Adrien "The Problem" Broner may be a 24-year-old multi-division champion, but the loud-mouthed welterweight has not yet proven he can be a box office draw.
Broner's claim to fame, besides his prodigious skills, has been his mouth. Broner is clearly modeling his persona after that of his "big brother" Floyd Mayweather Jr. "Money" Mayweather has played the role of boxing super villain since his 2007 bout with Oscar De La Hoya launched him into the stratosphere of boxing's elite draws.
Broner is attempting to do the same thing, by posting various videos of himself rapping, flushing money down toilets, and acting heelish in general. It came to a head during the promotion for his most recent fight with Paulie Malignaggi, in which he boasted of sleeping with Malignaggi's ex-girlfriend and putting her on speakerphone during a press conference.
Unlike Mayweather, though, Broner has not faced the level of competition that Floyd has. His fame has outstripped his experience, thanks to the antics, but the boxing public isn't quite sold on Broner as a superstar.
Enter Marcos Maidana, promoter Al Haymon's newest fighter and the No. 1 contender for Broner's title. The hard-punching Argentine has clamored for a shot at solving "The Problem" for quite some time, and reports say that their expected clash could come on pay-per-view.
If Golden Boy sets a November 9th pay-per-view, it would be a large risk, as Broner is untested as a big-time draw, and Maidana is not viewed as a superstar. Furthermore, Broner defeated the light-hitting Malignaggi soundly, but never seemed to truly hurt him.
Broner's appeal has been build on his knockout power combining with fast hands, but Malignaggi is an aged welterweight that Broner was expected to dominate. Malignaggi was Broner's first and only welterweight opponent, and Maidana represents a vast upgrade in power. If Broner tastes the hard leather for the first time and is knocked out, the blow to his career could be devastating.
On top of that, a knockout loss could crush future pay-per-view cards featuring him for years to come.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
