Rees: Broner’s power stunned me

By Boxing News - 02/17/2013 - Comments

broner001By Scott Gilfoid: Gavin Rees (37-2-1, 18 KO’s) was literally in awe of the amazing power of WBC lightweight champion Adrien Broner (26-0, 22 KO’s) after being knocked out by him in the 5th round on Saturday night. Rees later said he’d never been hit like that before in a fight, and he was impressed and hurt at the same time.

Rees said “I knew he hit hard, but his power just stunned me…He’s the best I’ve ever been in with.”

Just so people know, Rees has sparred with WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns several times in the past, so when Rees is saying that Broner is the best fighter he’s ever been in with, he’s obviously referring to even in his training as well. Rees knows how good Broner is, and that’s a nice compliment from him. Broner can take that compliment and now forget about fighting Burns because Rees already said Broner is the best.

Broner toyed with Rees in the first two rounds much in the same way a cat toys with a mouse sometimes before he puts it out of it’s misery. Broner stepped up the heat in the 3rd round when he began to load up on his left hooks and right hands.

Rees looked wide eyed when he started taking shots, and he quickly scurried for cover against the ropes. Broner sensing that Rees was hurt and afraid, moved in for the kill and hit him with everything but the kitchen sink.

A hurt Rees was able to make it out of the round, barely. In between rounds, Rees’ trainer Gary Lockett was telling Rees that he was taking way too much punishment, and advising him to use more movement.

All of this seemed to go in one ear and out the other with Rees because in the 4th round, he pretty much ignored everything Lockett said and went right after him with left hooks and right hands.

That just made things so much easier for Broner because he didn’t need to chase after Rees to chop him down. What was amazing about all this was how Rees had talked about how he wasn’t going to make the same mistakes that Antonio DeMarco did by standing right in front of the hard hitting Broner, yet that’s exactly what Rees ended up doing.

It’s like Edmund Burke’s saying ”Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” Poor Rees failed to learn from DeMarco’s mistakes and he ended up getting blasted out because of his failure to learn.



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