He took a round to get warmed up in the main event at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Saturday night, but once he did, Adrien Broner’s skill set was exceedingly problematic for Gavin Rees, a Welshman who had never been down, even in sparring, before this night.
Broner sent him down in the fourth, and the fifth. Rees got up, but ate shots and his corner halted the increasingly one-sided event. The time of the ending was 2:59 of the fifth.
Broner held on to the WBC 135 pound title.
The winner said after to Max Kellerman that he had to see how much gas Rees had. He apologized for not being at his best. And next? Ricky Burns? He said he didn’t know who that is. He will go to the drawing board with advisor Al Haymon and promoter Golden Boy, he said. Broner watched his knockdowns and complimented his own work.
In the first, the 5-4 Rees rushed the 5-7 Broner, and outworked him, landing some nice left hooks to the body. Broner got busier in round two, landing some clean rights. He clowned, winding up his right a few times. Rees’ mobility, and active head movement surprised some folks who figured the little fella was a stationary sort.
The Welshman came in with a hurt elbow and had to curtail sparring early but his adrenaline covered up that injury thru three. Rees got backed up and bashed in the last third of the round, and his corner told him to move, not stand in front of the Cinci boxer.
The Welshman ate lead rights in the fourth, and as his legs weren’t as active, he was there to get touched. Down he went with 2:05 left, but he was up at 4. A right uppercut he didn’t see was the damager. His galpal actually bolted from her seat after that.
In the fifth, Rees landed a few sharp rights, and he looked to make a rumble of it. His work rate kept Broner from loading up like in the fourth. He went to a knee with 26 seconds to go, off a left hook to the body. He rose, but ate more, and his corner threw in the towel.
