Adrien Broner (26-0, 22 KO’s) believes he’s poised to be #1 fighter in boxing within the next two years, as his role model Floyd Mayweather Jr. is on the verge of wrapping up his own career after he completes the remaining 5 fights on his Showtime/CBS contract.
With Mayweather gone in the next year and a half, and Manny Pacquiao appearing to be near the end of his own career, there’s a possibility that a fighter like Broner can take over.
Broner said this as quoted by Golden Boy Promotions “I will be the ruler of boxing in a year or 2.”
If that’s the case then Broner is going to have to make sure he doesn’t have any slipups, starting with his fight on June 22nd against WBA welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi (32-4, 7 KO’s) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Broner has to win that fight, look really good, and show boxing fans that he’s superior to the other fighters that have beaten Malignaggi in the past.
If Broner is really serious about taking over the boxing world as the #1 fighter in the sport then he’s going to need to push Golden Boy to put him in with better opposition because Malignaggi and Broner’s last opponent Gavin Rees aren’t the types of fighters that lead one to see Broner as the #1 fighter in the sport.
From an outsiders perspective, it just looks like Broner is being carefully matched. Thing could change if Golden Boy keeps Broner at 147 and has him face the likes of Devon Alexander, Keith Thurman, Floyd Mayweather Jr, Marcos Maidana and Kell Brook, but that’s not what boxing fans see happening.
Fans believe Broner was aimed at Malignaggi because he was considered an easy mark for him. The fans think Broner will then take his paper title and vacate it rather than defend it against dangerous contenders with a lot more power than Malignaggi.
I guess there’s a way of making Broner boxing’s #1 fighter on the cheap by matching him against Malignaggi and some weak punchers, but that would be pretty sad. If Broner is going to be the replacement for Mayweather when he retires, it seems like fans are getting a lesser deal for their money once Golden Boy starts asking fans to pay to see Broner’s fights.
Of course, if Golden Boy were to start matching Broner against quality fighter and he shows he can beat them, then it’s possible he can become the star he’s talking about.