The AB (Always Boorish) Hustle

Published

4 years ago

February 21, 2021

Showtime served up a tripleheader from Mohegan Sun in Connecticut on Saturday night, February 20. The centerpiece was the newly reformed, more responsible, and more mature Adrien Broner who on Valentine’s Day told TMZ that his critics could “eat a dick and put gravy on it.”

There was a time when Broner, now 31, was regarded as having the potential to be a great fighter. He won belts at 130, 135, 140, and 147 pounds which enabled him to be marketed as a “four-time world champion.” But the titles were suspect in that there were always more credible champions in the same weight division at the same time. And his ring exploits were overshadowed by his outside-the-ring behavior.

Broner has a criminal record and history of other anti-social conduct that dates back to his teens. His transgressions have been well-catalogued over the years. Bringing his resume up to date, the following highlights have occurred since he lost a unanimous decision to Manny Pacquiao on January 19, 2019 (Adrien’s most recent fight prior to Saturday night).

(1) On March 20, 2019, Broner posted a video on Instagram in which he took a social media feud with Andrew Caldwell to a new level and ranted, “If any f***ing punk ass nigga come run up on me, trying to touch me on all that gay shit, I’m letting you know right now, if I ain’t got my gun on me, I’m knocking you the f*** out. If I’ve got my gun on me, I’m shooting you in the f***ing face. That’s on God. I ain’t playing with none of these niggas. I don’t want that gay shit.” Thereafter, Caldwell was granted a restraining order that prohibited Broner from coming within five hundred feet of him.

(2) In April 2019, Broner pled guilty to misdemeanor assault and unlawful restraint after being charged with gross sexual imposition (a felony), misdemeanor sexual imposition, and abduction in conjunction with assaulting a woman in a Cleveland nightclub. He was fined $1,000 by the court, required to reimburse the woman for $4,200 in medical bills, and sentenced to two year’s probation. The woman then sued Broner and won an $830,000 default judgment. On November 2, 2020, Broner was jailed for contempt of court for failing to pay the judgment. He was released from jail two days later on the condition that the judgment would be paid out of the purse for his next fight.

(3) At the February 21, 2020, weigh-in for the rematch between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, Broner was removed in handcuffs from The MGM Grand Garden Arena by Las Vegas police officers after he refused a request by security personnel that he leave the premises. He had been previously banned from the MGM Grand because of an earlier incident.

(4) On March 13, 2020, Broner was arrested in Miami, charged with DUI, and held overnight in a Miami jail.

(5) Also in 2020, a Las Vegas court handed down a $4,000,000 judgment against Broner in conjunction with a 2017 incident in which he knocked an individual named Carlos Gonzalez unconscious in a Las Vegas strip club. Broner was arrested after the incident and pled guilty to battery.

Hall of Fame trainer and ESPN commentator Teddy Atlas put things in perspective recently when he declared, “I don’t expect people to be perfect. I expect them to be decent. Do you think I feel good being attached to a sport that puts Adrien Broner in the spotlight?”

As a fighter, Broner’s primary value is now as an opponent for high-level A-side fighters. Prior to Saturday night, his ring record stood at 33 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw. But he was winless in his most recent three outings. To maintain credibility, a fighter has to win now and then. And the last “then” for Adrien was on February 18, 2017, when he won a disputed split decision in his hometown of Cincinnati over journeyman Adrian Granados.

Initially, Broner was scheduled to fight Pedro Campa in his 2021 return to Showtime. Then Campa fell out because of a positive COVID-19 test and TBA was listed as the opponent. Often in boxing, TBA is more threatening than the adversary who actually steps into the ring on fight night. Enter designated victim Jovanie Santiago.

Santiago (14-0-1, 10 KOs) is a 31-year-old native of Puerto Rican who had never fought a world class fighter. Initially, the contract weight for Broner-Santiago was 140 pounds. Then Broner (who ballooned up last year to the size of a 5’6″ cruiserweight) had trouble making weight. Two days before the bout, it was announced that Broner-Santiago would be contested at 147 pounds.

As the fight approached, Broner spouted familiar refrains: “I’m motivated again . . . I’ve rededicated myself to training . . . I’m more mature now . . . I’m staying out of trouble . . . I’m going to take over the sport.” During a February 18 virtual press conference, he proclaimed, ““I’ve had so many great performances and I’m looking forward to another great performance Saturday night. He [Santiago] is here because of me and everybody in this room is here because of me.”

Justifying the match-up, Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza said of Broner, “He is still one of the most well-known, well-recognized, active fighters in the sport today. When you talk about recognition among casual fans and non-fans, he does have a level of awareness that brings people to his fights. He does not hesitate to take on quality opposition and he still generates a lot of interest when he gets in the ring. People will watch and people will generally be entertained when Adrien Broner fights.”

However, one might note that Broner has not been “active” lately (unless one considers his recent activity in strip clubs). This was his first fight in more than two years. Santiago (who was listed by BoxRec.com as the eighty-eighth-ranked junior-welterweight in the world) was not “quality opposition.” And while Adrien has the captivating personality of a train wreck, his actual fights haven’t been entertaining in quite a while.

Robert Easter (22-1, 14 KOs) vs. Ryan Martin (24-1, 14 KOs, 1 KO by) opened the Showtime telecast. Easter once held the IBF lightweight title by virtue of a split decision win over Richard Commey. But he lost it to Mikey Garcia thirty months ago. Martin had been knocked out by Josh Taylor in his one previous step-up fight. Easter was busier and better that Martin on Saturday night and, relying primarily on his jab, prevailed by a 118-110, 118-110, 117-111 margin.

The next bout was a heavyweight match-up between Dominic Breazeale (20-2, 18 KOs, 2 KOs by) and Otto Wallin (21-1, 14 KOs).

Breazeale, age 35, brings an unusual commodity to boxing – class. He’s a gracious, thoughtful, nice man. At 6-feet-7-inches tall, 261 pounds, he’s also a formidable physical presence. But Dominic didn’t take up boxing until he was in his mid-twenties. His ring style is wooden and he’s a slow-moving target.

Wallin, age 30, started boxing in Sweden fifteen years ago and now lives in New York. He’s a 6-foot-6-inch, 240-pound southpaw and has never been knocked down as a pro.

Wallin went the distance in a losing effort against Tyson Fury seventeen months ago. Breazeale was knocked out by Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder on the two occasions when he reached for the brass ring. Neither man had fought anyone of note beyond that, although Dominic had faced slightly better competition.

Wallin isn’t a big puncher. But he’s quicker and a better boxer than Breazeale. Also, Dominic was never able to figure out his opponent’s southpaw style. And rather than set up his punches, Breazeale throws one telegraphed punch at a time. That might work against club-fight-level opposition but not against more skilled boxers.

Against Wallin, Breazeale kept trying to land the one big punch that would turn the fight around. And he couldn’t land it. By the middle rounds, his face was puffing up and there was ugly swelling around his right eye (which closed and turned a grotesque shade of purple as the bout went on). By the late rounds, Dominic had lost what little form he had. But he kept moving forward and never stopped trying to win. Wallin played defense in the late going and cruised to a 118-110, 117-111, 116-112 triumph.

That set the stage for the main event. Broner was a 7-to-1 betting favorite. He has skills (that he doesn’t always use) and takes a good punch. And Santiago is essentially a club fighter.

It was a dreadful fight. Broner gave a stink-out effort (which is what fans have come to expect from him lately). Santiago did his best to take the fight to him. But Adrien made a concerted effort for most of the night to avoid engaging. Toward that end, he was aided by referee Arthur Mercante, who took away Santiago’s inside game by prematurely breaking the fighters again and again when Jovanie was working at close quarters. That led Showtime commentator Al Bernstein to declare, “A lot of breaks are happening in this fight when there’s really no reason to break the fighters.”

Mercante also chose to disregard Broner repeatedly shoving his forearm into Santiago’s face and throat (which was Adrien’s most effective inside weapon). And at the end of round four, he deducted a point from Jovanie for a punch after the bell. That seemed a bit unfair since, as recounted by Bernstein, “Broner threw a punch after the bell and Santiago responded.”

According to CompuBox, Santiago had an edge in punches landed in every round except the second (when each man landed six punches). Overall, Santiago out-landed Broner by a 207-to-98 margin.

So, Santiago won. Right?

Wrong.

All three judges – Peter Hary (117-110), Tom Carusone (116-111), and Glenn Feldman (115-112) – scored the fight for Broner. That was a disgrace.

Giving the victory to Broner was bad enough. The margin of victory was unconscionable. As Paul Magno wrote two years ago, “Judges who err in favor of house fighters (lead promoter fighters) are a valued commodity. Whether there is some direct corruption or simply an embracing of useful idiotry is beside the point. The fact of the matter is that judges who tend to favor house fighters get consistent gigs and there’s nothing that will get you left off the ‘acceptable judges’ list quicker than someone who takes a cushy high-profile judging gig but sticks a thumb in the eye of the business entity paying his salary.”

After the bout, Broner spoke with Brian Custer of Showtime and referenced the fact that a majority of fans responding on Twitter as well as Steve Farhood (Showtime’s unofficial scorer) had scored the bout in favor of Santiago.

“F*** Twitter and f*** Steve Farhood,” the newly reformed, more responsible, more mature Adrien Broner said.

Thomas Hauser’s email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His most recent book – Staredown: Another Year Inside Boxing – was published by the University of Arkansas Press. In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism. In 2019, Hauser was selected for induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

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Thomas Hauser

Thomas Hauser is the author of 52 books. In 2005, he was honored by the Boxing Writers Association of America, which bestowed the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism upon him. He was the first Internet writer ever to receive that award. In 2019, Hauser was chosen for boxing's highest honor: induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Lennox Lewis has observed, “A hundred years from now, if people want to learn about boxing in this era, they’ll read Thomas Hauser.”

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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

Published

2 days ago

March 30, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Ringside-at-the-Fontainebleau-where-Mikaela-Mayer-won-her-Rematch-with-Sandy-Ryan

LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.

The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.

Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.

Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.

Co-Feature

In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.

The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.

A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.

Other Bouts

In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.

Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.

Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.

Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.

Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.

Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.

Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.

Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.

There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

Published

2 days ago

March 29, 2025

David A. Avila

William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.

There were no knockdowns in this rematch.

The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.

It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.

Nothing changed in their second meeting.

Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.

The blows came in bunches.

In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.

Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.

Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.

During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.

But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.

“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.

Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.

“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.

Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.

“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.

Female Flyweight Battle

Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.

Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.

Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.

The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.

Neither fighter could take over the fight.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.

Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.

Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.

Puerto Rico vs Mexico

Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.

Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More

Published

3 days ago

March 28, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective-Chap-319-Rematches-in-Las-Vegas-Cancun-and-More

Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.

Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.

Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.

ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.

“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.

If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.

For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.

Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.

No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.

Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.

The fight breakdown

Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.

Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.

That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.

More drama.

During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.

New York City got its money’s worth.

Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.

Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?

“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”

Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.

That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?

Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.

Can she draw enough of that fire out again?

“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”

Co-Main in Las Vegas

The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.

Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.

Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.

Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.

Golden Boy in Cancun

A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.

In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.

DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.

Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.

Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.

Fights to Watch

Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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