For years, Adrien Broner was looked at as a knockoff of Floyd Mayweather Jr. Like a lot of knockoffs, it’s never as good as the original. While Mayweather’s trash talking would get under his opponent’s skin, Broner was more like a pest. Mayweather’s defense was impregnable, Broner’s was average, at best. Broner doesn’t use movement as an effective tool whereas Mayweather perfected it.
Keeping up with that theme, Broner now takes his shot at Manny Pacquiao. And, yes, Mayweather has “been there, done that”. As if anyone needs a reminder, with the exception of one round, Mayweather made Pacquiao look like a club fighter. All the frequently, Pacquiao was too afraid to get off first because of Mayweather’s ability to counter punch. He won’t have the same concern for Broner when they face off on January 19th.
Broner is 6-3-1 in his last 10 fights and he’s running out of chances to get big paydays. He’s a loss away from being a “B” side name that up and comers build their resume upon. Yet, Broner is Broner and he hasn’t gotten his arms around his boxing mortality.
“They say you’re as good as your last performance and he got eight losses and y’all still praise him to be one of the best ever,” Broner said. “He’s been knocked out three times. I got three good losses. I fought my ass off. After this win, we’re onto bigger and best things.” – Courtesy Premier Boxing Champions
For the record, Broner might want to look at Pacquiao’s last few fights to understand where he’s heading. At one time, the Filipino star was second to Mayweather when it came to pay-per-view. But, after his loss to Floyd, his career opportunities dipped. He found himself fighting in China, Australia, and Malaysia.
Broner doesn’t have the resume Pacquiao has nor does he have the marquee wins. After he took a beating at the hands of Marcos Maidana, Broner has faced two true “A” side fighters, Shawn Porter and Mikey Garcia. He lost both by unanimous decision.
That’s why he’s at a crossroads. A win will give Pacquiao a rematch with Mayweather. Who knows what a win will give Broner? But we all know what a loss will give him… no more big paydays.
