Broner’s lackluster performance and bitter rants fail the culture.
Adrien Broner (33-3-1, 24 KOs) disappointed the ‘hood’ turning in a mediocre performance against an ever-ready Manny Pacquiao. The two fought in the MGM Grand Garden Arena for Pacquiao’s return to the U.S. and Broner’s first PPV appearance.
Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs) cruised to a unanimous decision over “The Problem” to defend his WBA Welterweight World Championship. In the process, Broner broke the string of new brigade wins that usurped the veteran names of the game.
In the night’s opener, Hugo Ruiz (39-4, 32 KOs) had a successful featherweight debut. Ruiz dominated late replacement Alberto Guevara (27-4, 12 KOs), knocking him down once in the opening minute of the fight, winning with scores of 100-89, 99-90 twice.
France’s Nordine Oubaali (15-0, 11 KOs) captured the vacant WBC Bantamweight World Title with a unanimous decision against Rau’shee Warren (16-3, 4 KOs). The scores were 117-111, 116-112, 115-113, as a result, Broner’s About Billions Promotions took two ‘L’s’.
In the true fight of the night, Marcus Browne (23-0, 16 KOs) defeated a bloodied Badou Jack (22-2-3, 13 KOs). The Staten Island native gave Jack a memorable loss that opened up a huge cut on Jack’s forehead.
Browne has been chipping away at the light heavyweight division for years and proved he belongs in the elite ranks. As a result, Browne took the interim WBA Light Heavyweight belt back to Staten Island with scores of 119-108, 117-110, 116-111.
A Legacy of Disappointment
Broner thought he did enough to win the fight.
“I beat him,” he said post-fight. “Everybody out there knows I beat him. I controlled the fight, he was missing. I hit him clean more times.”
However, in boxing, it is not enough to showcase ring generalmanship alone. Broner claimed to control the pace of the fight and believes his defense won the battle.
In boxing, the goal is to hit and not get hit. Broner failed the culture with the first part barely throwing any punches in relation to Pacquiao and seeming hesitant throughout the fight.
Showtime’s official scorer, Steve Farhood, scored the fight 118-110 for Pacquiao giving Broner the fourth and the 10th rounds.
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As a businessman, Broner sells his fights to the poor descendants of the Diaspora. The downtrodden are natural born survivors and fighting is a way of life. Broner will always get their respect for being a fighter but can lose their support for not bringing the pain.
At the level Broner fights on, there are no excuses. His elite coaching corner of Kevin Cunningham and Mike Stafford did their homework and knew Pacquiao would come in fast.
However, Broner is the one that would have had to modify his modus operandi of slow starts and hesitation on the trigger.
No Adjustments Made
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Broner used his pre-fight hype Trump cards to call-out the broadcasters, co-promoters Floyd Mayweather and Leonard Ellerbe, and more. He punked in-ring interviewer Jim Gray during the post-fight interview then charged conspiracy towards a Pacquiao rematch with Mayweather.
The Ohio native believes that the world is conspiring against him. That the media, broadcast staffers, and his promotional partners are enemies within is his shield and he stands behind it.
Unfortunately for Broner, his word is his sword and with his highest profile loss yet, his legacy will have to lay on it.
