar, a top contender in the featherweight division moving up to the junior lightweight division.

Davis is known for his knockout power, only of his opponents was able to make it to the final bell and he’s currently riding a ten fight win streak. However, Cuellar also has some power in his hands and has twenty one stoppage victories, though most of them came at a lighter weight.

Davis has been fairly active and fought three times in 2017 and twice in 2016. He is also eight years younger than Cuellar and will only be giving up a half an inch in reach and height. Cuellar has been very in active and did not fight in 2017 and only fought once in 2016.

Cuellar competed for Argentina at the Pan American Games several times as an amateur and Davis was able to win a National Golden Gloves Title.

Davis has defeated the likes of Francisco Fonseca, Liam Walsh, Jose Pedraza, and Cristobal Cruz. Cuellar has beaten the likes of Jonathan Oquendo, Vic Darchinyan, Ruben Tamayo, Juan Manuel Lopez, and Rico Ramos. His losses were to Oscar Escandon and Abner Mares.

This will be a good test for Davis, as Cuellar is a solid fighter with good technique who has been in the ring with several high level boxers. Both boxers are southpaws so it will be interesting to see if Davis can adjust to facing a southpaw. But Davis is simply too young and too powerful for Cuellar and he should be able to overwhelm Cuellar by the middle rounds.

Jermall Charlo (26-0) vs. Hugo Centeno (26-1); WBC Interim Middleweight Title

Jermall Charlo and Huge Centeno looks like it could be the most competitive bout of the night. Both boxers are twenty sveen years old and both only fought once in 2017 and twice in 2016.

Charlo is the bigger puncher of the two, as he has twenty stoppage victories, including four of his past five fights. Centeno only has fourteen stoppage victories. His lone loss was also by stoppage.

Charlo will be giving up two inches in reach and about an inch and a half in height to Centeno.

Both boxers had relatively successful amateur careers, but Centeno has a slight edge in terms of success. Charlo has a reported record of 65-6 as an amateur, while Centeno was very successful in the Junior Olympics, National PAL Tournament, and other National Tournaments in the United States.

Charlo has the better resume of the two. He has defeated Jorge Sebastian Heilan, Julian Williams, Austin Trout, Wilky Campfort, and Cornelius Bundrage. Centeno has defeated the likes of James De La Rosa and Immanuwel Aleem. His lone loss was to Maciej Sulecki.

The longer this fight goes the better the chances are of Centeno pulling off an upset. However, the Charlo brothers have been very impressive in the ring recently and should be considered to be the favorite.

Adrien Broner (33-3) vs. Jessie Vargas (28-2); Welterweight Division

The main event of the evening will be between the always controversial Adrien Broner and the very sound Jessie Vargas.

Both boxers are 28 years old, but Vargas will have a large four inch height advantage and a two inch reach advantage. They both also only fought three times in the past two years, Broner fought twice in 2017 and once in 2016, while Vargas fought once in 2017 and twice in 2016.

Broner has the clear edge in power of the two. He has twenty four stoppage wins to his credit while Vargas only has ten. They both had successful amateur careers. Broner was a National Silver Gloves Champion and had an amateur record of 300-19. Vargas was a two time Mexican National Champion and a two time US Junior National Champion and had an amateur record of 120-20.

Broner resume looks much better at the lighter weights in comparison to the heavier weight classes. His wins were over the likes of Adrian Granados, Ashley Theophane, Khabib Allakhverdiev, John Molina Jr., Carlos Molina, Paul Malignaggi, Antonio DeMarco, and Daniel Ponce De Leon. He has losses to Mikey Garcia, Shawn Porter, and Marcos Maidana.

Vargas has defeated the likes of Sadam Ali, Antonio DeMarco, Khabib Allakhverdiev, Wale Omotoso, and Josesito Lopez. His losses were to Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley Jr.

Broner has been facing a lot of out of the ring issues recently and it may affect him on Saturday night. Vargas isn’t known for his power or an aggressive style that has been known to give Broner problems, but technically he’s sound and this writer has to give him a slight edge on Saturday night.

Posted on 02/14/2018

By: Bryant Romero

Former 4 division world champion Adrien Broner was arrested on Monday night and booked at the Atlanta Fulton County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery according to many reports and later confirmed by jail records. The troubled 28-year-old is scheduled to appear before a Judge at 9am Tuesday, TMZ reports. Broner is alleged to have inappropriately groped a woman at the Lenox Square shopping center as BSO is reporting the incident took place in front of the Louis Vuitton store. Broner has denied the allegation.

Broner has had many incidents with the law outside of the ring with a criminal history that includes charges of robbery (2007 and 2010), aggravated robbery (2007), felonious assault (2007, gun charges (2007 and 2008) and battery (2013). Just last April, Broner was arrested in Covington, Kentucky on an open warrant for a 2014 public intoxication charge after police had pulled him over in a SUV filled with bullet holes. Later that year, a video surfaced of Broner sucker punching a man and knocking him out cold at the Las Vegas strip in which a summons for battery was issued for the incident.

Broner (33-3, 24 KOs) is scheduled to fight Omar Figueroa in a Showtime televised main event on April 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. There is still no word if the recent arrest of Broner will affect the upcoming bout with Figueroa.

Prior to the incident, Broner had pleaded with his followers that major changes were coming to his boxing career. He promised to get back to the top and even made changes to his corner by working with veteran trainer Kevin Cunningham. However, disturbing posts to his social media accounts would surface not long before the incident in Atlanta.

The 28-year-old is now considered one of the big busts in boxing after being groomed by the PBC as being their next PPV star. The promotion had hoped to break him through that barrier by lining him up with significant fights that could propel his career to the next level. Broner would failed miserably with each opportunity however, losing a clear unanimous decision to Marcos Maidana in December of 2013, followed a by terrible performance to Shawn Porter once again losing by unanimous decision, and a one-sided lost last July to Mikey Garcia.

Another bad loss could spell the end of the Broner’s career as a main event headliner.

Posted on 09/10/2017

By: Sean Crose

Adrien Broner was recorded pushing a woman and punching a man in Las Vegas. In video footage provided by TMZ, the woman appears to be a companion of the multi-title winning fighter while the man Broner punches is seen being sent to the pavement. It’s unclear what started Broner’s violent behavior, but what looks to have begun as a rather innocuous moment clearly took a violent turn. Broner is initially viewed in the video taking pictures with fans. He then appears to storm off as his companion tries to stop him. Broner pushes the woman away, then is seen punching the unknown male.

As of this writing, Broner has not been arrested, though this is far from his first incident of questionable – to put it mildly – behavior. Over the years the Cincinnati native has earned a reputation that has gone from bad to worse. After first being seen as an accomplished loudmouth, the man now stands on the verge of being viewed as a public menace. Arrests and convictions are now accepted as par for the course, as is violent behavior outside the ring. This latest situation involving Broner is one of a growing line, which includes driving a vehicle with bullet holes in it and a now infamous incident outside a bowling alley.

Broner was last seen in the ring several months ago, in a fight he lost to undefeated Mikey Garcia.

Posted on 07/31/2017

By: Sean Crose

He seemed on top of the world once, not so long ago, a terrible representative or the sport who was on his way to stardom, nonetheless.

And now this.

After being dominated this past weekend in New York by Mikey Garcia, many are left asking what happened to Adrien Broner. This was the future celebrity, the Mayweather with a bad/worse attitude, the soon to be face of boxing. Now, though, it’s clear the man can’t beat an above average opponent. All that talk, all that hype, and for what? For three losses in a row to big names? For smack talk after defeat? For endless acts of stupidity outside the ring with little to show in the way of real merit inside of it? This isn’t what the public was led to expect.

Oh, the public was led to expect bad behavior when it came to Broner, of course. In fact, the public was expected to celebrate it. For Broner was supposed to be the big mouth who couldn’t be shut up, the man who appealed to people’s inner mean streaks, the guy who acted like many amoral types wished they could have, but were afraid to. Yet the public was also led to expect Broner to back it all up with big win after big win. Thing is, with the possible exception of Paulie Malignaggi, who some feel actually won their fight, Broner has no big wins to his name.

What he has is a record of having attained lots of belts without placing lots of big names under them. It’s now being said the man was a hype job from the word go. Perhaps that assertion is the correct one. Perhaps Broner was never as good as advertised. Perhaps he was simply never going to become as good as advertised, even if he took his profession seriously, which – until recently – he didn’t seem to on any sort of regular basis.

The question, of course, is where to from here for the Cincinnati native. Many, if not most, hope he will fade away. Don’t expect him do, though. Broner’s colorful image is still marketable, even on a smaller scale than it used to be. There’s still titles and lots of money available for the man in the future. Keep in mind that he’s fun to watch fight – and that people also like renegades (and Broner is most certainly that).

The truth is that Broner took a tough loss and if he’s not the total hype job some are saying he always was, he’s going to want to grow as a fighter – as in actually pick up new things. That might take a bit of learning, but he’s still a young man with a considerable amount of God given talent at his disposal. The story of Adrien Broner might still have some more chapters to go. He’s going to have to play is smart, though, if he hopes to eventually go out on top…if it’s even possible for him to go out on top at this point.

Posted on 07/30/2017

By: Ken Hissner

At the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, NY, Mayweather Promotions, PBC and DiBella Entertainment promoted before 12,000 fans over Showtime Saturday night.

The 3 division champion and current WBC lightweight champion Mikey Garcia, 37-0 (30), of Moreno Valley, out of Oxnard, CA, easily defeated former 3 division champion of the world and No. 2 WBA welterweight Adrien “The Problem” Broner, 33-3 (24), of Cinn., OH, over 12 rounds.

In the opening round it took the aggressor Garcia close to a minute to land his first punch, a jab. Up until then it was Broner’s jab controlling. A Garcia lead right had Broner nailed on the chin. Later a left hook body shot by Garcia had Broner against the ropes. In the second round it was all Garcia. When Broner tried to tie him up Garcia pushed him back. Garcia got in several right hands to the body of Broner. In the third round like the first it was Broner’s jab for almost a minute before Garcia landed a counter left hook punch. At the halfway mark of the round Garcia landed a solid left hook to the body. With half a minute left in the round Garcia opened up with a flurry of punches ending with a right uppercut to the chin of Broner. In the fourth round Broner stayed in the pocket for the first time halfway through the round but did little as Garcia landed a flurry of punches twice in the second half of the round with the right uppercut to the chin of Broner at the end of the flurries.

In the fifth round Broner with hands held up right trying to stop the jab and lead right of Garcia but with little success to stop them. With 30 seconds to go in the round Garcia landed a solid left hook to the landed a combination. In the sixth round Garcia continued to pound Broner until a little than a minute left in he round before Broner landed a 3-punch combination to the head of Garcia. The round ended with a lead right from Garcia to the body of Broner. Broner’s corner is Around Broner came out strong for half a minute before dancing around throwing a weak jab as Garcia is all over him. With a minute left in the round Garcia lands punch after punch keeping Broner at bay. Just prior to the bell Garcia landed five unanswered punches with a right to the jaw among them rocked Broner. In the eighth round after a minute Garcia drops his hands challenging Broner to fight back. Garcia landed a dozen punches without return from Broner who landed a chopping right to the head. Broner came forward at the bell trying to steal the round but was stopped in his tracks by a Garcia hard jab. It was a big round once again by Garcia.

In the ninth round a right cross from Garcia grazed the jaw of Broner after the first minute of the round. Garcia keeps pressing Broner easily out landed Broner. Inside of a minute left in the round Broner landed several beltline or lower punched keeping Garcia on the defense. This may have been Broner’s best round since the first round. In the tenth round with Broner coming forward Garcia countered well. At the minute mark to go in the round Broner landed the best punch of the fight for him a left hook to the head of Garcia putting him back a step or two. Garcia finished strong with a combination at the bell. In the eleventh round Broner well behind in the fight was looking for a big punch but was taking a two-handed attack from Garcia. It was another big round for Garcia as both Garcia counters well as Broner keeps coming forward but landing little. A Broner body shot got Garcia’s attention as he came right back landing punch after punch. Garcia finished up as strong as he was in the first round. The referee was Harvey Dock.

Judges Weisfeld and Don Akerman had it 116-112 while Eric Marlinski had it 117-111 and this writer had it 119-109.

“I will stay at 140 but may move up to 147 in the future,” said Garcia. Broner was very bitter though omitting Garcia beat him. Using a couple of foul words as the crowd boo’d him Broner did little to convince anyone he will be back at the championship level as he was boasting. It was a superb performance by Garcia who is trained by his brother Robert Garcia.

In a WBC middleweight elimination bout IBF Super welterweight champion Jermall Charlo, 26-0 (20), of Houston, TX, stopped No. 1 WBC contender, southpaw middleweight Jorge Sebastian “El Gaucho de Pigue” Heiland, 29-5-2 (16), of Bueno Aires, ARG, at 2:13 of the fourth round.

Prior to the start of the fight the Boxing Commissioner made Heiland take off a wrapping around his left leg. In the opening round Charlo kept his jab in the face of Heiland throughout the round. It took Heiland half a round to land a punch though he was the aggressor. How he ever got to be the No. 1 contender must have been “paid for” as he plug’s along. In the second round with Charlo now the aggressor dropped Heiland at the halfway mark of the round with a right uppercut. Referee Benjy Estaves, Jr. administered the 8 count and upon rising made him walk to the left and right. He lasted out the round though a lead right from Charlo rocked him prior to the round ending. The bell sounded to start the round and referee Esteves brought the ring physician in to check the left leg of Heiland. Charlo continued landing the jab followed by lead right hands easily winning the round. Before the third round started the ring physician was brought in again to check Heiland. With one minute left in the round a left hand to the ear dropped Heiland. He got up and looked like a drunken soldier falling back into the ropes forcing the stoppage. This was a mismatch when Heiland signed the contract. He could have had three “good legs” and he was going to be stopped early.

“First I want to thank God for this opportunity along with Showtime and feel I am ready for the best in the middleweight division,” said Charlo.

Heavyweight Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, 19-0-1 (17), Brooklyn, NY, stopped Gerald “El Gallo Negro” Washington, 18-2-1 (12), of Vallejo, CA, at the end of the eighth round of a scheduled 10.

Miller landed four right hands and had Washington out on his feet forcing referee Gary Rosato to call a halt.

“I want to thank God for the victory. I’m surprised they took this fight. I lost 40 pounds (came in at 298) for this fight. I want to be another American world heavyweight champion,” said Miller. He is No. 7 in the WBO, WBA and IBF while Washington was No. 15 in the WBC.

For Olympian southpaw Rau’sheen Warren, 15-2 (4), of Cinn., OH, bounced back after losing his WBA Super World bantamweight title earlier this year with a win in a super bantamweight bout over McJoe Arroyo, 17-2 (8), of Fajardo, PR, who lost his IBF Super World Flyweight title last year losing over 12 rounds by scores of 118-110 and 117-111 twice.

Posted on 07/29/2017

By: Sean Crose

The first fight that aired on Showtime Saturday night from Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center featured rising star Jemall Charlo, a 25-0 first time middleweight, facing off against Jorge Sebastian Heiland a 29-4-2 Argentine who had previously defeated the likes of Austin Trout and Cornelius Bundridge. It was all Charlo, right from the beginning. He dominated the first, dropped Heiland in the second and then cruised through the third. Heiland, who had clearly hurt his leg, was taken out his misery by the referee in round four. Charlo is clearly looking for bigger things and made it obvious he’s ready to take on Gennady Golovkin, should the Kazakh terror best Mexican star Canelo Alvarez when the two meet in a September superfight.

Photo Credit: Showtime Boxing

It was time for the main event. Adrien Broner was looking at what may well have been his last chance at superstardom by stepping into the ring with lightweight titlist Mikey Garcia, who was making his junior welterweight debut. As for Garcia – this was his time to truly step into the stoplight. Garcia entered the ring looking supremely confident. Broner came in looking relaxed and healthy. It remained to be seen how good the fight would be – but on paper it was some kind of matchup.

And indeed, it was a decent enough fight. It was one sided, though. In fact, it was clear at the end of twelve rounds that Garcia had clearly beaten his man up. Broner had his moments, of course, but there just weren’t enough. Indeed, the one-two combinations Garcia pierced Broner’s guard with told the tale of the night. Those and the thudding body shots Garcia regularly landed to Broner’s body. The judges didn’t even manage to screw up this time…Garcia won by an easy unanimous decision. Sure enough, Broner clapped in approval of Garcia’s performance after the decision was announced.

“When you get inside the ring with me, you find out my timing’s just a step in front of them,” said Garcia after the bout. The man certainly looked impressive. Strength. Confidence. Relentlessness. Such assets told the tale. As for Broner, the man didn’t look bad. Honestly. This author believes Broner can still be a major force – provided the guy gets a new trainer. Broner is loyal to his team. That’s impressive. But he must move on in order to move on.

“If I fight tomorrow, everyone in this motherfucker will still come to see me,” Broner said after the loss. Maybe that’s true. If the man wants a successful career, however, people are going to have to see him win some major fights.

Posted on 07/28/2017

By: William Holmes

On Saturday night Showtime and Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) will present one of the best boxing matches during the month of August as Adrien Broner takes on Mikey Garcia in the junior welterweight division. Jermall Charlo will also be making his debut in the middleweight division as he bumps a weight class to take on Jorge Sebastian Heiland.

The undercard is also stacked and featured several entertaining fights and high level prospects. Jarrell Miller will face Gerald Washington in a matchup featuring two top ranked heavyweights. Katie Taylor and Rau’shee Warren are two former Olympians that will also be competing on the undercard.

The following is a preview of the televised portion of the bouts that Showtime will be televising live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Jermall Charlo (25-0) vs. Jorge Sebastian Heiland (29-4-2); Middleweights

Jermall Charlo is dropping his junior middleweight title to bump up to his brother’s division and chase a world title there. He’s younger than his brother by one minute but they hope to hold titles in the same division as the same time.

Charlo is twenty seven years old and younger than his Argentinean opponent by three years. He’s from Houston, Texas and has been relatively active in the past two years. He fought twice in 2016 and three times in 2017. He stands at 6’0”, but has a pretty good reach of 73 ½”. Heiland has fought once in 2017, twice in 2016, and once in 2015.

Heiland is a southpaw and has four losses on his record. He doesn’t have the power of Charlo and has stopped sixteen of his opponents. Charlo has stopped nineteen boxers.

Despite his four losses Heiland has been boxing well recently. He is currently riding an 8 win fight streak. Neither boxer has any notable amateur titles.

Charlo’s most impressive victory was in his last bout when he defeated Philadelphia native Julian Williams by knockout. His other notable victories include Austin Trout, Winky Campfort, and Cornelius Bundrage.

Heiland’s only notable victory was a knockout over Matthew Macklin before Macklin retired. He has losses to Mateo Damian Veron, Billi Godoy, Nilson Tapia, and Sebastian Zbik.

Even though Charlo is bumping up a weight division, he’s facing an opponent that is not on his skill level. It’s a good first fight to feel out the middleweight division for Charlo.

Adrien Broner (33-2) vs. Mikey Garcia (36-0); Junior Welterweights

Adrien Broner has been in the news a lot recently, but not for boxing. He’s had a few run ins with the law, including an arrest in April of 2017 when the SUV he was driving was found to have bullet holes in it. Broner claimed at the time that his vehicle was shot at.

Broner is a boxer with amazing talents, but the outside issues could be a distraction and he’s facing an elite level talent.

Broner and Garcia are similar in age, with Broner being 28 years old and Garcia being 29. They are also similar in size and height. They are the same height and stand in at 5’6”. Garcia will have a slight reach advantage of one inch.

Neither boxer has been very active in the past two years fighting under the PBC banner. Broner only fought once in 2017 and 2016, but did fight three times in 2015. Garcia only fought once in 2017 and 2016, and did not fight in 2015 and most of 2014 due to contract issues with Top Rank Promotions.

Broner has defeated the likes of Adrian Granados, Ashley Theophane, Khabib Allakhverdiev, John Molina Jr., Emmanuel Taylor, Carlos Molina, Paulie Malignaggi, Antonio Demarco, Daniel Ponce De Leon, and Eloy Perez. His losses were to Shawn Porter and Marcos Maidana.

Garcia’s inactivity has cost him some possible big name matchups, but he still has a good list of defeated opponents. He has defeated the likes of Dejan Zlaticanin, Elio Rojas, Juan Carlos Burgos, Roman Martinez, Juan Manuel Lopez, Orlando Salido, and Jonathan Victor Barros.

Both boxers experienced some success on the national level as an amateur. Broner as a National Silver Gloves Champion and Garcia was a US Pal Gold Medalist and a US Junior Golden Gloves Gold Medalist.

Garcia’s inactivity and recent wins against subpar competition would normally big a cause of concern when facing a highly skilled opponent like Adrien Broner, but Broner’s recent run ins with the law and his two losses against top level opponents is a bigger concern.

This writer wouldn’t be shocked if Broner emerges victorious, but the edge has to go to Garcia.

Posted on 07/28/2017

By: Sean Crose

Admittedly, I’m getting ahead of myself here. Mikey Garcia, who will be entering a junior welterweight fight this weekend, has a huge mountain to climb. For the undefeated Californian’s opponent Saturday night at Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center will be none other than Adrien “The Problem” Broner, a fighter some consider washed up, but who has enormous talent nonetheless and who appears to be taking the challenge Garcia presents quite seriously, to boot. Sure enough, the brash Broner has a personality better suited for contemporary superstardom than Garcia does…even though Garcia might well be the better boxer.

Flashy, showy and completely obnoxious, Broner has those assets modern society can’t get enough of. His fights, even against less than stellar opposition, still bring in nice ratings, and he’s a fighter people love to watch perhaps because of who he is rather than what he can do in the ring. Sure, Broner has – thankfully – toned it down a bit over the years, but the guy knows what to sell the public…and in the Mayweather-McGregor era, that ain’t talent (or at least not talent alone). Still, Broner has allowed himself to face a serious opponent this weekend, one which most expect to defeat him, and that brings us to the question of what happens if Garcia wins.

First off, the man will be a darling of hardcore boxing fans should he vanquish Broner on Saturday. Beating Broner, boxing’s great heel before a certain Irishman came around, is good for one’s career. Yet, it’s worth keeping in mind that Garcia is a serious man who takes his work seriously, and that sort of thing simply doesn’t sell outside of the narrow margins of hardcore fandom. People want flash – and lots of it. Talent and ability – and Garcia has plenty of both – merely complement personality as far today’s larger public is concerned. Achievement alone is most decidedly NOT something to hang one’s hat on. At least that’s generally true in the minds of those who have the power to elevate a pay per view event to over a million buys.

Still, nice guys CAN finish first. It just takes them a lot longer to be grudgingly accepted by the public at large. Rather than flash wads of cash in front of people, Garcia will have to do the hard – the very hard – work of rolling over one top level opponent after another if he wishes to be truly admired. Broner, on the other hand, need only beat Garcia and immediately start shooting off his mouth in order to get serious attention.

As Donald Fagen once sang:

“The things you think are precious, I can’t understand.”

Posted on 07/24/2017

It’s High Noon For Adrien Broner
By: Sean Crose

“I’ve been in some crazy situations,” the Miami Herald quotes Adrien Broner as saying, “and I’m blessed to be here.” Could this, one may ask, truly be the brash Broner talking? The man who once flushed (hopefully fake) money down a toilet? The man who once referred to himself as being “About Billions?” The man who once planned to host a party bus (I wonder whatever happened to that endeavor?)? Indeed, it seems to be. “I’m taking this seriously,” the Herald further quotes Broner as saying. I know, I know, we’ve heard this all before. Broner is a changed man. Broner means business this time around. Such things ring hollow after learning of another arrest, after seeing more silliness online, after witnessing Broner just seeming like, well, Broner.

This time, however, perhaps – perhaps being the operative word here – things are finally different. For in the leadup to this weekend’s upcoming bout with the talented, uber-serious Mikey Garcia, Broner seems, well, INTENSE. Not insane. Not idiotic. Just intense. As in focused. The question now is whether or not the Cincinnati native has pissed away too much of his talent for this newfound professionalism to even count for much. The truth is that Broner has never done all that well on the big stage. Not once. A close – some say controversial – win over Paulie Malignaggi looks to have been the high point of Broner’s career to date. After that there were beatdowns from Marcos Maidana and Shawn Porter respectively.

And since that time? Well, the man’s gotten along just fine if one counts being in the public consciousness as a measure of success. Broner still hasn’t faced another major opponent, though. At least not until now. This Saturday in Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center, however, Broner is facing the real thing – a young undefeated guy who doesn’t believe in flash, a man who simply believes in beating his opponents, often by beating them into oblivion. Make no mistake about it, the 36-0 Garcia is dangerous. A loss this time out – at least a definitive one – might well spell the end of the 33-2 Broner’s time as a major player in the sport.

One thing needs to be made clear, though, and that’s the fact that Broner is not just some random opponent in this battle. Sure enough, the man has a real chance of winning. Broner’s always had a sharp skill set – perhaps not of the prime Floyd Mayweather level – but conceivably just a rung or two below. If the guy is as focused as he says he is – and as he appears to be in camp – Broner may be looking at a career revival. It’s also worth noting that the fight is going to be held in the 140 pound junior welterweight realm – rather foreign territory for lightweight titlist Garcia. It may be high noon for the fighter known as “The Problem,” but that doesn’t mean Broner won’t enter the ring on Saturday well equipped for a firefight.

Posted on 07/19/2017

By: Francisco Martinez

Anybody can get it, The Can Man is back. Adrien Broner, always ballin and has one thing on his mind come July 29th and that a beat down. Adrien Broner refocused and thinking About Billions and About Beatdowns as his mature side kicks in for this highly anticipated bout with Mikey Garcia at 140lbs. Adrien Broner is locked in and focused for what he says will be his best performance yet “everybody know I can take it and give it. We don’t know the max he take, we don’t” say Broner of Garcia.

Goes on to criticize Mikey Garcia’s resume “who have he beat to say he’s just that good? I don’t know, who? Roman Martinez? Salido, are you serious? Lopez, are you serious?” Broner not impressed by the hype surrounding his rival heading into July 29th at The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York confident he would be undefeated having faced the caliber of opponents Garcia has face up until now and wonders what Garcia’s record would be like having faced the opposition he himself has faced. Talking about the likes of Shawn Porter, Marco Maidana and so on and on

“I mean look, listen, the guys he’s been punching are 135 and down. I would like to see how they career like if Maidana hit one of them guys or if I hit one of them guys. Let’s think about this, give me all 36 of his opponents and than I give him all my opponents and let’s see what our records would be? I know I’ll be 36 and 0 with 36 knockouts, (lightweight) 35 and down. Let’s see what his record would be? That’s the difference. I hear people say he hit harder than this person, he hit harder than that person, well, they said John Molina hit harder than a lot of motherfuckers but you just gotta ask somebody he hit cause he ain’t hit me”

Early in his career many critics considered Adrien Broner as the heir apparent to Floyd Mayweather hints the John Molina never hit me remark. Broner’s defensive genius was similar and about the closest thing to Mayweather. Floyd even giving him the moniker of “lil bro” however somewhere along the way Broner faltered but not completely. He did lose a few believers but the belief of Broner within himself has kept him atop the sport being Premier Boxing Champions highest rating draw since its promotional inception. Some might view this fight on July 29th as Adrien Broner’s last chance to shine and reach his full potential as Broner, he himself sees it a totally different way

“after this fight I will be taking over the sport of boxing” states a confident Adrien Broner. Taking all precautionary measures in order to make sure he’s prepared to the best of his capabilities Broner moved camp to Colorado in search of his glory days which has rekindled his love for boxing once again. In recent footage Adrien Broner puts a beating on his sparring partners even floors one. A direct message saying A.B. is back, The Can Man is back. Anybody, can get it. Broner’s best performances came at 130 and 135lbs weight classes which where products of camps held in Colorado if I’m not mistaken.

With betting odds opening up at 5-1 underdog Adrien Broner hopes his haters don’t hold their breath as he promises them this will be the best performance of his career and Las Vegas will surely lose a lot of money “I respect every fighter. I’m older and I’m wiser. I just have to do things right. I don’t hate those guys. The fight is gonna happen on July and let the best man win” words from a much more mature Adrien Broner as he assures victory will be his.

Tune in July 29th live on Showtime at The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York for this highly anticipated bought between Adrien Broner and Mikey Garcia. Make sure to follow the conversation via #BronerGarcia