Adrien Broner Was Always ‘The Problem’

That doesn’t mean all of the hype and confidence was misplaced. Broner was a genuine talent with excellent skills and the capacity to have become a great fighter. Notice that I am speaking in the past tense because that’s over now–been that way for a while now and the biggest reason is Broner himself. Those first 26 fights were too easy. They didn’t ask him to up or add to his game, and so he didn’t. He got lazy. Sure, Broner generally looked fit when he entered the ring, but themes started to evolve when you were watching his fights. It was often hard to tell when he took a round off because he threw so few punches that every round felt like the same. And when that one big punch he was looking for found no purchase against his opponent’s jaw, the abundance of caution became even worse. Broner had gone from an exciting knockout artist to a walking snoozefest.

The first signs of real trouble came when Broner moved up from lightweight to welterweight to face Paulie Malignaggi for the WBA title in June of 2013. Broner won the fight against the cotton-fisted (if slick) Malignaggi by split decision (probably the best win on Broner’s resume–let that sink in). I don’t mean to demean Malignaggi as a fighter; few have ever gotten so much out of the sport without having enough punching power to bust out of a paper bag, but that’s why Malignaggi was practically made for Broner. Broner had no reason to fear getting hurt when he moved up in weight against Malignaggi, but yet he fought as if he forgot why he put on the gloves at all.

Then came Marcos Maidana in December of that same year. A fight that left the braggadocious Broner fully exposed and with his back hitting the canvas in a lopsided unanimous decision loss to the tough Argentinian. Unfortunately, what should have been a reality check that could have both humbled and inspired Broner did neither. Broner has fought 13 times since Maidana laid that whuppin’ on him, and his record since stands at a mediocre (and I’m being kind here to a guy who is supposed to be a world-class fighter) 8-4-1.

What’s particularly notable over this fading final stretch of Broner’s career is who he beat (guys who don’t really crest the very good threshold) and who he lost to. Every time from Maidana on, Broner fought someone who was world-class, Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, and Manny Pacquiao, he lost, and he lost clearly. And look, there’s no shame in not walking out of the ring with a “W” against any of that trio. But then there was the loss to Blair Cobbs this past Saturday.

The 34-year-old Cobbs entered the ring with a flashy(ish) record of 16-1-1 with 10 KOs, but against decidedly modest opposition. Losing a unanimous decision to Cobbs (97-91, 96-93, 96-93) was surely not part of “The Problem’s” plan to restore some luster back to a career that had long been lacking.

The Ship Has Been Sinking For A While Now

Now, at the age of 34, with a not-so-gaudy record of 35-5-1, Broner may be thinking he’s at a crossroads. He’s not. He’s done, even if he doesn’t know it yet. Trouble is, according to Celebrity Net Worth, Broner only has about $100,000 left of the millions (this from a guy who mocked Mayweather’s “Money Team” moniker) he’s made over the course of his boxing life. That’s not a bad chunk of change to walk away from one job with should you be qualified to do other things. If Broner is, I’m not sure what they are. To make matters worse, Broner (who has five children) also has to contend with the fact that he has a very busy record of violations and accusations. Some of them are truly harrowing.

• A 2016 charge for misdemeanor battery for allegedly choking a waitress
• Knocking out a heckler in 2017, despite the efforts of his girlfriend (that’s gotta be a tough gig) to restrain him
• In 2018, Broner was booked on a misdemeanor sexual battery charge (he made bail)
• In 2019, Broner was issued a restraining order for making homophobic threats on social media
• In December of 2019, Broner was ordered to pay a woman $830,000 for sexually assaulting a woman in Cleveland Nightclub
• Lastly, in 2021, Broner was jailed for violating parole due to failing to enroll in a court-mandated alcohol treatment program

To add insult to injury, when reporting the judgment, the Cincinnati Enquirer referred to Broner as an “ex-boxer.” That’s his hometown paper, folks.

Will We Ever See Broner Back In The Ring?

So, what’s next for Broner? He’s likely to go broke soon if he doesn’t keep boxing, and at the relatively young age of 34 and the fact that he is a “name” fighter (if not a great one), I’m sure he’ll get booked for on future cards. The thing is though, he won’t be the main attraction anymore. He will be somebody’s steppingstone or “keeping busy” opponent.

Hints of that possibility came just this Monday on Instagram when Broner made the post below. I’d like to believe Broner, but the tell in the message comes with the hashtag. He’s still hyping himself, still getting high on his own supply, and still full of too much confidence. Or, on that third thing, is he? Or is he just trying to project confidence and/or live in a state of denial?

The irony in all of this sad mess (likely destined to get even sadder) is that Adrien Broner stopped being a problem for his opponents a long time ago. I would even go so far as to say that the real “problem” for Adrien Broner has always been himself.