Broner looking slow in Mayweather style mitt workout

By Boxing News - 12/13/2013 - Comments

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By Dan Ambrose: WBA welterweight champion Adrien Broner (27-0, 22 KO’s) showed off his hand speed, such as it is, in a Mayweather style mitt workout with his trainer sent by Radio Raheem in Broner getting ready for his first defense of his title this Saturday night against Marcos Maidana (34-3, 31 KO’s) at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

For fans wondering what the difference is between Mayweather and Broner, you can see it pretty clearly in watching Broner hit the mitts. He’s considerably slower than Mayweather, even at this point in Floyd’s career. Broner does not have the hand speed that Mayweather possesses, and for that reason you have to give Maidana a chance to win this fight.

Broner’s main thing that he had going for him at super featherweight and in the lightweight divisions was his power. The second thing he had going for him was his weight advantage over his lighter opponents. With Broner now fighting at welterweight, he no longer has either of those advantages. His power is less than that of Maidana and many of the other welterweights, and his weight is around the same as theirs.

Broner now has to fall back on his defensive ability and his Mayweather-like fighting style. Will that be enough for him – minus the hand speed, power and weight advantage – for him to beat Maidana on Saturday night? It’s hard to tell. Maidana has looked average in fights against Amir Khan, Andriy Kotelnik, Erik Morales, and Devon Alexander. He’s someone that can beat the lesser fighter, but when he steps it up against good opposition, Maidana tends to fail. He’s got a punchers chance in any fight he’s in, but that’s the extent of it. Maidana literally lives and dies by his knockout power. If he can get you out of there then he wins, but if he can’t then he has a good chance of losing.

Broner might end up getting exposed in this fight by Maidana. If that happens then Broner needs to think seriously about moving back down to the lightweight division because this fight is the proving ground for him. If Broner can beat Maidana then he doesn’t belong at 147, it’s as simple as that.



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