By Scott Gilfoid: ESPN analyst Teddy Atlas is tired of seeing WBC lightweight champion Adrien Broner (25-0, 21 KO’s) wants him to start facing guys his own size and Atlas thinks it’s high time that Broner start fighting the top 140 pounders despite the fact that Broner just recently moved up to 135 and will be fighting for only the second time at this weight on February 16th against Gavin Rees.
Atlas said on ESPN Friday Night Fights “Have a true test for Adrien Broner. He’s being groomed as boxing’s next big star. I like him a lot but please match him against someone his own size and skill level, someone like Brandon Rios, Amir Khan or Lucas Matthysse.”
That does sound like a good idea for Broner because there’s nothing for him to accomplish by staying at 135 and beating guys like Ricky Burns and Gavin Rees. Those guys aren’t the same skill level as Broner, and neither of them is popular enough to make it worthwhile for Broner to fight them.
Broner says he’d take a fight with Rios if it were offered to him. It’s not going to be offered to him because Rios fights for Top Rank, and Rios’s promoter isn’t going to want to see Rios get beaten before he’s matched him against someone like Manny Pacquiao.
Matthysse and Khan would be good options, but I doubt that Golden Boy will risk having Khan take on a good fighter like Broner because they look like they’re trying to rebuild Khan’s image right now after he was beaten twice recently. Matthysse is a possibility but I don’t see Golden Boy making that fight because Matthysse isn’t a big name and it would be a risky fight for Broner.
If Broner does move up to 140, I have a feeling that he’ll have problems getting the big fights that he wants. I can see him getting a fight with someone like IBF 140 pound champion Lamont Peterson, but not against the other champions.
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