In 2012-13, Broner destroyed legitimate lightweights DeMarco and Rees. He then jumped to 147 and looked fairly crappy in every outting at that weight, mixing in fights at 140 where he also looked crappy but generally won based on power, physical strength, and limited comp other than Roman. Last night he looked decent but not great against Vargas, a fighter who I think Broner would've lost to any point prior to last night. At age 28, is Broner finally getting his conditioning together, gaining a little maturity, and settling in as a top 10 or top 5 contender at 147? Or is he gonna get fat, accumulate ignorant criminal charges, and head down the Panchito Bojado route?
No he's the same mediocre fighter he's always been. It's the fact that Vargas is nothing particularly special himself is why Broner looked ok yet still clearly lost.
That lead right hand is a new wrinkle in his game and it served him well against Vargas. It opened up a lot of opportunities for him which allowed for other punches to be more effective. If he would've started using that punch at the beginning then he most likely would have gotten the nod.
I agree. His durability is really impressive. He can take a lot of punishment and not be hurt. He took a pounding against Maidana, but never looked like he was on the verge of getting knocked out.
he's always been a tough and resilient fighter. he suffered his usual setbacks last night and showcased his usual skills. I scored similar to farhood tight fight lot of good and bad from both men
This. Every since losing to Maidana he hasn't been willing to take any risks when he fights top competition. He doesn't have the footwork or IQ to be a defensive fighter. His only chance to be a top fighter is to let his hands go and take some risks for a change. He has the handspeed, power, and durability to beat some of top guys, but he doesn't seem to have the motivation. As long as the paydays keep coming Broner seems content to be a resume filler for the top guys. Him risking getting knocked out could ruin future paydays.
His corner begged him to be first and to take advantage of every opening and to fight the last round like he needed a knockout. Instead he went out and plodded after Vargas while talking trash and waiting to counter so he could try to embarrass Vargas for making mistakes. Had he fought the last two rounds like his corner asked him to, he would have won the fight. Instead, he acted like he was in the Mayweather Dog House trying to shame a sparring partner. He needs to focus on winning rounds instead. So.....is he improving? Physically, Yes. Mentally, no.
