As Adrien Broner returns to
HBO and his hometown of Cincinnati for the second defense of his WBO super featherweight
title tonight against Vicente Escobedo, it’s likely HBO will focus on his
showmanship and antics more than his abilities in the ring. Not unlike last
Saturday night when they focused on the antics of Danny Garcia’s father and
trainer, Angel, they missed the real story that Garcia was more than capable of
knocking out Amir Khan. So tonight, as we watch clips of Broner gyrating after
wins and having someone brush his 1/8” hair, the real question about Adrien
Broner may go unasked: Just how great can this 22-year old become?
Given how far Broner has
come in just a little over two short years, the sky’s the limit. He has gone
from a virtual unknown in early 2010, and facing possible legal problems, to a
world champion, throwing out the first pitch at a Cincinnati Reds game as
honorary captain. When you combine his brash, cocky ring demeanor with his
quickness, power, talent and fan-friendly fighting style, he’s a multi-million
dollar payday waiting to happen.
“He has so much talent; it’s
amazing,” his longtime trainer, Mike Stafford, told us on the Maxboxing East
Coast Boxing Report Tuesday night. “I think he can go as far as anyone ever in
boxing.” And while I didn’t take that to mean he could be greater than Sugar
Ray Robinson or Muhammad Ali, he undoubtedly believes his fighter has Hall of
Fame talent. Stafford justifies that position by the hours of sparring and
hundreds of amateur fights Broner has seen. “You guys haven’t really seen him;
the only way you can see him go the rounds is when he’s in the gym sparring 15
rounds. You guys haven’t really seen Adrien Broner like I have.”
And Stafford is right; we
really haven’t seen the real Broner. After somewhat struggling against Daniel
Ponce de Leon in his HBO debut, “The Problem” has breezed through Jason Litzau,
Vicente Martin Rodriguez and Eloy Perez in spectacular fashion. And while those
are hardly opponents worthy of Hall of Fame speculation, he sure has boxing
fans wanting to see more.
Though Broner’s newfound (and
relative) infamy is split between fans who want to see win and those begging to
see him lose, he brings a level of energy to the sport that is uncommon. And
though he and many others like to make the comparison between him and Floyd
Mayweather, they are ostensibly very different fighters and styles. During an
Adrien Broner fight, don’t get up to get a beer; you might miss it. When
Mayweather’s fighting, you have time to make a sandwich while you’re up. Broner
is quickly becoming one of best punchers in the sport.
Broner maintains he’s the
same guy outside of the ring as inside, “Adrien Broner on TV is the same Adrien
Broner outside of the ring. Some people take it as they don’t like it; some
people think I try to be someone I’m not but if you see me in Wal-Mart, I’ll be
the same.” Regardless of how you feel about his antics, it gets him talked
about. And unlike other sports, that directly affects a fighter’s earnings.
This writer is put off by
endless sack dances and the touchdown celebrations seen in football but have no
problem with the same antics by boxers. A great wide receiver in football will
get the same tens of millions of dollars signing bonus without the touchdown
dances. However, fighters can actually help themselves reach the financial “Holy
Grail” of pay-per-view millions by being talked about and widely liked- and
disliked. People wanting to see you get beat maybe sells better than people
wanting to see you do well.
The future looks bright for
Cincinnati’s newest sports star but it might take some time to see just how
bright his star will shine. Tonight’s bout will likely do little to shed any
light on the question of just how great he can be. Vicente Escobedo brings some
name recognition to this fight but little else. I was ringside in November 2010
in Newark when he was dominated by Robert Guerrero in every way and looked like
a fighter staring at retirement, not a title shot.
In Broner’s words, tonight
will be, “Electrifying, very explosive; just don’t blink.” When asked if that
meant a quick knockout, Broner added, “Anytime, it can end. I have speed and
power from both hands, so just don’t blink- ever.” While Broner stops short of
predicting an early knockout, I don’t. While some are saying that Escobedo is
coming down in weight and could be an advantage, I cannot see shedding just
four extra pounds from the Guerrero fight meaning any difference at all come
fight night.
Plus, as Tony Whitby said on
his “Punches ‘n’ Bunches” boxing show, Broner “fights big. He just looks bigger
than other 130-pounders.” And he’s right; Broner is like the 6’9” center in
basketball that plays like he’s 7’2.” We will likely learn little about Broner
on tonight, except how strong a TV draw he is at this point. That said, he will
inch closer to a big-money fight in which he will have to show us exactly what Mike Stafford tells us he
knows.
And that’s something to look
forward to.
