Promoter Don King has thrown the drowning former four-division world champion Adrien Broner a lifesaver, signing him to his promotional stable after his BLK Prime deal disappeared after three fights fell through.
King will be seen as a genius if he guides Broner into capturing a world title under his helm.
Even if it’s a paper title that Broner wins, as he did in his previous four division straps, it would still be quite an accomplishment for King to help him make one of the most improbable comebacks in the history of the sport.
“I can hardly wait to get back into the ring again,” said Broner. “Winning a world title and constantly defending or unifying the titles is what I aim to do.”
Broner has been out of the ring for two years, so it’s important that King set up a fight for him soon. With the inactivity, it would be a good idea for Broner to be matched against a lesser fighter so he’s not overmatched right out of the gate in his first fight for King.
It’s unknown how many fights the 33-year-old Broner’s contract is with King and how many years. Ideally, Broner needs to be kept busy as possible by King to ensure that he doesn’t get out of shape and lose focus on his comeback.
Some boxing fans are treating this news of Broner signing with King as a signal that AB has reached rock bottom, as he’s no longer in demand like he was a decade ago when major promoters would have a bidding war to try and sign him.
A lot has changed since Broner was at the zenith of his career in 2013, as he’s been on the decline since his loss to Marcos Maidana a decade.
Broner hasn’t regained his footing after the defeat to Maidana, and he’s compounded his problems by being inactive for long stretches.
Broner (34-4-1, 24 KOs) seems a little disengaged from reality, talking about how he will capture a world title, repeatedly defending it, and unifying. Adrien doesn’t say which division he plans on capturing a world title, but it’s definitely not going to happen at 140 or 147. There are too many talented champions in those
In Broner’s last fight in February 2021, he defeated fringe light welterweight contender Jovanie Santiago by a questionable 12 round decision.
Broner lost that fight in most people’s eyes. At the time, Broner was coming off a one-sided 12 round decision to Manny Pacquiao two years earlier in January 2019. In other words, Broner has fought twice in the last four years, showing that his career hasn’t been his priority.
Recently, Broner was ecstatic after signing a lucrative three-fight, 12-month, eight-figure deal with BLK Prime. He had been scheduled to fight on February 25th against Michael Williams Jr after his two previous opponents Hank Lundy, and Ivan Redkach fell out. However, after Williams Jr suffered a jaw injury, Broner and BLK Prime went their separate ways.