Adrien Broner Mail
By Steve Kim, MaxBoxing (July 25, 2012) Doghouse Boxing
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Here are some emails I got the last day or two in light of Adrien Broner's most recent performance:
 
In light of the farce that took place, it seems as though Broner is developing into a nice draw in Cincinnati. I emailed the Ohio State Athletic Commission to find out he had a paid attendance of about 4,300.

I remember you saying you were interested in how well he would draw. It seems as though the prices were very reasonable. That seems like a pretty decent draw considering a baseball game was going on and Broner is just cracking the surface.
 
S.Morgan
 
Thanks for the info (and the exact totals were 4,296 tickets sold for a gate totaling $136,890) and as I've said before, Broner, like many other young pugilists today, has been shepherded around the country fighting in different locales (where Golden Boy staged cards). But during this time, he has also set down some roots in his home city where he has fought numerous times. And while many others may frown at what took place this past weekend, everyone loves a winner locally. With the right fights and consistent action, I think those numbers can and will grow in “The Queen City.”
 
Hey Steve,
 
I’m a longtime reader who just had to write in to you regarding the Broner weight situation.  I know you have gone on record as someone who is amused or at least not bothered by Broner’s cockiness, but what do you think about what he did on Saturday?  I usually like fighters with a  healthy ego (I was a big fan of Roy Jones, Naseem Hamed, Lennox Lewis etc.) but I think Broner completely crossed the line.   For the people who say that Escobedo made his choice, and he took the extra money, I think it is worth reminding them that had Escobedo walked away, he wouldn’t have just been walking away from the extra money being offered, he would be walking away from the entire purse.  That is the situation Broner put him in, seemingly intentionally.  I know there is no one out there to punish Broner for it, but all that crap with his Twitter pictures, essentially boasting a week before the fight that he wasn’t trying to make weight and would not make weight; I am in shock that a professional boxer would show that little respect to his profession and to his opponent.  I remember all of the outrage when Castillo came in heavy for the 3rd fight with Corrales, but it at least he seemed disgusted with himself for it.  I’m really curious to see if there will be the usual contrarians who will come out and praise Broner; impressed how he can make his own rules.  What are your thoughts?
 
-Sean
 
Sean, you pretty much echo what I've said from the beginning. What Broner did absolutely crossed the line. Hey, I like showmen because I've believed for a long time that boxing is just entertainment and showbiz dressed up as a sport. But when rules are so blithely circumvented, that's where things are out of bounds. His previous antics never gave him an unfair competitive advantage; not even attempting to make weight (twice) certainly did.
 
But as I’ve stated before, the guy is amusing (some would say downright bizarre if you go on his Twitter timeline) and he is the type of performer who has you talking about him the next day at work at the water cooler. I think that's a plus for boxing and his brand. To me, he's a lot like another guy that plied his trade for years in Cincinnati, Chad Ochocinco (or did he just recently go back to “Johnson”?) who would've been just a Pro Bowl receiver on a bad team for years without his shtick. He turned out to be a guy who became a transcendent figure with endorsement deals and a “Dancing with the Stars” appearance because of his antics.
 
You may love or loathe what “The Problem” brings to the table but many of you simply won’t turn away.
 
First off I want to say I love your site... Been keeping track of your work for some time now (years actually... Lol...)... Also, you may not remember but I had the honor of meeting and talking to you in Houston for the Morales vs garcia fight as I worked the media for boxingsocialist.com... Just want to tell you that it was a great honor to just be in the same group with such a great boxing mind... I have a lot of respect for your work as  a boxing writer...
 
On to the fight... Just want to say everything you have said and the responders have said are all 100% correct... It is pretty obvious escobedo was forced in more ways than just one I'm sure to go into that fight... That itself is criminal in my opinion... But also, broner and his teams total lack of respect and seem to care just really left a bad taste in my mouth.. he seems to now only have vote. A pass by HBO but also most members of the media...I applaud you speaking out on this behavior... Correct me if I'm wrong but the kid is being treated like a superstar and has yet to be a truly credible contender... To date he has yet to fight someone that there was a question on who would win the fight...litzau and deleon (whom you can argue rather or not be won) aside who has he fought of any real substance? Just my opinion but he reminds me of a fighter from the early 90's by the name of fast Eddie hopson... Remember him? He too held a paper belt (ibf if I remember correctly) and looked to be the goods till he faced a real contender in Tracy Harris Patterson.. he got beat down... Broner reminds me of that kid in a lot of ways from their style of fighting to the paper belt... Just my two cents... If he is as good as he and his team says he is... He needs to seriously step up his comp and fight guys that can truly test him.. he's got a fighter in Lundy calling him out... Lundy would in my opinion be the best fighter he has fought to date in my opinion... He's got challenges out there that will give us a true marker of where his skill set really stands.... Makes you wonder why his teams not seeking out those challenges... Makes me wonder if they know something they are saving for the big fight before its exposed.. just a thought... 
 
Anyway just want to say again love ya work!!! Always a great read..
 
Jeffrey D
 
Jeff, thanks for the gratuitous praise (that will always get you into my articles) but yeah, I hear ya. For all his plaudits, Broner is still unproven to a certain degree. I think he's a real talented guy and it says here that he won’t be physically pushed till he hits 140 pounds and faces the likes of Lucas “The Machine” Matthysse. But it was pointed out to me on Twitter by Jake Donovan of Boxingscene that it could be argued that Broner did not face a legitimate top-10 130-pounder during his run. So while he is naturally gifted, yeah, he still has some résumé building to do.
 
And please, let’s pump the brakes on the Broner-Mayweather comparisons for now. At junior lightweight, Mayweather faced the likes of Genaro Hernandez, Angel Manfredy and Diego Corrales and thrashed them. Say what you will about Mayweather; before he cherry-picked opponents as he gained economic leverage, as a young fighter, he more than handled his business- and always made weight.
 
And yeah, Eddie Hopson, there's a name I hadn't heard in a while.
.

More of Steve's recent work below his contact info...
I can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com and I tweet at www.Twitter.com/stevemaxboxing. We also have a Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/MaxBoxing.

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