In what appears to be a last-ditch effort to save his sinking career, Adrien ‘The Problem’ Broner (33-4-1, 24 KOs) is talking about wanting to return to the 135-pound division to become a world champion again.
Broner, 31, maintains that he’s a natural lightweight, and if he returns to the weight class, he’ll be able to destroy the opposition. It’s been seven years since he fought at 135 when he beat Gavin Rees in 2013, but that was a long time ago.
If Broner can clean out the lightweight division, he’ll rejuvenate his career and realize the potential that he had seven years ago. It would be one of those rare things that you see in sports, but it’s possible.
Broner: I’ll destroy the weight class
The hardest part for Broner would be to go back down to 135 without being weight drained because he’s so used to fighting at 147.
Broner moved up to welterweight after that, and other some initial success in beating WBA 147lb champion Paulie Malignaggi by a 12 round split decision in 2013, he’s not done well.
“I want to be world champion again,” Broner told the Wyatt Live podcast. “I’ll make 135 if it’s the right opponent.
“I’m a natural lightweight, and if I come back to 135. I’ll destroy the weight class because I can still make the weight.”
The time for Broner to have moved back down to 135 was after he lost to Marcos Maidana in December 2013. That fight showed that Broner lacked the size or the power to compete at a high level at 147.
If Broner had moved back down to 135 at the time, it would have been easy for him to do so, and he likely would have held a world title in that division for many years.
With the popularity that Broner had back in 2013, he would have been a pay-per-view star at 135. It doesn’t matter that the division isn’t a popular one. Broner had the Mayweather-esque fighting style, and the fans loved it.
Broner looked emaciated when he drained down to make 140 for his match at light-welterweight against Mikey Garcia in 2017. Mikey beat Broner quite easily by outworking him and taking advantage of his low work rate and inability to pull the trigger on his punches.
If the Mikey Garcia fight is any indication of how Broner, 31, will look in moving down to lightweight, he shouldn’t waste his time because it’s not going to end well for him.
Broner eats a lot of fattening foods in between fights, and it’s going to be a major ordeal for him to try and get down to 135.
Broner will struggle against the best a 135
Earlier in Broner’s career, he was viewed as the next Floyd Mayweather Jr, and a guy that was going to take over as the next colossal pay-per-view attraction after Floyd and Manny Pacquiao retired.
It hasn’t happened. Broner lacked the physical tools to be successful at 147, and he’s struggled in losing to Marcos Maidana, Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, and Manny Pacquiao.
It’s impossible seeing Broner beating any of these fighters from the 135-pound weight class:
- Devin Haney
- Vasily Lomachenko
- Gervonta Davis
- Teofimo Lopez
Broner can probably beat Ryan Garcia and Luke Campbell, but the elite-level guys from the above list would give him headaches.
