AB is back. Sort of. Former four-weight titlist Adrien Broner bagged his first win in two years last night, the 31-year-old winning a pretty close, less than thrilling 12 round decision over the little-known Jovanie Santiago. Broner looked decent, yet nothing much more than that. The fight should have been contested at 140 pounds yet Broner never had a chance of making light-welterweight, instead of tipping in at 146. Now 34-4-1(24), “The Problem” can look ahead to his next fight. But can Broner do anything of real significance at this late stage of his career? Or is it too late?
Certainly, it was disappointing for Broner fans seeing him labour to defeat a guy not too many people had even heard of. Broner, remember, was saying last week how he is going to “take over boxing.” Broner might be a far better talker than he is fighter today. Regis Prograis sure thinks so, tweeting after last night’s fight how Broner is, in his opinion, “past his prime.”
“He’s 31 but he’s an old 31,” Prograis wrote. “He’s been boxing since he was six or seven years old, and he’s had too many hard fights. He’s not the old AB. His reflexes aren’t there anymore and he’s slowing down. I would’ve knocked this dude out in less than five minutes.”
There has been talk of a fight between these two for some time now, and last night, speaking after picking up his comeback win, Broner vowed to “f**k him up” if he ever fights Prograis. “I always cheer for him and I wish him the best, but if he gets in the ring with me, I’m going to f**k him up,” Broner said in his own inimitable style.
Sounds like a grudge-fight in the making. Prograis, 25-1(21) – the loss coming in a great and extremely close fight with Josh Taylor back in October of 2019 – is actually a year older than Broner, but he is a good deal fresher and less worn. Prograis last fought in October of 2020, this his one fight back after dropping that close decision to Taylor. Both guys are great talkers and the hype ahead of a fight between Broner and Prograis would likely ensure a good deal of fan interest. Broner still holds the distinction of never having been stopped or knocked out and, as the bad guy that he is, some fans do tune in to watch Broner fight in the hope of seeing him get flattened. That aside, there might not be too much interest in seeing Brone fight these days. Not unless he gets in there with an elite name, anyway. But is Broner still anything close to an elite fighter himself? Can Broner improve on last night’s performance and prove to be a genuine problem for an elite fighter?
Do YOU even care any longer?