Broner Edging Closer To The Point of No One Cares

By Lyle Fitzsimmons

First things first, Adrien Broner can fight.

He’s got quick hands. He moves well. And as he showed in Saturday night’s competitive – but clear – victory over Emmanuel Taylor, he’s got a flair for the spectacular when it comes to closing a show.

That may not mean anything when it comes to a would-be match with Lucas Matthysse that he went public about with Jim Gray, but it does reflect that reality that he deserves some respect for his game.

Thing is, he’d probably get it from a few more folks if he’d only shut his mouth once in a while.

Love the guy or loathe him, the fact that he’d won belts in three weight classes as a 23-year-old – and has since put himself in position to challenge for a fourth at age 25 – puts him either in or along the perimeter of an elite class of fighters who’ll be populating premium cable fight cards for years to come.

But that doesn’t mean anyone is going to like it.

The “Problem’s” latest dose of signature nonsense came before, during and after the scrap with Taylor.

First with a weigh-in choke, then with a juvenile hip shake after the final-round knockdown and lastly with both the dumber-every-time-it-happens hair-brushing scene and another over-the-line assertion that he knew Taylor would be tough because he was African-American, as apparently opposed to the far less-qualified Mexican that he “beat the f*ck out of” on the Mayweather-Maidana show in May.

It’s gotten to the point where Broner’s sequence is predictable going in.

First, he’s going to go full-on Mayweather in the pre-fight run-up, asserting that he’s the logical next in line to the pound-for-pound throne. Then, during the fight, he’s going to outclass with speed, shake his head derisively every time he gets hit and maintain a steady flow of chatter for as long as it lasts.

And finally, when it’s over, he’s going to gather his cadre of “hey look, I’m on TV” yes men and act the fool while guaranteeing himself a place atop every boxing website’s story list the following morning.

In some ways, I suppose, it makes him a genius.

He knows he’s got a schtick that gets attention, and he makes sure it’s turned up to warp speed each and every time there’s a camera or mic within 100 yards. Still, at some point soon, whether it’s surrounding a Matthysse fight or some other event down the line, the negativity will outdo the novelty.

And at that point, the boys in the corner offices are simply going to say, “Why bother?”

Make no mistake, it’s not as if Broner is the only guy with an act.

Fighters have gone all-in with gimmicks for years, and the reigning best fighter in the world – the guy named Mayweather who Broner so much wants to emulate – can don and remove the black hat as well as any villain not named Jesse James, J.R. Ewing or Hollywood Hogan.

But what each of those guys mastered, and what Broner still seems either unable or unwilling to grasp, is that there’s a time and a place to turn it off. Mayweather makes a living cracking wise and acting superior when the Showtime crews are in sight, but he’s never let it interfere with his preparation – as 46 wins over 18 years will attest – and he’s rarely anything but gracious in the post-fight aftermath.

I can’t claim to know his SAT verbal score, but I know he’s an engaging guy when he wants to be. And to some extent that helps move the needle when it comes to dropping $70 to watch him fight.

When it comes to Broner, though, it’s getting a lot easier each time to simply change the channel.

His own corner man, Mike Stafford, made no secret when we chatted a few months back that a lack of focus on the task at hand played a role in his man’s devastating loss to Marcos Maidana. And, in spite of claims to the contrary by the fighter, there’s little to indicate that the Broner who appeared Saturday night is anything different than the one who was splattered by “Chino” last December.

The defeat of Taylor was sound, but it was hardly a paradigm shift. He still seems more concerned with sizzle than steak, and unless he changes that and gets to business, there’s little reason to believe the “Machine” won’t simply continue the plummet in the next one that Maidana began in the last one.

Maybe it wouldn’t matter. Maybe Broner’s brand of flash would never be enough to contend with the sort of cranium-rattling offense the Argentine brings, regardless of how much he mutes his persona.

But one thing seems certain. If he doesn’t aim to be more problematic for Matthysse in the fight than for the Showtime censors after it, the only place he’ll be getting his hair brushed is in an ambulance.

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This week’s title fight schedule:

WEDNESDAY

Amnat Ruenroeng (champion/No. 7 IWBR) vs. McWilliams Arroyo (No. 1 contender/No. 24 IWBR)

Ruenroeng (13-0, 5 KO): Second title defense; Thirteenth fight in Thailand (12-0, 5 KO)

Arroyo (15-1, 13 KO): First title fight; Third fight outside Puerto Rico (1-1, 1 KO)

Fitzbitz says: The younger man (28 to 34) is traveling and he’s not exactly been beating up on the world’s elite at 112 pounds, but it’s not as if he’s fighting the Joe Louis of flyweights here either. Arroyo in 6

SATURDAY

Miguel Vazquez (champion/No. 1 IWBR) vs. Mickey Bey (No. 10 contender/No. 42 IWBR)

Vazquez (34-3, 13 KO): Seventh title defense; Unbeaten since 2008 (13-0, 3 KO)

Bey (20-1-1, 10 KO): First title fight; Sixth fight in Las Vegas (2-1-1, 1 NC, 0 KO)

Fitzbitz says: Vazquez might be the best world champion that no one outside of his entourage has ever heard of, but that should change with a slot on a high-profile card. Vazquez in 9

WBA/WBC welterweight titles – Las Vegas, Nev.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. (champion/No. 1 IWBR) vs. Marcos Maidana (No. 3 WBC/No. 2 WBA/No. 6 IWBR)

(WBC super welterweight title – held by Mayweather – also on the line)

Mayweather (46-0, 26 KO): Third WBC defense (first WBA); Twenty-third fight in Las Vegas (22-0, 10 KO)

Maidana (35-4, 31 KO): Sixth title fight (2-3); Lost majority decision to Mayweather on May 3

Fitzbitz says: It’s both a wonder of modern promoting – and an indictment of the market for foes – that a guy who lost eight rounds the first time gets another shot. Same winner, faster end. Mayweather in 10

WBC super bantamweight title – Las Vegas, Nev.

Leo Santa Cruz (champion/No. 2 IWBR) vs. Manuel Roman (unranked/unranked IWBR)

Santa Cruz (27-0-1, 15 KO): Third title defense; Held IBF title at 118 pounds (2012, three defenses)

Roman (17-2-3, 6 KO): First title fight; Third fight scheduled for 10 or more rounds (1-1, 0 KO)

Fitzbitz says: Santa Cruz is a two-belt champion who ought to be in the mix for big fights with big names. This is neither, but it will allow him to look good in order to set up the next one. Santa Cruz in 6

Last week's picks: 3-1 (WIN: Gonzalez, Inoue, Frampton; LOSE: Estrada)

Overall picks record: 610-211 (74.2 percent)

NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body's full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA "world championships" are only included if no "super champion" exists in the weight class.

Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.