Although we have 5 world title fights this weekend there is one that really stands out, a fight that has split opinion on who "will" win and who people "want" to win and that's the fight between loud mouth Adrien Broner (27-0, 22) and Argentina's always exciting Marcos Rene Maidana (34-3, 31). The bout, dubbed "Danger Zone" sees Broner's WBA Welterweight title up for grabs as he takes on easily his most dangerous for so far. Likewise however Miadana takes probably his most talented opponent to date.
For Broner this is a pivotal contest. He is defending his WBA title for the first time since claiming it, in controversial fashion, from Paulie Malignaggi. In that fight Broner looked awful. He posed, he got hit and he looked less like "The Problem" and more like a man "With Problems". It was an awful performance. Was it that he he over-looked Malignaggi, who many had written off? Was it that Welterweight wasn't good for his body? Was it that outside the ring issues had got to him? Whatever it was he really didn't perform.
If a fighter "doesn't perform" against Maidana they tend to feel his power. He's not the greatest of finishers by any stretch of the imagination but he is one of those thudding punchers who hurt you every time they land. If Broner takes half as many Maidana shots as he took Malinaggi shots then he'll be in a lot of trouble.
At his best Broner is a really talented fighter. He has a lovely variety of punches, amazing hand speed, fantastic natural athletic ability and real explosiveness. At his worst he's a fighter who looks to have never mastered the basics. His jab is often none existent, his foot work is awful and his defense is sloppy to say the least. He's one of many fighters who I tend to feel is more athlete than boxer, and this is often not a great trait, especially at the world level where opponents tend to be pretty good.
Whilst a loss for Broner wouldn't necessarily be the end I don't imagine he would ever be the same person if he had an "L" on his record.
In regards to Maidana he's the under-dog, he's not expected to win but he's also unwilling to accept a loss where he can. He's a fighter at heart and whilst he lacks the speed and reflexes and Broner he has the fighters mentality of refusing to quit, getting up when knocked down, biting on the gumshield and going for it.
It's not rare to see Maidana hurt, in fact he's been down numerous time, but we've never seen anyone keep Maidana down. His recuperative powers are genuinely fantastic, his mental toughness is unquestionable and although he'll never be Sugar Ray Robinson his skills do seem to be improving even now. He's still crude but much less saw than when he was fighting the likes of Victor Ortiz.
For this fight I have several questions. Will "the real" Broner turn up? If not he'll lose. Can they take each others power? If saw Maidana will really struggle. Will Maidana be able to turn this in to a war? If he can he has a fantastic chance just on the cumulative effect of his shots.
If Broner turns up and acts like a fighter I honesty believe he can stop Maidana. If he acts like a man who has already won the fight before the first punch is thrown however, he gets stopped.
Prediction-Broner TKO10
Showing posts with label Adrien Broner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adrien Broner. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Thursday, 20 June 2013
Paul Malignaggi v Adrien Broner
The biggest fight of the coming weekend sees WBA Welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi (32-4, 7) taking on the fast rising Adrien Broner (26-0, 22) a man dubbed by many as the future star of American boxing. This will be Broner's first fight above 135lbs and the big question is whether or not the weight will be a problem, for the man known as "The Problem"?
Broner, a man who has claimed world titles at both Super Featherweight and Lightweight is viewed as the most exciting young American in boxing. To date however he hasn't really been tested in the way many would like to have seen him tested. His toughest bout to date came against the visibly under-sized Daniel Ponce De Leon and other than that bout he has done as he's wished with opponents.
Aside from the Ponce De Leon bout Broner has beaten a veritable list of B level opponents like Jason Litzau, Eloy Perez, Vicente Escobedo, Antonio DeMarco and Gavin Rees. For a perceived "pound-for-pound" top 10 fighters (as Ring Magazine herald him) his record is weak.
In terms of talent, as opposed to his opponents, Broner does often look very good. He's got fast hands, a seemingly solid chin and explosive power. Every shot he throws seems to be crisp, hurtful and has an effect on an opponent. Despite his strengths he does seem to be technically limited, his jab can be lacking, he can be caught and often looks like Floyd Mayweather's more offensively minded but much less skilled little brother.
One thing we've all seen is that if you let Broner fight his fight and go to him, he will beat you with his power. Gavin Rees showed that he can be tagged, Ponce De Leon showed he can be out boxed but to date he has remained unbeaten as the hype machine has really gone crazy about him.
In Malignaggi we have a champion who will also be the under-dog. This is despite the fact Malignaggi is more proven, the champion and the man who has been fighting at 147lbs in recent bouts.
Like Broner, Malignaggi made his name outside of the Welterweight division having been a multi-time champion at Light Welterweight (a weight that Broner has notably skipped). In the Light Welterweight division Malignaggi fought a genuine who's who in the form of Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan and Juan Diaz. Whilst he lost most of those fights (going 1-1 with Diaz, though should have been 2-0) Malignaggi proved he belong on the world stage with brave performances.
As a Welterweight Malignaggi has gone on to be undefeated (claiming a controversial victory over Pablo Cesar Cano last time out, when Cano failed to make weight) and looked like a rejuvenated fighter against Vyacheslav Senchenko. It was the Senchenko fight that Malignaggi was last viewed as the under-dog and last written off before he put on arguably the best performance of his career showing off a beautiful jab, wonderful movement and blistering combinations. If that Malignaggi shows up again here he could very easily embarrass Broner.
Sadly for Malignaggi it's rare that we actually see him at his very best. He's a fighter who has always lacked power and instead has always had to rely on pure boxing and speed. At 32 that speed could start going very fast, especially against a younger, fresher fighter like Broner. If it does, he could be a sitting duck for the challenger who whilst not great with his own footwork is very deliberate.
In the build up to the fight both men have been talking the talk, there is bad blood here and whilst Malignaggi has seemed to get the better of the verbal sparring he may just have have annoyed Broner to the point where the younger guy really wants to make a point and actually does use his feet to cut the ring off and break down Malignaggi. The natural size difference isn't as big as it would "seem" on paper and I'd expect Broner to be the bigger man in the ring, meaning this could be very painful for Malignaggi.
The champion is tough but with out the fire power to keep Broner away I can't see anything but a Broner stoppage in the middle rounds.
Prediction-Broner TKO8
Broner, a man who has claimed world titles at both Super Featherweight and Lightweight is viewed as the most exciting young American in boxing. To date however he hasn't really been tested in the way many would like to have seen him tested. His toughest bout to date came against the visibly under-sized Daniel Ponce De Leon and other than that bout he has done as he's wished with opponents.
Aside from the Ponce De Leon bout Broner has beaten a veritable list of B level opponents like Jason Litzau, Eloy Perez, Vicente Escobedo, Antonio DeMarco and Gavin Rees. For a perceived "pound-for-pound" top 10 fighters (as Ring Magazine herald him) his record is weak.
In terms of talent, as opposed to his opponents, Broner does often look very good. He's got fast hands, a seemingly solid chin and explosive power. Every shot he throws seems to be crisp, hurtful and has an effect on an opponent. Despite his strengths he does seem to be technically limited, his jab can be lacking, he can be caught and often looks like Floyd Mayweather's more offensively minded but much less skilled little brother.
One thing we've all seen is that if you let Broner fight his fight and go to him, he will beat you with his power. Gavin Rees showed that he can be tagged, Ponce De Leon showed he can be out boxed but to date he has remained unbeaten as the hype machine has really gone crazy about him.
In Malignaggi we have a champion who will also be the under-dog. This is despite the fact Malignaggi is more proven, the champion and the man who has been fighting at 147lbs in recent bouts.
Like Broner, Malignaggi made his name outside of the Welterweight division having been a multi-time champion at Light Welterweight (a weight that Broner has notably skipped). In the Light Welterweight division Malignaggi fought a genuine who's who in the form of Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan and Juan Diaz. Whilst he lost most of those fights (going 1-1 with Diaz, though should have been 2-0) Malignaggi proved he belong on the world stage with brave performances.
As a Welterweight Malignaggi has gone on to be undefeated (claiming a controversial victory over Pablo Cesar Cano last time out, when Cano failed to make weight) and looked like a rejuvenated fighter against Vyacheslav Senchenko. It was the Senchenko fight that Malignaggi was last viewed as the under-dog and last written off before he put on arguably the best performance of his career showing off a beautiful jab, wonderful movement and blistering combinations. If that Malignaggi shows up again here he could very easily embarrass Broner.
Sadly for Malignaggi it's rare that we actually see him at his very best. He's a fighter who has always lacked power and instead has always had to rely on pure boxing and speed. At 32 that speed could start going very fast, especially against a younger, fresher fighter like Broner. If it does, he could be a sitting duck for the challenger who whilst not great with his own footwork is very deliberate.
In the build up to the fight both men have been talking the talk, there is bad blood here and whilst Malignaggi has seemed to get the better of the verbal sparring he may just have have annoyed Broner to the point where the younger guy really wants to make a point and actually does use his feet to cut the ring off and break down Malignaggi. The natural size difference isn't as big as it would "seem" on paper and I'd expect Broner to be the bigger man in the ring, meaning this could be very painful for Malignaggi.
The champion is tough but with out the fire power to keep Broner away I can't see anything but a Broner stoppage in the middle rounds.
Prediction-Broner TKO8
Friday, 15 February 2013
Adrien Broner v Gavin Rees
Emerging American megastar Adrien "The Problem" Broner (25-0, 21) was massively impressive in his last bout when he stopped the teak tough Mexican Antonio DeMarco and claimed the WBC Lightweight title. Broner will make the first defense of that title against diminutive Welshman Gavin Rees (37-1-1, 18), who himself is a former WBA Light Welterweight champion.
Broner is seen as HBO's star of the future and the man to replace the ever aging Floyd Mayweather Jr when "Money Mayweather" finally hangs up the gloves. The charismatic 23 year is seen by many as having one of the biggest mouths in the sport, though so far he has been able to back up his talk with equally impressive displays which have combined speed, skill, accuracy and a spitefulness that is rarely seen in such a youngster.
Whilst some may have seen Broner's 2011 fight against Daniel Ponce De Leon as a disappointment, it was certainly the first big step up for Broner who has taken that close decision as a serious learning experience and developed a style that sees him showing more activity to break down opponents. Interestingly since being pushed by Ponce De Leon, Broner has gone on to score 5 successive stoppages and claimed both the WBO Super Featherweight title and the WBC Lightweight title.
With just 25 fights of professional experience and just 91 rounds it may be fair to say the biggest questions over Broner regard his lack of experience especially over a longer distance with only 3 of his fights having gone beyond 7 rounds. However despite these question marks it's fair to admit that Broner is a special, but flawed talent who can hurt everyone in the Lightweight division and has the speed to give anyone a hard time. The combination of traits have seen some refer to Broner as being like a more exciting version of Mayweather, very high praise indeed.
Unlike Broner, Rees isn't seen as anything particularly special, though the little Welshman is a hard working fighter who combines solid, though unspectacular skills with a high work rate and a terrier like heart which sees him refuse to go backwards. Whilst Rees isn't lightning quick or mega powerful he's a brave and solid fighter who is hard to discourage.
Rees is by far the more experienced man having been a professional since 1998 and competed in 39 fights accumulating almost 200 professional rounds. He has faced solid fighters time and time again and scored notable victories over the likes of Souleymane M'baye, Andy Murray, Derry Matthews and Anthony Mezaache whilst only suffering a single reverse to the very under-rated Andriy Kotelnyk. In fact it was the bout against Kotelnyk that really told us a lot about Rees who was out classed against a naturally bigger man though he refused to just give up showing true Welsh grit.
Although Rees is a major under-dog I'd expect him to give Broner hell for a few rounds and be very competitive for the first 5 or 6 rounds before Broner's power and size start to take their toll and slow a brave and very game Rees. Rees will likely see round 8 but not much more.
Prediction- Broner TKO9
Broner is seen as HBO's star of the future and the man to replace the ever aging Floyd Mayweather Jr when "Money Mayweather" finally hangs up the gloves. The charismatic 23 year is seen by many as having one of the biggest mouths in the sport, though so far he has been able to back up his talk with equally impressive displays which have combined speed, skill, accuracy and a spitefulness that is rarely seen in such a youngster.
Whilst some may have seen Broner's 2011 fight against Daniel Ponce De Leon as a disappointment, it was certainly the first big step up for Broner who has taken that close decision as a serious learning experience and developed a style that sees him showing more activity to break down opponents. Interestingly since being pushed by Ponce De Leon, Broner has gone on to score 5 successive stoppages and claimed both the WBO Super Featherweight title and the WBC Lightweight title.
With just 25 fights of professional experience and just 91 rounds it may be fair to say the biggest questions over Broner regard his lack of experience especially over a longer distance with only 3 of his fights having gone beyond 7 rounds. However despite these question marks it's fair to admit that Broner is a special, but flawed talent who can hurt everyone in the Lightweight division and has the speed to give anyone a hard time. The combination of traits have seen some refer to Broner as being like a more exciting version of Mayweather, very high praise indeed.
Unlike Broner, Rees isn't seen as anything particularly special, though the little Welshman is a hard working fighter who combines solid, though unspectacular skills with a high work rate and a terrier like heart which sees him refuse to go backwards. Whilst Rees isn't lightning quick or mega powerful he's a brave and solid fighter who is hard to discourage.
Rees is by far the more experienced man having been a professional since 1998 and competed in 39 fights accumulating almost 200 professional rounds. He has faced solid fighters time and time again and scored notable victories over the likes of Souleymane M'baye, Andy Murray, Derry Matthews and Anthony Mezaache whilst only suffering a single reverse to the very under-rated Andriy Kotelnyk. In fact it was the bout against Kotelnyk that really told us a lot about Rees who was out classed against a naturally bigger man though he refused to just give up showing true Welsh grit.
Although Rees is a major under-dog I'd expect him to give Broner hell for a few rounds and be very competitive for the first 5 or 6 rounds before Broner's power and size start to take their toll and slow a brave and very game Rees. Rees will likely see round 8 but not much more.
Prediction- Broner TKO9
Friday, 16 November 2012
Antonio DeMarco v Adrien Broner
This weekend sees rising American Adrien Broner (24-0, 20) looks to claim a second divisional title as he faces WBC Lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco (28-2-1, 21) in a bout that really stands out as a very promising bout and one that could go either way, despite the ridiculous betting odds. Despite being the challenger and moving up a weight Broner is a very prohibitive 1/7 favourite, a huge surprise for me.
Broner, a very confident 23 year old American, is a very stylish fighter who may come across as arrogant but is being guided to being an American superstar of the future. He may be better known for his trademark hair brushing, his loud mouth and his outspoken nature however he is certainly a solid fighter with very good hand speed and a solid (though not amazing) defense.
As a fighter Broner has been around since 2008 though really started to come to prominence in 2011 thanks to a very controversial victory over former WBO Bantamweight (and current WBC Featherweight) champion Daniel Ponce De Leon. In that bout the scorecard of Tony Crebs (99-91-Broner) was heavily criticised as Ponce brought the fight and the action and actually out landed Broner in 5 of the bouts 10 rounds. Since then however Broner's career has rocketed with successive early victories over Jason Litzau, Vicente Martin Rodriguez, Eloy Perez and Vicente Escobedo, with the victory over Rodriguez earning Broner the WBO Super Featherweight title. Sadly despite those wins it's fair to say they have generally come against smaller men.
Last time out Broner stopped Vicente Escobedo, though was stripped on the scales for weighing well over the Super Featherweight limit, a move that effectively forced him to move to Lightweight. Surprisingly however there was talk of Broner skipping straight to Welterweight to face current WBC "interim" champion Robert Guerrero.
In terms of his style Broner is a "poor man's Floyd Mayweather Jr" he often employs the shoulder roll though gets tagged and whilst he's a strong fast kid he is also technically flawed and has less than great work rate. Saying this however he rarely looks to be stunned and often walks through shots of his opponents as he comes forward with out ever looking in trouble.
Whilst Broner has been picking off smaller men, DeMarco has been making his name as one of the top warriors at Lightweight thanks to several notable victories despite rarely really getting credit for them.
The 26 year old Mexican has been a professional since 2004. After running off an 8 fight winning streak he suffered his first loss as Anthony Vasquez scored an upset decision over DeMarco. A few fights after suffering his first loss, DeMarco's progress was again slowed as Curtis Meeks scored a draw with him.
Since those marks against him, DeMarco has grown as a fighter and scored 17 wins from his subsequent 18 bouts. Included in those victories were stoppages over the likes of Almazbek Raiymkulov (AKA Kid Diamond), Anges Adjaho, Jose Alfaro, Jorge Linares and most recently a 1 round blow out of John Molina (back in September). Against those victories is a solitary stoppage loss to infamous Edwin Valero back in 2010.
Style wise DeMarco is a pretty typical brawler. He's teak tough (genuinely teak tough), he's crude, he's wild and he's a hard hitter. Whilst he can be made to look silly by a good boxer, as Jorge Linares did he's, he's not a fighter who's going to go away and he's also not a fighter who slows down. He has real heart and the ability to stop fighters in any round with his heavy hands and great finishing instincts.
Whilst Broner is certainly the better boxer here, no question about it, the fact he has fought just 13 rounds in his last 4 fights and the fact that DeMarco is naturally a bigger man than the men Broner has been facing makes this a thoroughly interesting bout. For me it's a 50-50 match up with Broner either taking a decision by boxing or DeMarco getting a tired Broner late in the fight, dragging him in to a war and stopping him late. Broner certainly has the skills to win and make it look easy however I'll go out on a limb and go with DeMarco with a late stoppage proving, for the second time in a little over a year that we shouldn't write off DeMarco despite how crude he is.
Prediction-DeMarco TKO11
Broner, a very confident 23 year old American, is a very stylish fighter who may come across as arrogant but is being guided to being an American superstar of the future. He may be better known for his trademark hair brushing, his loud mouth and his outspoken nature however he is certainly a solid fighter with very good hand speed and a solid (though not amazing) defense.
As a fighter Broner has been around since 2008 though really started to come to prominence in 2011 thanks to a very controversial victory over former WBO Bantamweight (and current WBC Featherweight) champion Daniel Ponce De Leon. In that bout the scorecard of Tony Crebs (99-91-Broner) was heavily criticised as Ponce brought the fight and the action and actually out landed Broner in 5 of the bouts 10 rounds. Since then however Broner's career has rocketed with successive early victories over Jason Litzau, Vicente Martin Rodriguez, Eloy Perez and Vicente Escobedo, with the victory over Rodriguez earning Broner the WBO Super Featherweight title. Sadly despite those wins it's fair to say they have generally come against smaller men.
Last time out Broner stopped Vicente Escobedo, though was stripped on the scales for weighing well over the Super Featherweight limit, a move that effectively forced him to move to Lightweight. Surprisingly however there was talk of Broner skipping straight to Welterweight to face current WBC "interim" champion Robert Guerrero.
In terms of his style Broner is a "poor man's Floyd Mayweather Jr" he often employs the shoulder roll though gets tagged and whilst he's a strong fast kid he is also technically flawed and has less than great work rate. Saying this however he rarely looks to be stunned and often walks through shots of his opponents as he comes forward with out ever looking in trouble.
Whilst Broner has been picking off smaller men, DeMarco has been making his name as one of the top warriors at Lightweight thanks to several notable victories despite rarely really getting credit for them.
The 26 year old Mexican has been a professional since 2004. After running off an 8 fight winning streak he suffered his first loss as Anthony Vasquez scored an upset decision over DeMarco. A few fights after suffering his first loss, DeMarco's progress was again slowed as Curtis Meeks scored a draw with him.
Since those marks against him, DeMarco has grown as a fighter and scored 17 wins from his subsequent 18 bouts. Included in those victories were stoppages over the likes of Almazbek Raiymkulov (AKA Kid Diamond), Anges Adjaho, Jose Alfaro, Jorge Linares and most recently a 1 round blow out of John Molina (back in September). Against those victories is a solitary stoppage loss to infamous Edwin Valero back in 2010.
Style wise DeMarco is a pretty typical brawler. He's teak tough (genuinely teak tough), he's crude, he's wild and he's a hard hitter. Whilst he can be made to look silly by a good boxer, as Jorge Linares did he's, he's not a fighter who's going to go away and he's also not a fighter who slows down. He has real heart and the ability to stop fighters in any round with his heavy hands and great finishing instincts.
Whilst Broner is certainly the better boxer here, no question about it, the fact he has fought just 13 rounds in his last 4 fights and the fact that DeMarco is naturally a bigger man than the men Broner has been facing makes this a thoroughly interesting bout. For me it's a 50-50 match up with Broner either taking a decision by boxing or DeMarco getting a tired Broner late in the fight, dragging him in to a war and stopping him late. Broner certainly has the skills to win and make it look easy however I'll go out on a limb and go with DeMarco with a late stoppage proving, for the second time in a little over a year that we shouldn't write off DeMarco despite how crude he is.
Prediction-DeMarco TKO11
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