By Liam Smith: Every so often we hear of an athlete who is on their way to super stardom. More often than not word spreads to the point where viewers tune in from all across the globe only to watch them bitterly disappoint. However on the rare occasion that athlete lives up to everything they have been hyped up to be. Adrien Broner is in fact just that.
A spectacular, unique, athlete who is not only on his way to becoming a superstar but putting on a show for those watching the journey. I personally think we should all feel lucky that athlete is part of our sport.
I first heard the name Adrien Broner being mentioned as a potential opponent for now WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns so I cannot say I have followed his entire career so far. However I can assure you I have done my homework since then. I must say I am a fan of Coatbridge’s Ricky Burns but I do believe he stepped up from 130lbs to avoid, what seemed, an inevitable showdown with Broner. On hearing that Broner is now planning to step up to lightweight himself it would not surprise me to see Burns move up again. Providing he comes out on top of his highly anticipated match up with London’s Kevin Mitchell of course. As we are all aware by now the sport has drastically changed over the years and the best are simply just not willing to fight the best anymore. Now I cannot stress enough how much I do not agree with this going on, which I’m sure no fan does, but I can see why Burns may have felt that taking Broner on was not the best move for his career in the long run. Let’s be honest this, not even 23 year old, kid is breathtaking.
Of course there is going to be the argument that the calibre of opponent Broner has faced has not been anything of the quality we want to see so far. I have in fact found myself wondering the same thing and I look forward to seeing the quality of opposition increase. However talent is talent and watching Broner’s previous fights it is clear the young man naturally has bags full of it. And for those of you wondering. Yes, I am including the Ponce De Leon fight in this analysis. I know a lot of fans believe Broner lost that fight and I can understand why but I believe it could have went either way with Broner perhaps just stealing it. I certainly do not know where one of the judges, scoring the fight 99-91, was sitting. But every fighter has their off days. What really counts is how a fighter comes back from that “off day” and Broner did not waste any time with his 1st round knockout of Jason Litzau in his next outing.
Unfortunately the shambles that went on at the weigh in and the 24 hours that’s followed resulted in Broner stripped of his title and the fight cancelled. Or so I thought. I read during the day on Saturday that Escobedo’s camp was split over if they should take the fight or not. Ultimately it came down to Escobedo worrying more about the loss of the pay day than his wellbeing. I really did feel sorry for the guy though as he was bullied into taking an unfair fight and Broner should be ashamed of himself. Although when the first bell sounded there was only 5lbs between he should never have forced Escobedo into that dilemma. For his performance before the fight he should be embarrassed. Although for his performance in the fight he should be praised. With the weight of Broner in the back of their minds Escobedo’s corner called a halt to the fight during a 5th round onslaught. The correct decision. As much as the hours leading up to the fight were surrounded by controversy the talent on show lit up the event. To me Adrien Broner is more than just a fighter. He is the all-around athlete. With his power, speed, footwork, agility, and most importantly his brain he makes his work look easy. He manages to hit without being hit. A true boxer.
For as long as the sport of boxing has existed there has always been the fighters you either love or love to hate. Adrien Broner definitely falls into this category. From his outrageous ring walks to his loud mouth personality he turns heads everywhere he goes. I must admit I was extremely unimpressed with his attitude after failing to make weight at the weekend which ultimately seen him lose his title before even stepping in the ring. However regardless of if you love him or hate him you cannot deny the future looks incredibly bright for this rising star.
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