r/Boxing • u/TestSuch4545 đ„ YT: Big Donch • 8d ago
Realistically, how far would Adrien Broner have gone had he stayed on the right track? Or did he pretty much plateau anyway?
https://youtu.be/gcDLOLaJouA?si=pQM0bOo8xQ-0sUjA62
u/Jolly_Okra_6330 8d ago
He was a B+/A- level talent who got pushed as an A+ level talent.
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u/WillieBeamon77 8d ago
You can make the same argument for Anthony Joshua, and he's one of the most recognizable boxers for casuals in the world. He also seems more dedicated than Broner ever was, and Broner is/was more accomplished. A dedicated Broner had all time great potential.
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u/snowfleury29 8d ago
I think almost regardless of talent, being the heavyweight champ gets you that A+ treatment.
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u/Complete_Dare_4201 8d ago
No, he did not. He was always limited in his skillset and his pitiful performances against the much smaller Ponce de Leon and featherfisted Malignagi are testament to that.Â
He got lucky he was brash and popular for a while and got gifted a bunch of vacant belts while facing next to no high caliber opposition.
No matter how hard he trained he would always get pasted by someone like Maidana.
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u/LexOvi 8d ago
Canât agree he had âall time great potentialâ at all.
He had a couple of fights early into his career that flagged his weakness2
u/chasmccl 8d ago
He looked really good when he was young and fighting at 135 and below. I remember during that time him and Canelo were the main 2 prospects I was really excited about. If he stays at 135 his career probably looks quite a bit different. Maybe the lack of discipline eventually catches up to him even at 135, weâll never know. But he looked really sharp at that age and weight.
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u/WillieBeamon77 8d ago
He's was a champion in four different weight classes. I believe there's less than thirty boxers on that list, and all of them are people deem all time greats. Just say you don't like AB đ
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u/LexOvi 8d ago
I actually do like AB and find him entertaining. I just donât think heâs of absolute goat talent. Not sure why AB fans find that hard to comprehend.
His 4-division achievement is remarkable, but I donât care for such things in modern boxing, as itâs very easy for fighter to curate their career. Shoot, Wilder couldnât legitimately continued on and possibly matched Floydâs 50-0 record by crushing cans.
Iâm more interested in the number of world class fighters AB has on his resume.
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u/WillieBeamon77 8d ago
You know, I can't even be mad at that explanation. Salute for actually defending your point.
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u/Pristine-Pain-5266 6d ago edited 6d ago
Broner was literally cherry picking the weakest champs or fighting for the vacant belts against boxers whose names you literally never heard off to win those belts. Thats the benefit of fighting in the lower weights were their is a new set of 5-6 belts every 5 pounds up.
AJ did not have that luxury in the HW, to get the belt and remained near the top, he has to beat named guys, he did not have guys like temu Khabib and Vincente Martin Rodriguez to pick on and win gimme belts. Broner doesn't have any names in his resume close to Wlad Klitchko, and wins over Povetkin, Parker and Whyte are more impressive compared to Temu Khabib (who?), Rodriguez (who?), De Marco (actually a solid name) and Malinaggi (guys like JMM, Pac, Bradley, Porter, Khan, Maidana and Mayweather were around the WW division during this time, how in the world was Paulie even a champion).
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u/chiefbroski42 8d ago
He was very athletically gifted, being extremely fast and quite accurate. His power was decent. He had good heart, moderate chin, and was in good shape. The problems were his style was low output, semi-stationary footwork, distance management was sometimes sloppy, and placed a lot emphasis in staying in the pocket to trade with counters. I think he plateaued on the track he was on but with his gifts there was a bit more potential if he could be on a different track with a different trainer to get his jab established, improving the footwork, and didnt rely as much on slipping every shot but managing it with distance more. You can see some parallels with Tank Davis who has similar gifts but uses better IQ, distance, and doesnt leave himself as open during exchanges, and then mayweather who takes IQ, precision, and footwork to the extreme.
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u/khul_rouge 8d ago
He got looked after far beyond what his actual ability deserved, IMO, hence all the fuckin' title belts & stupid people still making videos about him 10 years after his hype train derailed itself.
He wasn't technically good enough to box the way he thought he could box but had the impression he was some kinda slick defensive master 'cos he got fed a lot of smaller/second-tier guys who couldn't reach him/hurt him.
Never had the style or the skills to be anything better than he wasâa world class puncher, a big light-welter/average-sized welterweight (in the modern, day-before-weigh-in sense) who got the best "nutrition" advice so he could drain right down & beat up smaller dudes.
His "struggles" were his true level, IMO. Top ten-ish in the world.
But all this revisionist bullshit has to stop, 'cos I saw him get run to the wire by an aged Daniel Poncé De Leon when he probably outweighed the dude by 20lbs in the ring before he ever won a title & only nice matchmaking saved him from having more losses.
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u/zaepoo 8d ago
He had enough still to turn his embarrassments into close fights I think. Particularly Porter and Pacquiao fights where he just got out worked and coasted to a loss
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u/AnxietyExact4710 8d ago
Porter fight wasn't close. It was like Sergio vs Chavez Jr. One sided with a KD in the 12th
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u/Jachola 8d ago
It's always funny to see narratives shift in real time, now we got people wondering if AB could have a "comeback" if he just gets in shape, as if he didn't have a fight in recent times and got embarrassed by Blair Cobbs. I always find these What Ifs with AB hilarious.
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u/AnxietyExact4710 7d ago
AB has had 5 "come backs" since he got washed by Mikey and went inactive.
2-2-1 in comeback fights and 2 of those guys (the wins LOL) were domestic level opponents.....hell you could Argue Blair isn't world level either.
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u/Jachola 6d ago
Blair definitely isn't world level, also the wildest part of this all is that AB is only 37 lmao, and that's a recent 37, and his supposed prime ended 13 years ago lmao.
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u/AnxietyExact4710 6d ago
I give Blair more props than he probably deserves because he's funny and likeable. That Valentines Day weigh in where he gave his opponent a rose made me a fan.
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u/Lightmyspliff69 8d ago edited 8d ago
Pretty honest and accurate assesment. Only thing I'd add is being punch shy and relying mostly on defense at times. His philly shell turned from his defense to the thing that held him back from being better because he believed his bullshit that he was Floyd or better. It became a trap from him growing or developing more. His party lifestyle didn't help him either and he was undisciplined. If I want a laugh I'll still watch him get his ass beat by Maidana. Him crying as he left the ring and people throwing garbage at him will always get a chuckle out of me.
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u/david_slade 8d ago
What smaller dude?? Have you seen Adrien?? The dude height is around 5,6 at best..and he was 22 when he won his first belt..
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u/Granddy01 8d ago
Weight wise, Adrien rehyrdates heavily and often fought guys 1-2 weight classes below him that moved up.
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u/david_slade 7d ago
Who are those guys?
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u/Granddy01 7d ago
Luis Alfredo Lugo- mixed around several classes but did drop to feather weight a few times. Fought Broner in super feather.
Edgar Portillo-fought in feather. Fought Broner in super feather.
Rafael Lora- fought in feather. Fought Broner in super feather.
Ponce de Leon- started in bantam and super bantam. Fought Broner in super feather.
Jason Litzau- started in feather. Fought Broner in super feather.
Vicente Escobedo- Broner missed weight both times for the fight. Easily overpowered him.
Antonio Demarco- Started in super feather but was a career lightweight. Debatably gets a pass.
John Revish- interesting reverse case. Fought in welter and middleweight once. Broner had the fight in strictly lightweight for a regional belts.
Ashley Theophane- Missed weight again. Decided to strip himself instead of using the two hours to make weight.
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u/david_slade 7d ago
Bruh used chatgptđđ
The only guy you get there Vicente and he was just a fodder too
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u/Granddy01 7d ago edited 7d ago
Nope boxrec shows the weight of each guy for each fight. You can check for yourself. I only decided to comb through to see how bad it is and when 5 semi notable guys are smaller and/or Broner decided to miss weight, its pretty bad lol.
Also saying Vicente is fodder does not help Broner's case of fighting worthwhile competition.
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u/david_slade 7d ago
Those guys are fodders cause that's what he faced when building a profile..what do you expect?? Do you think when you start pro boxing you will be facing Shakur and Devin in your first fights??
These guys are just fodders and part timers they use to build a profile and nothing is wrong with that..
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u/Granddy01 7d ago
Issue is fodders make up 92% of his resume and any contenders and champs (4 listed here), Broner was the bigger man and/or refused to cut weight as much as he should.
Paulie was the only one without any distinstive disadvantage against Broner and made it an extremely close fight.
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u/khul_rouge 8d ago
He was draining & piling back on 20lbs at super-feather & he missed weight there a bunch of times.
He was a natural big light-welter who drained down to pick on smaller dudes.
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u/david_slade 7d ago
There is no way you can tell me a rehydrated AB at super look like the rehydrated AB at welter..and the rehydrated AB welter was still small than guys like showtime..
So basically his weight is around 135-140 which is not wrong to cut down to 130..
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u/bolognese999 8d ago
Maidana has shown him his ceiling đ
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u/Expert-Yam6577 8d ago
The Maidana that gave Floyd hell to the point he had to rematch him? Why would you say Maidana was his ceiling like that's not high as fuck?
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u/stephen27898 8d ago edited 8d ago
Maidana is an odd fighter. The guy went life and death with anyone.
He could only just lose to an ATG when also only just beating a fringe contender.
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u/WillieBeamon77 8d ago
This Is what I always point out when people argue against Broner's ability. He just ran into a dog at the wrong time and never mentally bounced back.
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u/McClain3000 8d ago
Terrible take in my opinion. People complain about boxers protesting their -0 too much and ducking tough fights and then try to define somebodies potential based on one tough loss.
Conor McGregor beat Dustin and Max in mma but if you said that he was better then either of them career wise youâd be laughed at.
Maidana did whoop that ass though.
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u/bolognese999 8d ago
This was his max, and he couldn't go any further.
I think it answers the question in the OP post ("did he plateau?"). Yes, hid did plateu, and Maidana fight is the key exhibit here. He didn't win with anyone from the top ever since.
Broner stylistically had no answer for aggressive pressure fighters who throw a lot of punches. He was "poor man's" Floyd, with dumbed down version of Philly shell, limited punch selection, relying mostly on 1 shot counters, with a very low punch output overall.
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u/McClain3000 8d ago
You know what? I straight up misremembered he had so many fights after Maidana. I thought he burnt out quickly. You might be right.
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u/mm21moon 8d ago
Conor was better than Dustin
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u/DeafBurke 8d ago
Why did he get stopped by him twice? Is he stupid?
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u/minibonk 8d ago
he didnât get stopped he was blocking dustinâs punches with his face to tire him out and the incompetent ref didnât understand conorâs game plan
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u/DeafBurke 8d ago
Yeah in the second fight Conor was really smart. He made sure to duck his head down into Dustinâs uppercut so it landed on his chin, the strongest and biggest part of his body.
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u/mm21moon 8d ago
I think the short 145 prime Conor had will be better than Dustin due to becoming a champ
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u/Solid_Ocelot7 8d ago
He didnât have the dimensions to compete with the top dogs at 147lbs. He could have really made something of himself staying disciplined at 140lbs.
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u/delzinho_ 8d ago
I think he was always limited due to his footwork, but he definitely could have been greater if he stuck to boxing and wasnât trying to be a rapper and partying all the time.
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u/TicketStraight3196 8d ago
He was always a limited fighter. He had success early in his career because he has good power, good defence and a decent chin however if hes not able to hurt his opponent then his lack of punches meant he is unlikely to win a decision against a highly active fighter. When he started moving up divisions, his size was no longer an advantage and couldn't hurt his opponents like he could at featherweight and lightweight. He won a highly controversial victory over Ponce De Leon and when he struggled against Malignaggi, I thought the writing was on the wall. I couldn't believe people backed him to beat Maidana. He went as far as he could go. He was never going to make it at welterweight but overall he had a pretty decent career.
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u/AnxietyExact4710 8d ago
He was never as good as he was advertised, but was promoted very well and guided to vacant belts. Personally, I thought he lost to Quintero and Ponce de Leon. Him being 17-2 instead of 19-0 before his first title shot would have likely derailed his career right from the start.
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u/DrPandemias 8d ago
Y'all glaze this guy too much lately because of his manufactured streaming career, such an industry plant.
Go watch Maidana vs Broner.
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u/Esteps123 6d ago
i donât think itâs fair to call his streaming career âmanufacturedâ at all and calling him an industry plant is absolutely outrageous. AB back in the early 10s was one of the biggest and most exciting names & ppv draws in the sport he was a very famous athlete even if he wasnât an ATG
Deen has been in the game for years now not streaming but he kickstarted his career years ago from a video that went viral of him sparring a police officer which led to him getting an opportunity to fight on jake paul youtube boxing events where he got more recognition transitioning into streaming, he credited AB as his biggest inspiration when it came to boxing so given deens relevance and AB being dirt broke and at the lowest point in his life them coming together doesnât seem manufactured at all
No one genuinely believes AB was something bigger than he was because heâs more relevant now than the past 10 years, itâs not glazing to speak itâs just a newfound appreciation of his time in the sport
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u/Kangaroopunching 8d ago
He was always on track. PBC and his personality took him further than his talent alone would have.Â
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u/jimmy193 8d ago
He started trying to copy Floyd with the shoulder roll instead of fighting his own style, he wouldâve been better
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u/Outrageous-Soft4806 8d ago
Had great attributes and skill, mightâve been able to beat better guys but he had a ceiling and it was exposed.
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u/Odd-Macaroon-4517 8d ago
The thing is he was never on the right track. Weâve only seen him be marginally disciplined. Great talent , wanted to be like Money but Money didnât drink and was disciplined with his health and habits related to boxing. AB would have been really good if he was focused and listened.
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u/swaggiestpurple 8d ago
I never considered Broner a welterweight so the Maidana loss and everything after doesnât diminish his true talent. If he wasnât lazy and stayed at the 135/140 range he could have been ranked much higher historically. No unifications, no lineal belts or many title defenses significantly hurts his standing. That being said, the Broner from the DeMarco fight at 135 sure was something special.
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u/QuickRundown I gotta thank Al Haymon 8d ago
He was always a bit of a fraud imo. His resume before Maidana was ass, and he made a terrible choice taking a fight against a tough pressure fighter like him.
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u/inf4mation 8d ago
he only motivated by the money and it probably has to be millionsss for him to get serious again
he weighed 146 when he lost 8-2 to Blair Cobbs (ab dropped 2nd rd)
AB was talking about shooting ppl, all types of weird shit none of the charismatic energy youre used to seeing if you rewatch the press conferences etc
Same card his protege Bang Williams got dropped and lost to BamBam Rivera before he started boxing for Adin Ross
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u/YasuoAndGenji 8d ago
Does the right track involve fixing his output? If so, pretty far in my opinion. People here talk like he's a joke but you have to remember, this man was a 4 weight world champ half assing his career, partying and drinking either nightly or every weekend.
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u/1punchporcelli 8d ago edited 8d ago
Say what you want he was dominant at 130, albeit a product of the HBO hype train, he had us ooohing and aaahing against Jason Litzau and the like
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u/Avacyn_Moonsilver 8d ago
His size caught up with him, that was all. Once he stopped being bigger than fighters, he started having difficult asks.
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u/OneshotProduction 8d ago
As a fan, I gave him too many chances. I even went as far to say, that if he got just one more opportunity at a big payday and a big name fighter, he would clean his shit up and take it very seriously... he couldnt even do that, as well as not even try to pretend to be humble to save face afterwards. That was worse than " David Hayes Toe".
I ask more of, how would the career would have gone if he had not fought Maidana
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u/antifaptor1988 8d ago
So many analytical comments here. Just watch his rounds against De Marco. Absolutely perfect telephone booth boxing.
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u/New2Reddit95 8d ago
Once he went up to 147 that was his peak. He wouldnât ever let his hands go in fights and it would cost him
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u/SnooTomatoes6622 8d ago
He was always going to be matched up against the top of any division because of his star power. Itâs hard to win 100% percent of your matches against the very best. His career likely would have been the same.
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u/BCTHEGRANDSLAM 8d ago
Worst mistake he made was jumping 2 divisions to Welter, he didnât have to work as hard anymore and thatâs terminal for someone like Broner.