?He is one-dimensional and not in my league. I?m a Ferrari and he?s a go-kart. Watch me light up Maidana like a Christmas tree??
SAN ANTONIO?Saturday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Showtime Championship Boxing, in conjunction with Golden Boy Promotions and Leija Battah Promotions, is broadcasting four championship fights on one dynamic card.
The main event spotlights Adrien ?The Problem? Broner (27-0, 22 KOs), the budding superstar from Cincinnati, Ohio, defending his WBA welterweight title against former WBA light welterweight champion Marcos ?El Chino? Maidana (34-3, 31 KOs), from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The 24-year-old Broner is one of the most gifted boxers fighting today. His potential is off the charts, but Broner is not yet a top 10 pound-for-pounder, despite his claims to the contrary. Discipline may be an issue, as he balloons out of shape between fights. And his extracurricular antics, which have been videotaped, have sometimes landed him in hot water. But Broner, however adolescent he may sometimes appear, is a huge talent, and his unbeaten record speaks for itself.
Broner has been handled brilliantly. Golden Boy has brought him along slowly against opposition that showcased his advantages in speed, precision and power. Maidana is unquestionably The Problem?s toughest opponent to date, but El Chino, at 30 years of age, is slow of foot and essentially a one-handed fighter. That one hand however, his explosive right, is a great equalizer. Maidana is a bona fide knockout artist and if he can connect, we may learn a thing or two about Adrien Broner.
?Adrien is now an established welterweight,? said Maidana, ?no doubt about it. Whether he has the guts to stand in front of me or runs, I?m leaving the ring with the belt. I respect Broner, but I don?t underestimate him. He?s a great fighter. But he?s never fought anyone like Chino Maidana. That?s why this is the hardest fight of his life.?
It may be the hardest fight of his life, but few expect it to end in a loss, least of all Broner himself.
?I don?t play psychological games,? he said. ?I don?t play games at all. I put my Xbox away. This is easy money. Maidana is a good fighter, a hell of a fighter, but he?s not on my level. He is one-dimensional and not in my league. I?m a Ferrari and he?s a go-kart. I?m going for the knockout. Watch me light up Maidana like a Christmas tree.?
The co-main event features Interim WBA welterweight champion Keith ?One Time? Thurman (21-0, 19 KOs), from Clearwater, Florida, defending his title against Jesus Soto Karass (21-8-3, 18 KOs), from North Hollywood, California, by way of Los Lochis, Sinaloa, Mexico.
Thurman, like Broner, is a superstar in waiting, even though the two fighters couldn?t be more different. Where Broner is brash and jazzy, entertaining and infuriating, the 25-year-old Thurman is all business. They both hit hard, and one day they may even meet in the ring, but until that day comes we?ll have to settle for lesser albeit significant challenges.
Soto Karass is no slouch. His defeat of Andre Berto, who may have been an accident waiting to happen, last July put the 31-year-old Mexican on the map.
?I am excited to be fighting Keith Thurman,? said Soto Karass. ?I have seen him fight. We?ve been on the same cards before, so I know what he has and he knows what I have. I respect him, but once we get into the ring I don?t have that respect anymore. I know what I have to do. I have to attack and go to war in order to win this fight.?
Going to war may be a sound strategy, but Thurman is a warrior in a class all his own.
?Soto Karass is a tough, there?s no question about that, but my grandmother?s tough too. He?s a true warrior, someone that lives for the fight, just like me. He?s not afraid of anybody. But his style is tailor-made for me. He said, ?It?s going down.? I said, ?You?re going down,? and I expect to defend my title and win by knockout. He?s going to sleep.?
Keep an eye on Thurman vs. Soto Karass. It?s likely to be the fight of the night.
The third fight on Showtime?s four-bout card is between WBA super bantamweight titleholder Leo Santa Cruz (25-0-1, 15 KOs), aka Terremoto, from Rosemead, California, via Huetamo, Michoac?n de Ocampo, Mexico, and southpaw Cesar Seda (25-1, 17 KOs), from Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico.
The 25-year-old Santa Cruz is another champion with a bright future. He doesn?t have devastating power, but makes up for it with volume punching. Terremoto gets hit. But he takes real pleasure in hitting back.
?Seda is a quality fighter and a top contender,? said Santa Cruz, ?but I?m not ready to give up my belt to him or anyone. This will be a very tough battle?like all fighters between Puerto Rico and Mexico. I remember when Oscar and Trinidad fought when I was like eleven or twelve years old. My father showed me tapes of when Chavez fought Chapo and Camacho. Puerto Rico versus Mexico is always a great rivalry in boxing.?
The 27-year-old Seda seconded that emotion.
?I am going to continue with the great tradition of Mexico versus Puerto Rico. I?ve been studying Leo for a long time. I admire Santa Cruz for his talent and his accomplishments, but styles make fights and I have a style to beat him and bring the world championship back to Puerto Rico.?
The final title fight of the night is between WBA Super World light heavyweight champion Beibut Shumenov (13-1, 8 KOs), from Las Vegas by way of Kazakhstan, and undefeated Tomas Kovacs (23-0, 14 KOs), aka Tomi Kid, hailing from Galanta, Slovakia.
The 30-year-old Shumenov made history when he won a world title in just his 10th pro fight. He doesn?t fight because he has to fight (he comes from money and is a practicing attorney). He fights for the best reason of all, because he wants to fight.
?I wanted to try if I can achieve something,? he told USA Today, ?and not to regret, like, ?Oh, I could have been a great champion,? because I was thinking, ?If it?s my [fate] to be a world champion I will be a world champion. If I got knocked out, well I wouldn?t regret that I didn?t try. But then I found out that everything came easy to me and I belong to this sport.?
The 36-year-old Kovacs also believes he belongs to this sport.
?It has been my dream to fight in the United States against the best in the world,? he said, ?and I finally get my chance. Shumenov is a great champion, but I am confident in my ability to take his title.?
There will be no shortage of confidence in the Alamodome. There will be no shortage of punches thrown and landed. Unless you have a date Saturday night that?s hotter than hot, tune into Showtime Championship Boxing, because it is guaranteed to sizzle.
