Adrien Broner

Early life

Broner grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and started boxing at the age of six. He has said that the sport saved him from a life on the streets.

Early career

Broner turned professional on May 31, 2008 and scored three consecutive first-round knockouts against Allante Davis, David Warren Huffman and Ramon Flores. In Broner's fourth fight he faced Terrance Jett at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on the undercard of the Ricky Hatton vs Paulie Malignaggi fight. Broner defeated Jett with a stoppage in the sixth round. In Broner's fifth professional fight and final of 2008, he faced

In January 2009 he was forced to go the distance with Jose Alfredo Lugo, at the Staples Center on the undercard of Shane Mosley vs Antonio Margarito. Broner returned to the ring in March scoring a unanimous decision over Eric Ricker. Three weeks later Broner stopped Angel Rodriguez in the fourth round. In his eighth fight Broner stepped up to eight rounds in a hard fought fight with Fernando Quintero, pulling out a controversial majority decision victory in a fight that Quintero took on 4 days' notice. In June at the Staples Center Broner met Australian William Kickett, scoring a sixth-round knockout. On the Juan Díaz vs Paul Malignaggi undercard in Houston Broner make short work of Edgar Portillo, victory coming via stoppage in the first round. Broner defeated Henry White Jr via KO in September and finished his busy year against Tommy Atencio. Broner stopped Atencio in the first round, for the sixth time in thirteen fights. Broner then had a fourth round stoppage victory over Roberto Acevedo. Broner fought 4 more times in 2010 against Rafael Lora, Carlos Claudio, Guillermo Sanchez, and Ilido Julio, stopping all of them.

Broner vs. Ponce De Leon

Broner took his first major step up in weight when he competed against former Super Bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce de León on March 5, 2011. In what was truly a very closely contested fight, Broner came away with a controversial unanimous decision victory. Broner got off to a slow start, having trouble penetrating De Leon's high guard. Broner came on strong in the fourth, hurting De Leon with a body shot. Broner slowed down in the middle and later rounds, though landed the cleaner shots, while De Leon proved to be the busier fighter. CompuBox had Broner landing 126 of his 351 (36%) of his total punches, while De Leon landed 127 of his 592 (21%) punches. Harold Lederman scored the fight: 96-94, in Ponce De Leon's favour.

Broner's next fight was on HBO's Boxing After Dark show from Guadalajara, Mexico, Broner took on Top 10 Super Featherweight contender Jason Litzau in a fight scheduled for ten rounds. Broner landed combos on the ropes late in the first, with a straight right, left hook and then a right uppercut hurting the Minnesotan badly. He crumpled, and the ref leaped in, seeing he was out. The official end came at 2:58 of the first round.

WBO super featherweight champion

After having no luck in securing a fight with Ricky Burns, the former WBO super featherweight champion, to fight him on November 26, 2011, Broner fought contender Vicente Martin Rodriguez on the undercard of the Saul Alvarez vs. Kermit Cintron fight card on HBO as part of a double header. He defeated Rodriguez by knockout in the third round, to win the vacant WBO Super Featherweight World title.

Broner made a successful first defense of his WBO belt against Top 10 Super Featherweight contender and mandatory challenger Eloy Perez on a Feb. 25, 2012 HBO-televised card. With a knockout victory. Broner controlled the pace and action from start to finish, beating Perez to the punch and walking him down with ease. The fight ended when Broner landed a straight hand on Perez, followed by another right hand as Perez was going down.

Broner's next scheduled fight was to be on July 21, 2012, at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, against Super Featherweight contender Vicente Escobedo. However, at weigh-in for the fight on July 20, Broner was 133 1/2 pounds, well over the 130-pound limit for the Super Featherweight class, and was automatically stripped of his title. The fight went on as scheduled and Broner won by 5th-round TKO when Escobedo's corner threw in the towel.

Broner vs. DeMarco

Broners next fight was scheduled for November 17, 2012, in Atlantic City at Boardwalk Hall, and was aired on HBO. The fight marked Broner's debut in the Lightweight division. The opponent was the WBC Lightweight champion and Ring No. 1-ranked Lightweight, Antonio DeMarco. Broner started the fight off boxing DeMarco, working behind his jab and using his shoulder roll defense to frustrate DeMarco. In the early rounds, Broner was able to hit DeMarco with his quick counter left hook several times. By the 4th round, Broner and DeMarco decided to stand toe-to-toe in the center of the ring and trade punches. It was Broner who got the better of the inside fight though, with his speed and quick combination punching taking its toll on DeMarco. By the 6th round, DeMarco was cut and his face was swollen in several places while still standing toe-to-toe with Broner, with Broner barely missing his right uppercuts and working the body of DeMarco as well. Then, in the 8th round, Broner opened up another fast combination which hurt DeMarco and then a swinging left uppercut sent DeMarco to the canvas for the first time in his professional career. DeMarco's corner stopped the fight right after the knockdown, giving Broner his second world title in as many weight classes.

Broner vs. Gavin Rees

CompuBox had Broner landing 241 of his 451 total punches. After the fight, Broner said he'd be interested in fighting Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Márquez and current WBO Lightweight champion Ricky Burns. Broner was set to make his first title defense on February 16, 2013, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Having no luck at getting fellow Lightweight champion Ricky Burns to fight him in February, Broner fought Ring No. 6-ranked Lightweight Gavin Rees instead.

Broner stopped Rees in five rounds, after Rees' corner threw in the towel at the end of the round. Rees had some success early, when Broner was clowning and showboating, landing jabs and body shots. By round 3, Broner was in complete control, hitting Rees with his counter left hook at will, as well as hitting Rees at will on the inside. In the 4th round, Broner sent Rees to the canvas with a quick right uppercut, and landed more combinations as the round ended. In the 5th, after a brief clinch between the two, they separated and Broner landed a hard left body shot on Rees, dropping Rees to a knee. Broner ended the round teeing off on Rees, with Rees' trainer throwing in the towel from the corner. CompuBox had Broner landing 48% of his punches in the fight, as well as ending the fight landing 40 of 57 in the final round.

Broner vs. Malignaggi

After failing to secure a fight with fellow Lightweight champion Ricky Burns, Broner decided to move up two weight classes to Welterweight in order to fight two division champion Paulie Malignaggi. Malignaggi was the WBA Welterweight Champion and ''Ring'' No. 6 ranked Welterweight. Broner defeated Malignaggi in a split decision, with one judge scoring the fight 115-113 for Malignaggi, and the other two scoring 117-111 and 115-113 for Broner, making him a 3 weight world champion at just 23 years of age. Malignaggi started the fight fast and aggressive, throwing many punches and applying his jab often. Broner found his timing by the middle of the fight, effectively timing Malignaggi with lead right hands and counter left hooks. CompuBox had Broner landing 246 (47%) of his total punches, and 214 (51%) of his power punches. Malignaggi landed 120 jabs throughout the fight, but only 94 (25%) power punches. Though there was some contention at ringside after the fight as to who deserved the split decision, The Associated Press agreed with the two judges who scored the fight for Broner, mirroring the score of 117-111 by one judge.

Broner vs. Maidana

Broner made his first defense at Welterweight against former Light Welterweight champion Marcos Maidana. Broner had stated before the fight that he did not take training camp seriously for the Malignaggi fight, and that he was going to make a statement in his first defense. From the opening bell, Maidana swarmed Broner, punishing him to the body and the head. In the second round, a left hook sent Broner down for the first time in his career. Broner recovered and seemed to be on the verge of taking control over a tiring Maidana, but a Maidana right to the body followed by a left hook to the head once again put Broner down in round 8. Maidana punished Broner for the remainder of the fight, winning the fight via unanimous decision and giving Broner his first loss as a pro.

Broner vs. Taylor

Following a unanimous decision victory against Carlos Molina, Broner remained at junior welterweight to fight Emmanuel Taylor. Taylor won his last fight by way of unanimous decision against Karim Mayfield. Emmanuel Taylor started the fight charging Broner. Broner spent a large portion of the early rounds on the ropes, appearing to be unaffected by Taylor's punches. In the middle rounds, Broner increased his punch activity, making for back and forth action. By round 8, Taylor's activity reduced dramatically, allowing Broner to secure the last four rounds. Broner sealed the decision in his favor with a left hook to the jaw of Taylor which sent Taylor to the canvas in round 12. Broner won the fight via unanimous decision with the judges scorecards as 116-111, 116-111, 115-112. Broner landed 201 of 524 punches thrown (38%) while Taylor landed 181 of 655 punches thrown (28%).

Broner vs. Porter

On June 20, 2015 Adrian Broner lost a unanimous decision to the former IBF Welterweight champion Shawn Porter 118-108, 115-111 and 114-112 at a 144 lbs. catchweight fight. In the 11th round Broner was deducted a point for excessive holding. Porter who dominated the majority of the fight, was sent to the canvas by Broner in the 12th round. The knockdown was not enough to secure Broner the win, as the fight was one-sided for the majority of the rounds. Leading up the fight the Welterweight champ Porter also criticized, that Broner had a 157 lbs. limit clause in the contract, which stopped Porter from rehydrating to his normal weight on fight day. Porter was quoted as saying,“You want to move up into my weight, then move up! Don’t be scared. Don’t be worried. Don’t be afraid. Put your skill on the line along with your record. Put it all on the line at 147. Don’t put it at 144, then not want to talk about it.” The remarks came as Broner had repeatedly refused to comment on the catchweight situation, which many believed would put Broner in a negative light.

Broner vs. Allakhverdiev

On October 3, 2015 Broner won the WBA Light Welterweight title from Khabib Allakhverdiev by TKO in the 12th round. Broner's win was not a surprise by boxing aficionados, as Allahkverdiev is known to be a slow, soft-punching opponent.

Broner vs. Theophane

On April 1, 2016 Adrien Broner defeated Ashley Theophane by TKO in the 9th round. Before the stoppage by referee Luis Pabon, Broner was leading on the scorecards 78-74, 78-74 and 77-75. Theophane was rocked several times during the fight, almost leading to a knockdown in the 4th round. The fight was scheduled to be for the WBA Light Welterweight title, but Broner was stripped ahead of the fight, for missing the 140 lbs. limit. After the fight, Broner called out Floyd Mayweather Jr., as tensions between the former friends had increased in the past months, due to comments about TMT (The Money Team) by Broner.

Broner vs. Granados

Prior to Ricky Burns retaining his world title against Kiryl Relikh, talks emerged about putting Burns and Broner in a fight for December 2016. Broner announced he would next fight Adrian Granados at a catchweight of 142 pounds on February 11, 2017 on Showtime Championship Boxing. Ongoing talks continued for a potential Broner vs. Burns fight to take place sometime in 2017. The fight card was pushed back a week to February 18. On February 9, 2017 it was revealed that the fight would take place at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds after a request from Broner when he felt sick during training camp. Before the fight, the purses were revealed. Broner earned a base purse of $1 million whilst Granados earned $250,000, a career-high purse. Broner won a 10-round split decision, which was considered controversial. Two judges scored it 97-93 and 96-94 for Broner and the third judge had it 97-93 for Granados. Broner was more accurate with his punches, landing 166 of 403 punches thrown (41%). Granados connected 146 of 683 thrown (21%). Granados called for a rematch in Chicago but Broner declined saying, “I’m taking my career more serious,” hinting he will not be giving Granados a rematch.

Broner vs. Garcia

On May 25, 2017 it was announced that talks were underway for a fight between Broner and WBC lightweight champion Mikey Garcia (36-0, 30 KOs) on July 29, 2017 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. A deal which would include a catchweight of 140 pounds, the super lightweight limit, with Showtime the likely network to broadcast the fight. On Monday 22 May, Broner was sentenced to 72 hours at the Kenton County Detention Center in Covington, Kentucky, on a contempt charge, after failing to make multiple court appearances. Garcia said he would be returning to lightweight after the fight, adding that the Broner fight was 'too good and too lucrative' to pass up. If Broner misses weight, he would be fined $500,000. He said he would be more disciplined because he won't give up half a million dollars and claimed he had a reason to not miss weight. On July 20, 8 days before the official weigh in, Broner reportedly weighed 144 pounds and said that he would 'comnfortably make weight tomorrow'. On July 21, the WBC announced that their Diamond light welterweight title would be at stake for the fight. Garcia weighed in a career high 139.5 pounds and more than Broner, who weighed 138.7 pounds.

Garcia won the fight by unanimous decision with the three judges scoring the fight 117-111, 116-112, 116-112. The fight started tentatively, with both boxers landing few punches in the opening round. But over the course of the fight, Garcia took over and by the championship rounds he was significantly outpacing Broner in punches landed and thrown. ESPN scored the fight 120-108 shutout win for Garcia. In the post fight interviews, Garcia praised his performance and Broner, "This is definitely one of my best performances ever. I think I controlled the fight in the early rounds and I kept the activity up. [Broner] is a great fighter who has great skills. I was the superior fighter tonight." Broner was humble in defeat, but stated that he had to catch Garcia, who he claimed was running: "It was a good fight. At the end of the day, I come to fight, I come to win and I put my heart on the line. It was Tom & Jerry – I had to catch the mouse." It was Broner's first loss at light welterweight.

Both fighters earned a $1 million purse for the fight. CompuBox punch statistics showed that Garcia was the more active boxer, landed 244 of 783 punches (31%), Broner landed only 125 of 400 shots thrown (31%). The fight drew an average 881,000 viewers on Showtime and peaked at 937,000 viewers, making it the most watched fight on Showtime since Deontay Wilder defeated Bermane Stiverne to win the WBC heavyweight title in January 2015. That fight drew an average of 1.24 million.

Outside of boxing

In October 2016, Broner posted alarming images and captions on his instagram page hinting suicide and on October 17, 2016, he was charged with a misdemeanor battery for allegedly choking a waitress at Drai's, a nightclub.

On April 20, 2017 Broner was arrested on a warrant stemming from a failure to appear in court for a previous arrest in 2014..

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