Tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET Adrien "The Problem" Broner (28-1-0, 22 KO) will return to the ring in front of a hometown crowd in Cincinnati, Ohio against Emmanuel Taylor (18-2-0, 12 KO). Boxing fan can live stream the bout by clicking this link. Lucas "La Machina" Matthysse (35-3-0, 33 KO) will be the co-feature against unbeaten Roberto Ortiz (34-0-1, 24 KO). Andre Berto (28-3-0, 22 KO) will return to the ring as well against Steve Chambers (24-3-1, 6 KO).
Broner vs. Taylor
After suffering a one-sided first loss of his career to Marcos "El Chino" Maidana, Broner rebounded by taking on Carlos Molina at 140 lbs., one weight class down from where Broner had lost to Maidana. Broner won easily, but didn't appear to hurt Molina badly at any point and provided little in the way of fireworks.
Fans hoping to see him jump back in for his second fight of 2014 against elite competition were disappointed when Taylor was announced as the opponent, since his claim to fame is losing to Chris Algieri, himself still relatively unknown.
Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya is cautioning fans not to take Taylor too lightly, however. "Taylor is not a walk in the park," De La Hoya said.
At just 23 years old the book isn't completely written on Taylor's career, but he was routed vs. Algieri, the best opponent of his career, and he was knocked down vs. the unheralded Karim Mayfield in his next fight. He looks like a stepping stone for Broner to rebuild his image, and De La Hoya himself talked about Broner building back up.
"He got derailed by Marcos Maidana, now he has to put the wheels back on the train. He's still the Broner who people believed in."
Prediction: Broner def. Taylor by KO (Round 5).
Matthysse vs. Ortiz
Ortiz is unbeaten in his career thus far, but his resume is light on signature victories. That doesn't have him daunted at all though as he prepares to step inside the ring with one of boxing's most notorious punchers, Lucas Matthysse.
"I am hungry to be absolute champion of this great organization [the WBC]. I am focused and especially motivated as I see myself in the near future facing the WBC champion Danny Garcia," Ortiz said.
Las Vegas doesn't agree with Ortiz however, installing Matthysse as a -950 favorite to win. If he does get the W, Broner has said he's willing to take him on in his next bout.
"This isn't a joke. There should be three winners on Saturday: two ABs and then my next opponent Lucas Matthysse. That's what's happening," Broner said.
Prediction: Matthysse def. Ortiz by TKO (Round 3)
Berto vs. Chambers
Berto is a former champion fallen on hard times. He has dropped three of his last four fights, the last of which he lost by TKO in Round 12. His defense was never a strong point, but it appears to have worsened significantly against better competition.
In Chambers, he faces an opponent with a respectable record, but one coming off back-to-back losses. He also has demonstrated little punching power, winning just six of his 24 victories by way of knockout.
This is a matchup obviously intended for Berto to rebuild himself.
Prediction: Berto def. Chambers by UD.
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