Tag Archives: Granados

Posted on 10/25/2019

By: Robert Aaron Contreras

Erickson Lubin’s first world title shot did not take long—aged just 22 when he challenged Jermell Charlo in 2017—but his second will take longer than expected. Originally set to face Terrell Gausha in a WBC eliminator, Lubin (21-1, 16 KO) is still headlining this weekend’s PBC on Showtime bill from Reading, Pennsylvania, but after a hand injury forced Gausha off the card, the Orlando-born popularizer is in line to fight divisional gatekeeper Nathanial Gallimore (21-3-1, 17 KO).

Gallimore, a 31-year-old Jamaican transplant, showed no qualms about answering a late-notice call recently as the second week of October. Gallimore falls short of Gausha’s amateur pedigree but has shown signs of being as equally an athletic jigsaw puzzle, with his pushing six-feet in height and even higher punch output. The title implications become unclear considering Gallimore is nowhere to be seen in the WBC’s top-15 junior middleweight ranking. An honest showing from Lubin at least could still push him back onto the championship stage.

Photo Credit: Amanda Westcott/Showtime

Lubin’s first taste at the sport’s highest level did not go as planned. But he has been on a roll since suffering his first professional loss, an early knockout to Charlo. A win this weekend would extend his win streak to three straight—all knockouts.

The resurgence has also coincided with a new trainer. Lubin joined Kevin Cunningham in 2018. Cunningham, who is best known for his longtime handling of welterweight Devon Alexander, has made a career out of rebuilding southpaws.

The results speak for themselves. Lubin and his team are 2-0 in 2019. First competing in February where the upstart became the first man to stop veteran Ishe Smith inside the distance. Smith could not keep up his younger opponent. Lubin especially whipped Smith around in the second round, scoring three knockdowns, initially taking Smith’s feet out from under him with cracking one-twos. A fourth knockdown in the fateful third round signaled the end. In the corner, the referee called a halt to action, unwilling to send Smith out for more punishment.

In June, Lubin was back in the ring competing on the undercard of the other Charlo brother. There, the southpaw puncher overwhelmed a former European champion, the standout Frenchman Zakaria Attou. Sitting on his left hands, Lubin touched up his man early. Attou mostly looked to wrap up after feeling the American’s might overhand left. Finally Attou went down in the fourth round. He picked himself up, but the corner recognized his glassy eyes and shaky legs, and thew in the towel.

The destruction left in his wake makes Lubin a heavy favorite (-2000) opposite Gallimore. The 24-year-old quickly broke into the pro ranks with a real reputation. Never fighting in the mold of the typical “slippery southpaw,” or the reticence associated with that stereotype, Lubin’s game couples his supreme athleticism with a menacing clubbing ability, at his best when probing a stiff right jab followed by throwing his weight into an overhand left, to the head and body.

It was none other than Mike Tyson who took notice of Lubin early on. Lubin was a teenager when the legendary heavyweight convinced him to forego the Olympics and sign a promotional deal. Tyson’s company eventually went under. But Lubin carried on. And by 2016, both ESPN and The Ring Magazine named him their annual Prospect of the Year.

With less fanfare, Gallimore left Jamaica as a preteen and found a home in Chicago. He did not turn professional until his late-20s but carved out a respectable career competing between 154 and 160 pounds. In his most recent outing he helped headline a club show in Atlanta. There he decisioned the hometown man, Antonio Todd.

In 2018, a competitive showing against Julian Williams, who would later unify the super welterweight division, left Galllimore with a majority-decision loss. But the performance pushed him into a title eliminator with Patrick Teixeira that very same year. The parvenu was not afraid to pull the trigger, punching away at the house fighter with abandon. Teixeira remained calculated and counterpunched his way to a clear points win. In all bringing Gallimore’s record to 1-2 over his last three bouts.

Robert Easter Jr. (21-1-1, 14 KO) vs. Adrian Granados (20-7-2, 14 KO)

Deprived of the sweet taste of victory, Easter Jr. is looking for his first win in over 20 months. His bout against Granados also represents his first fight since 2016 with no championship belts on the line.

Earlier this year, Easter saw his IBF share fo the lightweight crown ripped from his grasp by Mikey Garcia. Next he was met with a sizable challenge in Rances Barthelemy, a Cuban switch-hitter. There were two titles on the line but somebody forget to let the boxers know because neither seemed excited to be there. The excruciating 12-round staring contest resulted in a split-draw.

Unlike the Cuban stylist, Granados has the banger mentality to drag a fight out of Easter. Back in 2015, the hard-hitting Amir Imam could not keep Granados off of him and succumbed to his attack in the eight rounds–a giant upset.

The shocking victory secured repeated opportunities for Granados against some of boxing’s biggest names.

Over the last three years, the Mexican-born brawler (now fighting out of Illinois) tussled with Adrien Broner, Shawn Porter, and Danny Garcia. That meeting with Garcia represented Granados’ most recent contest, and to be honest his worst beating to date. Granados came out the gates well, outlanding his superstar opponent in the opening frame. But it was all down hill from there, coming undone in the seventh round for the first TKO loss of his career.

Granados at this point is worse for wear, pegged at nearly four-to-one dog odds against a sharp boxer like Easter, the considerable betting favorite who opened at -600.

Posted on 04/20/2019

By: Hans Themistode

What a statement!

Adrian Granados suffered the first stoppage loss of his career tonight at the Dignity Health Sports Park, in Carson California at the hands of Danny Garcia (35-2, 21 KOs). Granados is known for his aggressive come forward style, along with his granite chin but that aforementioned chin could not hold up to the power of Garcia tonight. During the build up of the fight, Garcia warned Granados that he would do what others have not, and that is stop the Chicago native.

In round one Garcia came out aggressive. He landed a monster left hand that had his opponent visibly hurt. Not to be outdone, Granados landed a few good shots of his own but it was Garcia who thoroughly dominated the action early on.

The second round for the former two division world champion was a superb one. Garcia caught his man with a huge left hook, one that Granados did not see him coming. Shortly after Granados hit the deck. He managed to make to his feet and did not seem to be in serious trouble. Garcia gave his opponent no time to relax as a right hand by Garcia landed with just a few seconds left on the clock. Again, Granados hit the deck.

After a great round two, the rest of the contest was a bit more of a balanced playing field. Garcia continued to have more success than his opponent but Granados had his moments.

Garcia landed hard shot after hard shot which in turn made Granados back peddle for the majority of the contest. Round five saw Garcia score yet another knockdown, but once again Granados managed to jump back up to his feet.

As we went to round seven, it was becoming increasingly clear that Garcia was on his way to an easy decision victory. However, that was not enough as he poured on the power shots and combination punching which forced the referee to put a halt to the contest.

Granados has never been known as a world beater, but he has always been incredibly durable. He has faced former champion Adrian Broner and current WBC title holder Shawn Porter. Although he lost both of those contest he was never in any danger of being seriously hurt. Garcia put the rest of the Welterweight division on notice. Many have written him off, thinking that his days as a contender were over but think again.

Sure, Garcia had a dominant performance tonight but he isn’t the only one who performed at a high level as both Heavyweight contender Andy Ruiz Jr (32-1, 21 KOs) and Super Bantamweight fighter Brandon Figueroa (19-0, 14 KOs) dominated their opposition as well. For Ruiz he picked up a fifth round stoppage win over Alexander Dimitrenko (41-5, 26 KOs).

Dimitrenko just had no answers for Ruiz who was the much better boxer and had his hand speed on full display. Although Ruiz was at a large deficit in terms of height and reach, it didn’t matter tonight as Ruiz quite simply beat up his larger opponent to the tune of a fifth round stoppage.

Also on the card, Brandon Figueroa not only had a dominant performance but he also picked up the interim WBA Super Bantamweight title against Yonfrez Parejo (22-4-1, 11 KOs).

The contest started off close as both men had plenty of success. Through four rounds it was anybody’s contest. The fifth round however, changed the landscape of the fight as Figueroa hurt his man. The punishment continued as the rounds went by. After eight rounds Parejo could no longer continue and was forced to withdraw from the contest.

All three men made impressive statements tonight. They have all solidified their positions as top contenders in their respective divisions.

Posted on 04/19/2019

By: Hans Themistode

It’s hard to believe but former two division champion Danny Garcia (34-2, 20 KOs) has become an afterthought. This Saturday night, he takes on Adrian Granados (20-6-2, 14 KOs) at the Dignity Health Sports Park, in Carson California and there really isn’t much buzz surrounding the contest. Its mostly because current WBO Welterweight champion Terence Crawford and Amir Khan have stolen much of the headlines, as they’ll be battling it out in Madison Square Garden on the same night.

It has mostly relegated Garcia to the sidelines. It isn’t a surprise. Crawford vs Khan is a much more compelling matchup than Garcia vs Granados. Garcia should seemingly roll right through Granados, or at least he should right?

For as much grief as Garcia gets from the fans, he is still a terrific fighter. His resume ranks amongst some of the very best in all of boxing. Wins over the likes of Zab Judah, Amir Khan, Lucas Matthysse, Lamont Peterson and others have solidified his position. His two losses to Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter were close fights that could have gone either way. In short, Garcia is an elite fighter. Granados on the other hand is a differently story entirely.

Granados lost his second pro bout. Hardly the mark of an elite fighter. His resume is littered with losses and draws against opponents that are hardly known in the boxing world. He is a tough nosed competitor who seems to always receive the short end of the stick. His loss to Adrien Broner was debatable. The defeat he suffered at the hands of current WBC Welterweight champ Shawn Porter, was a close call.

In 2015, he picked up his biggest win to date when he surprisingly defeated then undefeated Amir Imam. Granados has recently gotten two wins via stoppage against Luis Valdez and Adalberto Borquez, he will be looking to make Garcia his third straight knockout victim.

A win for Granados doesn’t seem likely, but if we take a deeper look, his chances of pulling off the upset increases. Granados will carry a half inch height advantage along with a significant six inch reach advantage as well. Garcia, also has a style that many would consider tailor made for Granados. Garcia is a counter puncher, he allows his opponents to initiate offense which allows him to sit back and counter. He isn’t a volume puncher but he is an accurate one. Granados on the other hand, throws punches in bunches. His work rate and granite chin could cause some problems for the former champion.

Being written off is something that Granados has grown accustomed to. However, Danny Garcia must be weary, if he underestimates his opponent he could be in for a long night.

Granados won’t be the only massive underdog on this card as Heavyweight contender Alexander Dimitrenko (41-4, 26 KOs) takes on former title challenger Andy Ruiz Jr (31-1, 20 KOs).

Let’s be honest here. Dimitrenko, who is coming off a knockout loss at the hands of Bryant Jennings, is essentially being brought in here to make Ruiz look good. Dimitrenko has lost every time he has stepped up his level of opposition. Ruiz has tasted defeat just one time in his career, a 2016 majority decision loss to Joseph Parker. Ruiz has won two straight victories since then and is looking to pick up his third win and position himself for a future title shot.

Much like Granados, Dimitrenko has plenty of advantages on paper including a five inch height advantage to go along with a staggering eight inch reach advantage. At age 36, he also has experience on his side as well. If Ruiz hopes to add his name in the mix in the Heavyweight division than he will need to dispatch of of Dimitrenko in impressive fashion.

While Danny Garcia and Andy Ruiz will be looking to re-establish themselves as title threats in their respective divisions, both Brandon Figueroa (18-0, 13 KOs) and Yonfrez Parejo (22-3-1, 11 KOs) will be battling for gold as the interim WBA Super Bantamweight title will be up for grabs.

Both men will be highly motivated to bring the title home with them. In the case of Figueroa, he will be looking to continue his impressive run. Not only has he gone undefeated in 18 pro bouts but he has also stopped his last five opponents. Parejo has only been stopped one time in his 10 year career. Parejo recently challenged Ryan Burnett for his WBA title but fell short. He will now get another crack at the title with hopes of a different result.

All three of these fights represent something significant. No one can afford to lose. The men that go on to achieve glory come Saturday night will have a plethora of options awaiting them while the losers will be forced to the bottom of the barrel.

Posted on 04/17/2019

By: Rahat Haque

All eyes will be turned towards Khan vs. Crawford this Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. Several articles have been written on that fight in this very site, including one by the author of this article. However, there is another fight that will take place on the same night on the other coast, in Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California. Danny Garcia vs Adrian Granados. While the Fox card will carry much lesser intrigue than its ESPN counterpart, it is still a match worth watching.

Danny Garcia is the bigger name, and will be drawing most of the audience for the fight. Here is a man who has worked very hard to climb up the ranks and make himself a name in the sport of boxing. But whatever Danny does, he is always seen as the underdog against legitimate opposition. His fans will remind you of that no doubt, but it is a valid criticism from the neutrals. There is something in Danny’s game that is not convincing enough to make you think he will cruise past his opponents. He was the underdog vs Khan and Matthysse. He did win both fights, but most claim the victory versus Khan to be a work of Khan’s own undoing. Similarly, most claim the victory over Matthysse as a result of the cut on Lucas’s right eye, which bothered the Argentinian slugger for most of the fight. Fans also frown upon the fact that he took too many low blows from Danny in that encounter.

Regarding Danny’s demolition jobs against Rod Salka and Paulie Malignaggi, he is again discredited as having cherry picked his opponents. The Rod Salka matchmaking was a shocker, and Malignaggi was already over the hill. Most fans looked at the latter as setting up an old man up for a devastating left hook, which is of course how things turned out. Then there were also the controversial decisions where people felt Danny got the nod. The Lamont Peterson fight was extremely close, I attended that fight live at Barclays Center as a matter of fact. I did score it for Danny, but by only one round. The Herrera fight in Puerto Rico was the much bigger controversy. The majority of the boxing world agreed that Danny was beneficiary of some home cooking.

So as Danny Garcia raked up the wins prior to his first defeat versus Thurman, it was not at all a stellar critique free resume from his end. He won all right, but fans were hesitant in giving him credit because either they disagreed with the scorecards, or they thought the opposition was too weak, or they believed he got lucky. The bubble was supposed to burst against Keith Thurman for the Philadelphia pugilist. It did. That was no surprise again to most observers. Thurman was one of the big stars at 147. But could Danny bounce back and beat Shawn Porter with his boxing skills and power? It would be an easier task than the Thurman fight, and if Danny was as good as his loyalists said he was, he should have had no problems negating the athleticism and work rate of Shawn Porter with his mix of skills and power. But he could not overcome Porter and ended up with another loss. That was the low point of Danny Garcia’s career, his boxing nadir.

Come this Saturday night, it is his chance to get back to winning ways against Adrián Granados. Even though a bigger name opposition would be preferable, at least he did not reach down to the level of boxer-cum-trainers like Rod Salka. No disrespect intended for Lightning Rod, he is very knowledgeable about the game, but he himself would tell you that he is a journeyman and was on no one’s radar when the fight between him and Danny first got announced. That is not the case with Granados. Here is a man who has quietly build himself a reputation ever since surprising Amir Imam with a TKO. Imam was considered a rising prospect until then. But does Adrián have the firepower to trouble Danny? It is unlikely. Danny has demonstrated he has a great chin versus Peterson and Rios. Some heavy punches were landed throughout the course of those fights, but none which rocked Garcia too badly. Also, if this fight should at any point turn into a shootout, Granados would not be wise to trade hooks with Garcia. Granados has guts definitely, it shows in the way he fights, and his tempo can take fighters by surprise. But what Danny has is experience and calculated power, which he can unleash when in range. If Adrián come rushing in, he is setting himself up. That will be playing into former welterweight champion’s style, where he favors being the non-aggressor. However, if Adrián chooses his moments when to be on the front foot, but also mix it up by urging Danny to come forward, à la Mauricio Herrera, it should make for an interesting fight.

The most likely outcome is an easy decision win for Garcia, where Granados gets debilitated throughout the course of the fight by Danny’s punches, but continues his charge as an aggressor, albeit with less fervor. This will be the dream sequence for Danny, where he can connect cleanly every time as a weakened Granados comes charging forward. But at the same light, it is also a banana peel for Danny. He is not one of the biggest names in the division anymore after the back-to-back defeats, but because he has crossed that fame threshold, any losses against upstarts like Granados will not look good at all! So while we hold our breaths for the Khan Crawford fight, we might as well pay attention to the fight taking place on the west coast. The more polished Danny is the overwhelming favorite, but Granados is a live underdog.

Posted on 11/02/2017

By: William Holmes

Last Saturday night Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua was able to successfully defend his belt against an overmatched Carlos Takam, but looked less than impressive in doing so.

This Saturday night the WBC Heavyweight Champion, Deontay Wilder, will look to defend his title against Bermane Stiverne in a rematch of a fight that Wilder convincingly won the first time.

Photo Credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME

Two other bouts will also be televised. Shawn Porter will look to get back into the welterweight title picture when he faces Adrian Granados in a WBC Welterweight Title eliminator. The first bout of the night will be for the vacant IBF Junior Welterweight Title and will be between Sergey Lipinets and Akihiro Kondo.

This card will take place at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York and will be televised live on Showtime.

The following is a preview of the three televised bouts.

Sergey Lipinets (12-0) vs. Akihiro Kondo (29-6-1); IBF Junior Welterweight Title

The opening bout of the night will be between Sergey Lipinets, a highly ranked prospect from Kazakhstan, and Akihiro Kondo, a tough rugged veteran from Japan.

Lipinets, at 28, is four years younger than Kondo but will be giving up about one inch in height. They both have notable power. Lipinets has ten career stoppage victories including four of his past five bouts. Kondo has sixteen stoppage victories including five straight KO/TKO wins.

Lipinets has been fairly active and fought three times in 2016 and once in 2017. Kondo fought twice in 2017 and four times in 2016.

Lipinets is also a former WAKO World Full Contact Kicking Boxing Champion at Light Welterweight.

Lipinets, despite only having twelve professional fights, has only faced on opponent with a losing record since the start of his professional career. He has already defeated the likes of Clarence Booth, Leonardo Zappavigna, Walter Castillo, and Haskell Rhodes.

Kondo has never fought as a professional outside of Japan. More specifically, he never fought outside of Korakuen Hall in Japan as a professional. His list of defeated opponents is less than impressive and includes boxers such as Komsan Polsan, Shogo Yamaguchi, and Ryuji Migaki. His losses were to Nihito Arakawa, Yoshitaka Kato, Tomoya Yamada, and Rick Sismundo.

Kondo will likely be a tough opponent that has the ability to go the distance, but his six losses in Japan are hard to overlook as well as his lack of a notable victory over a well known opponent. Lipinets should win, but he may have to box conservatively to avoid a shocking knockout loss and win a safe decision victory.

Shawn Porter (27-2-1) vs. Adrian Granados (18-5-2); Welterweights

Shawn Porter is another boxer looking to get back into title contention as he faces Adrian Granados in the welterweight division.

Porter is two years older than Granados but still in his athletic prime at the age of thirty. He will be giving up two inches in height and about four and a half inches in reach to the taller Granados.

Both boxers has fairly successful amateur careers. Porter was a US National Golden Gloves Champion while Granados was a Junior Golden Gloves National Champ.

Both boxers have been fairly inactive the past two years. They both only fought once in 2016 and once in 2017.

Porter has higher number of knockouts. He has stopped seventeen of his opponents while Granados has stopped twelve. Porter also has the better resume as a professional. He has defeated the likes of Andre Berto, Adrien Broner, Erick Bone, Paul Malignaggi, Devon Alexander, Julio Diaz, Phil Lo Greco, and Ray Robinson. His losses were to Keith Thurman and Kell Brook.

Granados lost a close fight to Adrien Broner and scored a big upset over Amir Imam. However, he has lost to the likes of Brad Solomon, Felix Diaz, Frankie Gomez, and a Joe Juan Fuentes.

Granados is a viable opponent because of his close fight with Adrien Broner and his upset victor over Amir Imam, but Porter is too experienced to lose a fight over an opponent like Granados at this stage of his career.

Deontay Wilder (38-0) vs. Bermane Stiverne (25-2-1); WBC Heavyweight Title

The man event of the evening is between Deontay Wilder and Bermane Stiverne for the WBC Heavyweight Title. They previously met in January of 2015, a fight which went the full twelve rounds and saw Wilder win a comfortable decision.

Wilder was originally scheduled to face Luis Ortiz, but a positive drug test by Ortiz forced the cancellation of that bout.

Wilder will have a five inch height and a three inch reach advantage over Stiverne. He is also seven years younger than his opponent. Stiverne, at the age of thirty eight, will likely have a very hard time getting another title shot if he’s not successful on Saturday.

Wilder has unbelievable knockout power. He has stopped thirty seven of his opponents and the only man to take him to the distance was Bermane Stiverne. Stiverne has twenty one stoppage victories on his resume but has only won one of his last five fights by stoppage.

Inactivty will hurt Stiverne. This will be his first fight in nearly two years. He last fought on November 14th of 2015. Wilder fought twice in 2016 and once in 2017.

Both boxers have a decent amateur background, but Wilder is the only one of the two to have medaled in the Summer Olympics.

Wilder has defeated the likes of Gerald Washington, Chris Arreola, Artur Szpilka, Eric Molina, Bermane Stiverne, Malik Scott, Siarhei Liakhovich, Audley Harrison, and Kelvin Price. Stiverne has defeated the likes of Derric Rossy, Chris Arreola, Ray Austin, and Kertson Manswell. His losses were to Deontay Wilder and Demetrice King, who has a record of 11-15 at the time.

It’s hard to imagine Stiverne having a better shot now, at the age of thirty eight, than he did two years ago, especially with his inactivity. This wasn’t Wilder’s first choice for an opponent, but it’s an opponent that he should feel fairly confident that he can beat, again.

Posted on 02/19/2017

Broner Grinds Out A Tough…But Fair…Win
By: Sean Crose

Things got off to an intriguing start Saturday night in Cincinnati as the undefeated Marcus Brown (18-0) took on former Adonis Stevenson foe Thomas Williams (20-2) in a ten-round light heavyweight scrap. Nothing major happened in the first, but you could hear the thudding shots as they landed. Williams went down hard in the second, but was hit again by Brown when he was on the mat. Needless to say, the referee wisely took a point from Brown while scoring the knockdown.

Williams took a few minutes off to compose himself, but Brown rocked him again as soon as the round resumed. Williams, for his part, however, kept coming forward. Williams survived the round, but he was clearly in tough. After a rather uneventful third, Brown took his man down again in the fourth. Williams, however, got up and held strong.

Williams continued to hang on through the fifth, but in the six, he was taken down and out in less than a minute. Afterwards, Brown called out champion Adonis Stevenson in what would be quite an intriguing matchup.

Next up was the return of Lamont Peterson (37-3-1), the talented DC slickster who some felt was robbed in his bout against Danny Garcia. He was in tough, however, as David Avanesyan (22-1-1) knew this was a chance to be in the top welterweight mix. The bout, which was for the WBA welterweight title, was a scheduled twelve round affair.

The skilled Peterson took the first, making the first three minutes of the bout an almost clinical study. The second round offered nothing particular of note, but Avanesyan got to work in the third and may have taken the round with solid shots and body work. Things were close in the middle rounds – perhaps closer than anyone expected. Indeed, it wasn’t easy scoring those rounds. It was a tight affair.

By the seventh, Peterson unleashed a sustained body attack that lasted throughout the round. It was impressive to see and unquestionably painful for Avanesyan to feel. Needless to say, the bout proved to be interesting to watch. By the end of the ninth, it appeared as if Peterson may have had the edge, but Avanesyan certainly seemed capable of pulling out a win.

In the end, however, Peterson closed strong. In the last round, in particular, Peterson fired away at his foe, clearly looking for a knockout. To be sure, Avanesyan landed good shots – it’s just that Peterson landed the better ones. And it was Peterson who won the title by unanimous decision. Still, it was some kind of fight.

It was time for the main event. Cincinnati’s own, Adrien The Problem Broner (32-2) was claiming to be a man who was doing a lot of internal growing. Now he could show some of his growth in the ring against the hungry Adrian Granados (18-4-2) in a ten-round welterweight affair. The first round was high intensity, but Granados got the better of it.

Broner, however, started striking well with counters in the second. Still, it was close in the early going. To be sure, it seemed to this writer that Granados pulled off the first three rounds. Broner was most certainly not, however, getting wiped out. In fact, Broner looked extremely sharp in the beginning of the fourth. This was a man, though, who had spent a career showing much inconsistency. With that in mind, Broner continued to do enough to take the round.

Broner went ahead and took the fifth, as well. Granados was still bulling forward, but Broner was landing well. Granados moved in hard at the beginning the of the sixth. The round was incredibly close and also quite exciting. I gave it to Broner by a sliver.

The seventh and eighth proved to be grinding affairs, with each man having his moments. Broner took the seventh, Granados, the eighth. The end of the ninth looked like a war, but ultimately, Broner had the cleaner shots throughout the round. It was a terrific bout heading into the final round. Needless to say, it was fireworks until the end, but Broner took the last round by sealing the deal with some terrific final minute shots.

And indeed, Broner took a split decision win.

As an important side note – Broner apologized publicly after the fight for his well-known past transgressions. Some may roll their eyes at such an action – but Broner’s apology should be accepted and people should wish the guy the best.

Posted on 02/16/2017

Showtime World Championship Boxing Preview: Broner vs. Granados, Peterson vs. Avanesyan, Browne vs. Williams
By: William Holmes

On Saturday Night Mayweather Promotions, TGB Promotions, and About Billions Promotions will televise three high caliber fights on the Showtime Network live from the Cintas Center at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The opening bout will be between undefeated United States Olympian Marcus Browne and Light Heavyweight contender Thomas Williams Jr. The co-main event of the evening will be between David Avanesyan and the returning Lamont Peterson in the welterweight division.

The main event of the night will be between Cincinnati native Adrien Broner and Adrian Granados in the welterweight division.

The following is a preview of all three televised bouts.

Marcus Browne (18-0) vs. Thomas Williams Jr. (20-2); Light Heavyweight Division

Marcus Browne represented the United States in the 2012 Summer Olympics and is a former National Police Athletic League Champion. He comes from a deep amateur background but will be facing one of the toughest tests of his career when he takes on former Light Heavyweight Title Contender Thomas Williams Jr.

Both boxers are southpaws, but Browne will have a slight ½ inch height advantage and an imposing four and a half inch reach advantage. Both boxers have decent power as Browne has stopped thirteen of his opponents while Williams has stopped fourteen. However, it should be noted that both of Williams’ losses have come by stoppage, so his chin can be considered questionable.

Williams has been fairly active and has fought twice in 2016 and once in 2015. His two losses were to Gabriel Campillo and Adonis Stevenson. He has defeated the likes of Edwin Rodriguez, Cornelius White, Yusaf Mack, and Otis Griffin.

Browne has never tasted defeat but won a very questionable decision over Radivoje Kalajdzic in his last bout. He has defeated the likes of Gabriel Campillo, Cornelius White, Aaron Pryor Jr., and Otis Griffin.

This will be Williams’ first fight since his devastating knockout loss to Adonis Stevenson. Williams was doing well in that bout, but unwisely chose to slug with a knockout artist. Browne isn’t considered by many to be a knockout artist, but he has a strong amateur pedigree and will likely be able to outbox and outlast Williams.

This is a good test for Browne and should be a compelling fight, but Browne should be considered the slight favorite.

David Avanesyan (22-1-1) vs. Lamont Peterson (37-3-1); WBA Welterweight Title

Lamont Peterson has been in some very entertaining fights during his career, but didn’t have any fights in 2016 and had no fights in 2015. He’s also thirty three years old and will be five years older than Avanesyan on fight night.

Avanesyan has spent most of his career fighting in Europe and Russia and wasn’t known by many until he defeated a washed up version of Shane Mosley. Avanesyan has been slightly more active than Peterson and fought once in 2016 and twice in 2015.

Avanesyan will be giving up one inch in height and about four inches in reach to Lamont Peterson. Peterson is also the better knockout artist as he has stopped seventeen of his opponents and Avanesyan has only stopped eleven.

Peterson’s losses were to Timothy Bradley Jr., Lucas Matthysse, and a razor thin decision loss to Danny Garcia. He has beaten the likes of Felix Diaz, Dierry Jean, Kendall Holt, Amir Khan, Lanardo Tyner, and Victor Cayo.

Avanesyan’s professional resume pales in comparison to Peterson. He has defeated the likes of Carlos Herrera, Shane Mosley, Kaizer Mabuza, and and Charlie Navarro. His lone loss was to Andrey Klimov in the second fight of his career.

Hopefully ring rust won’t be a factor for Peterson, but he’s been known to start fights slowly and warm up to the end. If Peterson waits too long to attack the body he could give up some early rounds and lose another close decision.

But Peterson has been in big fights before and he’s used to the pressure of a nationally televised audience. This experience gives him the edge over Avanesyan on Saturday.

Adrien Broner (32-2) vs. Adrian Granados (18-4-2); Welterweight Division

A lot of people have been questioning Broner’s conditioning and commitment to boxing as he has recently requested that this fight be fought at the welterweight limit and he appears to be several pounds over his normal fighting weight at recent press conferences.

Broner and Granados are both twenty seven years old, but Broner will be giving up two and a half inches in height and four and a half inches in reach. Both boxers are also similar in that they both have a decorated amateur background. Broner was a National Silver Gloves Champion and Granados was a Mexican Olympic Team Reserve and a Junior Golden Gloves Champ.

Broner is the bigger puncher of the two. He has stopped twenty four of his opponents while Granados has only stopped twelve. They both went 5-1 in their last six fights.

Granados has losses to Brad Solomon, Felix Diaz, Frankie Gomez, and Joe Juan Fuentes. He has beaten the likes of Amir Imam, Kermit Cintron, and Lanardo Tyner. His win over Imam was a major upset and likely got him this bout with Broner.

Broner has defeated the likes of Ashley Theophane, Khabib Allakhverdiev, John Molina, Emmanuel Taylor, Carlos Molina, Paulie Malignaggi, Antonio DeMarco, Daniel Ponce De Leon, and Jason Litzau. His losses were to Macros Maidana and Shawn Porter.
Broner’s recent appearances and social media drama gives this writer some concern going into Saturday, but this bout will be fought in Broner’s hometown and Granados, absent one upset victory, has never faced or defeated someone on the talent level of Adrien Broner.

Of the three televised bouts this one will likely be the biggest blowout.

Posted on 01/03/2017

Why Adrien Granados Has A Chance Against Adrien Broner
By: Sean Crose

Adrien Broner needs no introduction. To be sure, it wasn’t long ago that the Cincinnati native was being hailed as boxing’s next big thing – heir to the Floyd Mayweather throne. Things didn’t work out like that, of course. A hard loss to Marcos Maidana followed by another comeuppance at the hands of Shawn Porter took a lot of bloom off Broner’s showy rose. Still, there’s the over the top cockiness of the man that has continued to make him a hot commodity in the fight world. Oh, Broner isn’t heading a pay per view card, nor is he considered a pound for pound kingpin.

Indeed, the likes of other top sluggers in Broner’s general weight realm – men such as the highly skilled Bud Crawford – are considered heads and tales above Broner skill wise. Still, Broner, despite his lack of laser like focus and outside the ring legal problems, hasn’t been written off yet. Why? Well, there’s that beloved (by some) bad attitude, and there’s also a degree of talent that can’t be denied. No, Broner hasn’t let that talent grow, but it’s still there – and it’s still dangerous to any opponent Broner may meet in the ring.

Of course, Broner’s next opponent, the unheralded Adrien Granados, wants to make his name against the bold attraction when they meet this February in Broner’s home town. And perhaps he shouldn’t be written off so quickly. Granados (18-4-2), after all, once sparred with Broner (32-2). What’s more, he stunned the highly regarded Amir Iman in the later portion of 2015. Since then, Granados has only had one fight, a UD win over the less than lauded Ariel Vasquez last July. Still, he’s got reason to feel his chances might be good against Broner, as the man who is known as “About Billions” has been known to disappoint.

Indeed, although Broner’s antics – such as arrests, sex tapes, implied (intentionally or not) suicide threats and over the top theatrics – may keep him in the eye of boxing fans, it’s only natural for those fans to wonder just what kind of Broner will show up in the ring next month – a serious professional, or a less than serious figure on his way to obscurity. Time, of course, will tell the tale. Broner, however, isn’t the only one with a say in how the proceedings will go. Boxing is a two-athlete contest, after all.

And the entire world can be shook with a single punch.