I admit it: when Adrien Broner first came on the scene as a prominent prospect, I was full of eagerness to see his every bout. The combination of hand speed, power, and confidence was mesmerizing. Broner won his first 26 fights and did so in dominating fashion (aside from a majority decision win in his eigth fight against Fernando Quintero), with 22 of his victories coming by knockout.
I’m also a guy from the Midwest, so the Cincinnati-born and raised (Hell, I’m even a Reds fan) product also had my attention for regional reasons. But looking back on it now, I skipped over a lot of flaws where Broner was concerned. Some of them showed up later against better competition (particularly a lack of desire to let his hands go and his power not following him as he moved up in weight class), but there was a much greater flaw that I believe held Broner back–his own behavior.
Public Enemy once said, “Don’t believe the hype,” drug dealers say, “Don’t get high on your own supply, Bono once sang, “Some people have way too much confidence, baby.” Broner believed his hype so much that he acted as his own hype man (Flava Flav did not come with the package), and Broner surely was the type of guy who could funk up the toilet and walk out thinking his leftovers smelled of roses. And yeah, Broner, once an acolyte of Floyd Mayweather (before starting a beef with Floyd that his ass couldn’t cash), was full of way too much confidence.
Broner Took His Talent For Granted That doe.
