By Scott Gilfoid: Gary Shaw, the promoter for WBC lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco (28-2-1, 21 KO’s), thinks that former WBO super featherweight champion Adrien Broner (24-0, 20 KO’s) will be taking a huge step up in class when he fights DeMarco for his World Boxing Council strap on HBO on November 17th at the Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Shaw said to RingTV “For Broner, this is a major step up, because DeMarco has been in thee with [Edwin] Valero and [Jorge] Linares…DeMarco is a tremendous puncher. So if DeMarco hurts Adrien Broner at all, then he knows how to finish him.”
DeMarco sure did fight both Linares and Valero in the past, but what Shaw is failing to point out is that Valero, who didn’t look healthy at all when he took the fight, bludgeoned DeMarco with ease in stopping him in the 9th round in 2010. This was near the end of Valero’s life when he took this fight, and gosh was an easy fight for him. What we learned in that fight was that Demarco could dish it out but he couldn’t take it from Valero and he just pounded into submission.
In DeMarco’s fight with Valero last year in October, DeMarco took a lot of punishment in that fight and was getting out-boxed though much of it. Linares really made DeMarco look like a limited fighter. However, Linares faded late and he had suffered some bad cuts around both eyes in addition to a bloody nose, making it difficult for him to see DeMarco’s punches in the later rounds. It was like someone throwing a blanket over Linares’ head and then hitting him. He couldn’t see anything through all that blood and it’s not surprising that DeMarco was able to get a knockout under those circumstances. But before Linares was cut, he was doing fine and dominating the action against DeMarco.
Broner has got power that’s similar to Valero but must better hand speed and defensive skills. Broner is like Valero with his power, but with the Floyd Mayweather style offense and defense. DeMarco is going to be hopelessly out of his league in this fight and will take a beating. I expect Broner to get a stoppage by the 8th or 9th, just like Valero.
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