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| No Problem for Broner |
On the biggest night of his young boxing career, Adrien Broner let his fists do the talking, and boy did they have a lot to say. Just ask Antonio DeMarco. The now former WBC lightweight champion spent eight rounds on the other side of a one way conversation which left him speechless and without the lightweight title he fought so hard to win and defend.
You can't blame DeMarco though, for it was him living the worst nightmare of any professional prizefighter - able to see the punches coming, but unable to do a damn thing about it. That's the problem nearly all of Broner's opponents have faced so far against "The Problem" and DeMarco was no exception. The defending WBC lightweight champion did not come anywhere near close to solving the problem that Broner presents in the ring - speed, power, defense, aggression, and the overwhelming confidence of youth. The 23 year old Broner's showing was so impressive, most experts believe he has already outgrown his weight division and will now only find legitimate challengers (and big paydays) at junior welterweight and welterweight.
Against DeMarco, Broner let it all hang out. Uppercuts, straight right hands, and a comprehensive body attack which all contributed to the destruction of a proud but hopelessly outgunned Mexican warrior. After a slow opening round in which both fighters sought to feel the other out, Broner began the task of systematically breaking DeMarco (28-3-1 w/ 21 KOs) down. While avoiding punches with a shoulder roll defense reminiscent of Floyd Mayweather, Broner went to work and the fight quickly became the one-sided mismatch that many experts suspected it would be.
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| DeMarco down and out in the 8th |
The new champion's options appear limited at lightweight with only IBF champion Miguel Vazquez and rising Scottish sensation Ricky Burns presenting as viable challengers to Broner's dominance in the division. Both Broner and WBO lightweight champion Burns have vocalized a desire to face off in the ring. If the fight is made, expect another mismatch win for Broner as Burns is almost certainly not ready for such a huge step up in class. Just don't tell that to his legions of fans - all of whom would likely travel long and far to buy tickets and root for their man while booing for Broner.
Such is the style of Broner that fans love to hate him and will pay (and pay again) to see him lose.
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| Can Gamboa beat Broner? |
Promotional differences aside, these above mentioned fighters represent the best hopes for Adrien "The Problem" Broner to become the rich and famous playboy boxer we all know he wants to be.
By defeating DeMarco with no problems, Cincinnati's Broner put every fighter within a dozen pounds of lightweight on notice that he is a legitimate force to be reckoned with and the type of fighter capable of providing a payday worth the risk of fighting him.
"To be honest, against DeMarco I wanted to make a statement that anyone who signs a contract to fight Adrien Broner just stepped in some doo-doo they can't get off their shoe. I really don't care who I fight. Anyone can grab that rope to hang themselves. I'm gonna run this city and run this world for a long time."
