His credibility or lack thereof will be determined by what happens in the ring, not in front of an iPhone or looking glass?
On Saturday, Sept. 6, at the U.S Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, Adrien ?The Problem? Broner (28-1, 22 KOs) returns to the city of his birth to fight Emmanuel ?Tranzformer? Taylor (18-2, 12 KOs), hailing from Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland, in a fight broadcast live on Showtime.
The former three-division champion may be brash, he may have an inflated sense of his own worth, but Broner remains unapologetically who is he, and Taylor won?t derail that self-regard.
?It?s always good to fight at home,? said Broner, who hopes to recapture the magic after his comeuppance at the hands of Marcos Maidana and the lackluster performance against Carlos Molina in his last two fights. ?It?s overdue. I will not disappoint my Cincinnati fans. I?ll make sure to put up a good show for them. Taylor is a young, talented fighter, but he?s not ready to solve this ?Problem.??
Broner is correct. Taylor, who has lost two of his last six fights and whose signature wins are over Victor Manuel Cayo in 2013 and Karim Mayfield last month, isn?t ready for Broner. He?s at best a fringe contender, not the sort of A-list opponent someone who has anointed himself heir apparent to Floyd Mayweather needs to fight if he?s to be taken seriously.
There are plenty of fighters at 140 that would be happy to fight Broner, but Lucas Matthysse, Kell Brook, Danny Garcia, and Ruslan Provodnikov, to name a few, will no more be dazzled by his potshotting than by his diamond-studded mouth grill. Given the opportunity, they?d like nothing more than to prove that his porous defense and questionable chin are ready-made for what they have to offer.
Al Haymon and Oscar De La Hoya can finesse Broner?s career all they want, but if he?s to be seen as more than a flash in the pan, assuming it?s not too late for him to be seen as more than a flash in the pan, he?ll have to step up and do it soon.
Broner can joke and cut-up and offend to his heart?s content. That?s neither here nor there. He?s made good money and will continue to make good money until the well runs dry. But Broner is a fighter first and foremost, and it?s only as a fighter that he?s of interest. His credibility or lack thereof will be determined by what happens in the ring, not in front of an iPhone or flattering looking glass.
