Women's multi-division world champion Claressa Shields says Adrien Broner showed the same mistakes in his match last Friday night against Blair Cobbs that he has been showing since losing to Manny Pacquiao five years ago in 2019.
Shields points out that former four-division world champion Broner (35-5-1, 24 KOs), who will turn 35 next month on July 28, was not letting his hands move the way he needed to defeat Cobbs (17). -1-1, 10 KOs) in their title Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Cobbs took advantage of Broner's inferiority complex by knocking him out in the second round with a left to the head and continued to batter him at will over the final eight rounds to win a ten-round decision by scores of 97-91, 96-93, and 96-93.
Broner's decline
Shields says he's not sure if Broner's problems are related to age or the wear and tear of a 16-year career. You just know that Broner hasn't shown any improvement since losing to Pacquiao five years ago in 2019, and that's troubling.
“I love Adrien Broner, but it's the same thing since the Pacquiao fight [in January 2019]over and over again,” said multi-division women's world champion Claressa Shields on Fighthype, discussing former four-division world champion Adrien Broner's loss to Blair Cobbs last Friday night.
It's like a groundhog day with Broner, as he shows the same problems every fight with being busy enough, and letting his opponents win. We saw that in his fights with Jovanie Santiago, Mikey Garcia, Adrian Granados, Marcos Maidana, Manny Pacquiao and Shawn Porter.
Nothing has changed in that situation. Broner just got older, and he's not as physically fit as he was when he fought those fighters. Broner undoubtedly deserved to lose to Santiago and Granados, but the judges gave him a dubious victory.
We saw the same thing in Broner's 12-round bout against Jessie Vargas in 2018. He didn't throw enough punches and allowed his opponents to wear him down. If you consider those controversial decisions, Broner should have eight losses on his record.
“He doesn't let go of his hands,” Shields continued of 34-year-old former four-division world champion 'The Problem' Broner. “Perhaps the years have caught up with him. Maybe old age has caught up with him. I don't know, but I saw the highlights where Blair knocked him down [in round two].”
The fact that Broner hasn't shown improvement in his work rate at this point suggests that the problem is resistance to change, and it's not something that can be fixed with pep talks or more training.
He is not physically able to throw enough punches to win in a high level competition. Cobbs is a rock bottom fringe-level contender at welterweight. So if Broner can't beat this level of fighter, what future does he have in this sport?
Broner's Pre-Fight Antics
“I thought it was the best when Adrien said he had dead bodies and killed people and so on. When I heard him say that in the press conference, I was like, 'Oh my God, he's not focused on fighting. He is focused on killing people,” said Shields.
Broner didn't think about how boxing fans and the media would react when he talked about dead bodies and guns in his final press conference this week. He thought those words would play well with people, but it made him look like he was focused on crime that had nothing to do with the game.
Has Broner been watching too many crime shows on TV? Going forward, Broner needs to separate those things from his career as a boxer because junk food has nothing to do with boxing. He's not going to entertain fans across the US by talking about guns and dead bodies.
“I'm like, 'What the f*** is going on?' But I was hoping it would be a good fight to get back at him,” said Shields. “But I know Blair wouldn't let him down, and Blair's not a bad fighter either. He's not very skilled, but he's a lot of fun, and he punches fast and hard. He is always in a good mood.”
Cobbs, 5'11 1/2″, had too much size, speed, and power for Broner to deal with last night. During the fight, it was clear that Cobbs was going to be a nightmare for Broner because he was too big and threw too many punches to the aging former four-division world champion.
In retrospect, Broner shouldn't have picked Cobbs as his opponent. Although Cobbs has been very effective at creating interest in the fight with his gift of gab, he is too active for a fighter like AB.
Broner's Future: Retirement or Comeback?
“Congratulations to Blair. I wish Adrien a speedy recovery. I hope he decides what he wants to do, but have a great career. “I can't say whether it's time for him to hang up or not because I don't know, but I know he's a four-time world champion,” said Shields.
If Broner wants money, he will probably keep fighting as long as possible because he has to make a living somehow.
Even though Broner's career is on the rise at this point, he can make more money inside the ring than outside unless one of the broadcasts hires him as a commentator. Working for one of the broadcasters may be confusing for Broner because he will have to be careful what he says on the air. Sitting in a gig like that would require Broner to be entertaining, but without going overboard and saying the wrong things.
“If the striker is ready to retire, that's up to him. I pray that he stays safe and continues on his journey and not let his loss bring him down too much. I hope you go back. “If he goes back, it means he's withdrawing, that's cool,” said Shields.
If Broner is going to continue, his promoter will need to lower the level by matching him with tour-level opponents. However, it will be difficult for Broner to attract fans to his fights if he does not face high-quality opponents. Blair Cobbs was a low-level opponent, but the way Broner is dominated by him means he can't beat top-15 competition.
“Adrien is a good fighter. “He had a wonderful career, it's up to him when he retires and not anyone else,” said Shields.
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