By Michael Collins: Former WBC World super middleweight champion Richie Woodhall thinks that the key to former WBA light welterweight champion Gavin Rees (37-1-1, 18 KO’s) beating WBC lightweight champion Adrien Broner (25-0, 21 KO’s) on February 16th is to “swarm” Broner in massive all out blitzkrieg attack that will, in theory, overwhelm Broner’s Mayweather-esque shoulder roll defense.
Woodhall said to walesonline.co.uk “It’s a tough fight for Gavin but not an impossible task, His best chance of success is to get close and swarm all over Broner. This will restrict him and not allow him to get into his rhythm.”
I think this is about most silly advice I’ve ever heard. I can’t believe Woodhall was a world champion with that kind of advice. In fairness to Woodhall, he might not have been much of Broner’s fight because him being from the UK and Broner fighting in the U.S. If Woodhall had seen any of Broner’s fights in the past, he’d had already known by now that you don’t try and beat Broner by attempting to smother or crowd him. That’s like bringing the canary to the cat for an easy meal.
Broner will tear the slow and weaker Rees apart if he comes right at him with a primitive type of fighting style like that. The way to beat Broner is to stay on the outside the way that Daniel Ponce De Leon did, and then occasionally come forward to try and land some big shots and then immediately getting away to the outside. That’s the only way to beat Broner because you limit his out-put and his ability to connect with his big shots. But if Rees follows Woodhall’s brilliant plan I guarantee you Rees will be picking himself up off the canvas by the 2nd round wondering what hit him. It’ll be brutal and final if Rees comes straight at Broner thinking he can slug with him.