After a less than stellar performance at the weekend at welterweight I wonder will Adrien Broner be making swift return to the lightweight division
I watched the Broner vs Malinaggi fight with great interest Sunday morning Irish time only to feel a little disappointed in what I saw from Broner, but at the same time was left feeling very impressed by what Paulie Malinaggi displayed.
Having said that I was disappointed in Broner I suppose I can’t recall a time (at least in recent boxing history) where a world champion moved up two entire weight classes at once to challenge for another champion’s belt. I predicted a stoppage win for Broner like a lot of people but to be fair I probably underestimated the significance of someone moving from lightweight to welterweight, even if he was fighting a very light puncher in Malinaggi.
It was clear to me right from the first few rounds that Broner’s power (which is his main asset at lightweight in my opinion) had not travelled up very well with him to the 147lbs limit at welterweight. The first couple of rounds I thought Malinaggi would get off to a quick start which he’s known for, and to no surprise he did and used the jab beautifully against Broner who appeared to be a little flat footed.
I was expecting as the fight progressed that Broner’s power would begin to become more prevalent and wear Paulie down, but it just never seemed to happen. Paulie showed great heart, determination and hand speed throughout the entire bout. Broner did have his moments and certainly landed some hurtful shots that left Malinaggi’s face in a mess at the end. But they were not the type of shots that carried one punch knockout power that we had been used to seeing him detonate on his unfortunate foes in the past.
I don’t mean to be over critical or disparage Adrien Broner in anyway at all, I still believe him to be a very talented future with a bright future ahead. At the end of the day he is still only 23 years old and still has plenty of time to learn and improve. He is also still undefeated and is now a three weight division world champion, which is a credible achievement in anyone’s books, especially at the age of just 23.
Having said all that he really needs to stay focused these next few years on the sport and not let certain factors outside the ring effect him. Maybe a bit less trash talking too, to be honest I don’t think he comes off well when he starts talking trash. For me some guys can do it and some guys can’t. He has more than enough talent and boxing style to develop into an big commercial level pay-per-view star over the next few years and should focus on nurturing and developing this gift.
I would also like to see him matched with stiffer opposition should he go back to lightweight or even light-welterweight. We have yet to see really does he have a good chin at light welterweight or welterweight, as Paulie Malinaggi’s power was never really going to trouble him. You can tell that he does need to work a fair bit on some basic things like footwork and head movement that were a little bit foul wanting at the weekend. I only state these facts as a lot of people have been comparing him to being the next Floyd Mayweather, but for me he has a very very long way to go to get anywhere near that level or match those claims.
I think now more than ever is the perfect time to make the Adrien Broner vs Ricky Burns fight at lightweight. Both men are coming off poor enough performances, both have a point to prove.
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