Adrien Broner, who has been more in the headlines for his alleged out-of-ring antics, takes on Britains Ashley Theophane tomorrow night at the DC Armory in the nation’s capitol.
Yesterday, the press conference was held in downtown, Washington, D.C., solidifying an event that seemed like a potential blunder when it was reported that Broner was being charged with felony assault and aggravated robbery stemming from a friendly bowling alley bet gone wrong in his native Cincinnati, Ohio.
His Tuesday open workout was cancelled just short of the time it was supposed to begin, with the ominous explanation that is was, due to the delayed arrival of flights out of Las Vegas.
However, although egregiously late, Broner, did show up to the press conference at Hamilton Live, along with his belligerent entourage and antagonistic words directed at a person that he is not physically fighting tomorrow, his former mentor Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
(Photo Credit: USA Today)
Captioning a new nickname for the retired Money, Broner labeled him Hateweather, which sparked the ire of Mayweather Promotions CEO and Washington, D.C. native, Leonard Ellerbee, who was fresh from basking in the glow of bringing a great card to his hometown.
Broners About Billions Promotions and his D.C.-based training headquarters; Head Bangers Promotions, are the co-promoters of this event, along with Mayweather Promotions.
The incredible chip that Broner shoulders as a newly minted promotion boss led him to whisper jibes at his opponent, who was speaking to the crowd, with requests for thank yous for giving Theophane the opportunity to fight him.
Theophane begrudgingly did thank Broner, but followed with an unflinching confidence and a barb of his own.
Adrien says he’s going to stop me. I don’t think he has the attributes to do that, said Theophane. But it does mean it’s going to be a great fight. I’m looking forward to it. I want this man to live up to his words that he’s going to stop me before round four. Because that means he will be standing and fighting instead of running around the ring.
Broner downplayed the competition. He also stated clearly that due to the almost selling-out of the venue, that he didnt feel the need to attend the press conference. He was all braggadocio when comparing himself to his Mayweather Promotions compatriots as well.
“There’s no beef between me and Floyd. I do my thing. At the end of the day, I’m just being me, said Broner. I do this in front of Floyd. Me up there saying ‘Hateweather Promotions,’ I’m just having fun. I hope no one takes it personally. At the end of the day, me and Floyd are close. The relationship that me and Floyd have, it is obvious that we wear our feelings on our sleeves, anything we say about each other, we don’t care who hears it. At the end of the day it doesn’t affect anything.
With notable up-and-comers like Robert Easter, Jr. and Gervonta Davis on the card, this is surely a stellar event. However, with Mr. Broners apparent idolization of Mayweathers perceived bad boy promotional brilliance, it seems that he has forgotten one element that made the former seem exceptional and less like a train-wreck: Mayweather had no professional defeats.
If Broner is seeking to become a PPV star at some point, he must summon Mayweathers in-ring mastery against top-tier competition before espousing his frustration with the same Money machine that helped propel his career.
One need only look at the fight versus fellow Ohioan, Shawn Porter, or Argentinian Marcos Maidana for proof of Theophanes earlier comments regarding Broners penchant to run and lose against elite fighters.
In this world of fast-food media and pop and sizzle fight culture, Broner would be hard-pressed to remember that headlines bring you customers, but like his mentor Mayweather, Jr. famously told me in the confines of the Mayweather Boxing Club, aka The Doghouse, a few years ago, “Chasing the victory, not the money…” is what got him where he is today.
