Broner looking past Malignaggi; wants another title to grab

By Boxing News - 03/24/2013 - Comments

broner4By Scott Gilfoid: WBC lightweight champion Adrien Broner (26-0, 22 KO’s) pretty much is already seeing his June 22nd fight against WBA World welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi (32-4, 7 KO’s) as a victory already, and he now has his eyes on another title strap to add to his collection once he gets the 32-year-old Malignaggi out of the way.

Broner, 23, has already captured world titles in the super featherweight and lightweight divisions. A victory over Malignaggi will be the third weight division Broner has captured a title in, and it’s unclear if he wants to go after another welterweight title or perhaps a strap at 140 or 154.

Broner said on his social media site “After this fight I’m going to grab another title, but we got to take care of Paulta [sic].”

Malignaggi probably doesn’t like the idea of Broner looking past him like a victory over him is a forgone conclusion, but that’s how Broner is and you can’t really blame him. With the success that he’s had at both 130 and 135, it’s only natural that he’s seeing Malignaggi as a victory already.

It’s interesting to speculate what other title Broner could be talking about. It’s not likely that he’s targeting any of the lightweight titles because he’s been with stiff resistance in his attempts to get a fight against WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns, and there’s no real point for Broner to move back down in weight to go after the WBA lightweight champion Richar Abril or the IBF champion Miguel Vazquez. If Broner captures Malignaggi’s WBA 147 lb. strap, a move back down to 135 would be seen as a backwards step for Broner and not worthy of his efforts.

Broner’s most likely opportunity at 147 is to go after IBF champion Devon Alexander. That’s an easy fight to put together whether Alexander is the champion or Kell Brook. Golden Boy can make that fight. As far as going after the WBO title held by Tim Bradley, that won’t happen because Bradley is with Top Rank.

Broner could also move down to 140 and go after the IBF 140 lb. champion Lamont Peterson, but with him tied down in Golden Boy’s tournament to get a shot at Amir Khan, it’s not likely that Broner will be able to get a shot at the IBF belt holder until 2014.

It would be great if Broner can fight the winner of the tournament next year, but that’s not something that can happen anytime soon like in 2013. Unless Broner is targeting one of the 154 lb. straps, I see him going after the IBF 147 lb. title held by Alexander when and if he beats Malignaggi in June.

It’s not worth it for Broner to go after Burns’s WBO 135 pound title because there’s just no interest in that fight in the United States, and it would be an anti-climatic move for Broner even if he can get the fight. Why take your career backwards to capture a title that no one cares about?



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