You want to know what is wrong with boxing? Well, nothing paints the picture more clearly than this: Adrien Broner will fight for a world title yet again. It's enough to make one physically ill. Yet, Broner will challenge Khabib Allakhverdiev (19-1, 9 KOs) for the WBA super lightweight championship on Oct 3 on Showtime. Broner is coming off a clear defeat to Shawn Porter in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions card on June 20 in Las Vegas. There were many complaints by fans that week about the way Broner treated them, both before and after the fight. It would have been a lot easier to overlook his arrogance and his crude antics had he actually done his job in the ring. But he was a clear failure. He was outworked by Porter and didn't seem to much care. Only in the 12th round, when his corner told him he was way behind, did he step it up and fight up to his capabilities. He knocked Porter down and showed glimpses of the fighter he could be. It's not acceptable, though, for a fighter to try in only one of 12 rounds, but Broner has routinely gotten away with it. Instead of being required to put together some impressive wins over quality opposition, he's once again pushed into a title shot as if the lackluster performance against Porter never happened.
He's 30-2 with 22 knockouts and is a talented fighter, without question. He's not nearly as good, though, as he believes he is and it's laughable to put him anywhere near the same category that his idol, Floyd Mayweather Jr., is in. You may not like Mayweather's fighting style, and you may despise his constant harping about money. But one cannot deny that Mayweather goes into every fight impeccably conditioned and prepared as best he can.
Broner is nowhere near the dedicated, complete boxer that Mayweather is.
This is a guy who doesn't come in shape. He hasn't improved substantially. He's cruised on his name and his powerful connections, winning questionable decisions, getting the benefit of the doubt in matchmaking and treated (particularly by Showtime) like a star when he's done nothing to be given star status.
The sad part about all of this is that handling him with kid gloves like this only ensures he stays on this path. It's time he was forced to live with the consequences of his actions.
He should be forced to win some fights, make weight, perform at somewhere near his talent level and knock off the crudeness that is so prevalent in every one of his bouts.
Were he forced to earn what he gets, he might even turn into a star. He does have raw talent, but he obviouisly doesn't push himself to get into elite condition and he unquestionably doesn't work to improve his technical skills.
There are a lot of good things going on in boxing now, but giving fighters like Broner title shot after title shot is not one of them.
The sport would be far better off if the powers that be actually made the fighters earn the title shots they get.
It's beyond ridiculous that Broner will be fighting for a world title after the debacle with Porter.
No doubt, the Oct. 3 Showtime card is shaping up as one to skip.
Hopefully, QVC might have something good on that night. It would be more enjoyable watching that than it will be seeing Broner fight for a title he doesn't deserve.
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