Two years ago he was being billed as boxing next big star but today Adrien Broner is just another contender.
He seemingly had all of the tools…. athleticism, speed, punching power and loads of skills. Some even considered him a young Floyd Mayweather but with a bigger punch.
Brash, boisterous and controversial, the flashy fella from Cincinnati steamrolled solid opposition, often making it look so effortless.
Adrien Broner was ‘the goods.’ He was heir to the Floyd Mayweather throne… Or so it seemed. Prior to his December 2013 loss to Marcos Maidana, perhaps many of us had overlooked one indelible fact: His notable competition, to that point, had pushed him to the brink of defeat. Although unbeaten, Broner wasn’t without a few unofficial blemishes.
And while he may be bested less-than-elite competition, Broner looked every bit ‘the part’ of Floyd’s heir in the process, producing one spectacular annihilation after another.
… Until he faced Marcos Maidana, of course. And he hasn’t been the same since.
Having lost a decisive verdict to Shawn Porter on Saturday, Adrien is now 4-2 in his last six bouts and hasn’t produced a knockout since February 2013 (TKO 5 Gavin Rees).
Is Broner more style than substance?
Have promoters tried to move him up the ranks too fast? Some forget he’s only 25, and most fighters today don’t reach their prime until their last 20s or early 30s.
One interesting observation: Size.
Broner leaped into prominence as a sizzling super featherweight, campaigned at lightweight for a minute and then skipped jr welterweight to fight as a full-fledged welterweight before being bounced down to jr welterweight. Some would insist Adrien has trouble against taller fighters with longer wingspans yet his best opponents in the lighter weight divisions were as tall and rangy as Adrien’s welterweight foes.
Perhaps the strength and power of bigger fighters is Broner’s Achilles’ heel? They can absorb and deliver harder shots.
Will Broner ever be an elite-level talent at jr welterweight and/or welterweight? Or has he simply outgrown the weight classes (super featherweight and lightweight) that are seemingly most amenable to his strengths?
