In the second bout of the Mayweather vs. Maidana pay-per-view broadcast, a welterweight contest took place between the polarizing but talented, Adrien Broner (27-1, 22 knockouts), and Carlos Molina (17-1-1, 7 knockouts). The match-up did little to excite fans, but to Broner this was do-or-die after his stunning loss at the hands of Marcos Maidana. Even with an unspectacular opponent, Broner knew he had to go back to scoring spectacular finishes, but unfortunately for him and all of those in attendance it never came.
As the opening bell signaled the start of the bout, Broner was quick to flash a blinding-quick jab. The handspeed was apparent, even to Molina, and it seemed as if the bout was on route to be an even bigger mismatch in action than it was on paper. After all, Molina hadn’t fought since 2012 and that last fight was a loss that came at the hands of Amir Khan.
Molina’s fate seemed all but sealed in those early moments, but by the second round it was clear that he had come into that fight with a chip on his shoulder. Molina charged forward at the onset of the round, and immediately unloaded an overhand right that managed to catch Broner’s attention. Broner played off this newly relentless aggression of his opponent, but judging by Broner’s consistent use of the clinch it was clear that Molina was to make most of his opportunity.
At the start of the third, Molina came forward again, and aside from some early rough housing from Broner, went right back to charging towards Broner with a volley of blows. Not every shot managed to land for Molina, but enough of them did; showing that Broner’s foil appears to be those to resort to combination punching on the inside.
Even though that was the case, Broner always managed to get out of such precarious situations and counter-punched effectively enough to win and dominate some of the following rounds. Much to his credit, Molina never gave up in his attempts to stop Broner. As the fight wore one however, the fatigue in Molina was apparent and Broner was content so pick apart his opponent, and at times even toy with him.
The fight managed to follow this same well-paced but still dominant narrative with Broner’s crude taunts and efforts of showmanship breaking up the action. For fans, it was the same Broner that so many had come to love. Speed, technique, and explosiveness were all present, but the once trademark power seems absent in his ascent in weight classes.
Even so, Adrien Broner was awarded the unanimous decision victory on scores of (99-91), (98-92), and (100-90). After the fight, Broner was quick to dismiss his opponent and the fight as nothing but a nationally televised “sparring session”, and it was this comment that drew the ire of many in attendance.
Whether Broner takes his next opponents seriously or not, his past two performances have showed him as being a fighter who is as talented as he is predictable. If fighters like Maidana and even Molina were able to succeed against him, what damage could a more talented fighter do? These are the types of questions that will be interesting to follow as his career progresses, but if not dealt with Broner may soon find himself dealing with problem he can’t even compete with.
