By Jake Donovan
The Friday afternoon weigh-in festivities were full of drama and adventure heading into this weekend’s showdown between Danny ‘Swift’ Garcia and Zab Judah at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The main event fighters were deliberately kept apart, while the co-feature performers – Peter Quillin and Fernando Guerrero – both required two tries to make weight for their middleweight title fight.
Keeping the crowd entertained during the afternoon’s multiple delays was a verbal spat between two more future rivals. Brooklyn’s own Paul Malignaggi exchanged words with unbeaten Adrien Broner the moment the two spotted each other.
Both were on hand in part for this weekend’s show but also to begin promoting their own headliner in this very building. Broner jumps two weight classes to challenge for Malignaggi’s welterweight bout when the two meet on June 22.
When asked for clarification on what was said, Broner was his usual blunt self.
“I just let him know I'm gonna be f****ing him up on June 22,” Broner said of forthcoming debut at welterweight as well as on Showtime. “He's my opponent and he's gonna get it.”
Broner (26-0, 22KO) only recently moved up to lightweight, dominating Antonio DeMarco last November to win his second title in as many weight classes. His lone defense came earlier this year, overcoming a rocky start to eventually overwhelm Gavin Rees this past February.
His eventual foray into the lightweight division followed last summer’s debacle at the scales. Broner missed weight by a considerable margin for a hometown (Cincinnati) showcase against Vicente Escobedo. The unbeaten 23-year old won in grand style, stopping Escobedo in five largely uncompetitive rounds, but was forced to concede his 130 lb. belt at the scales.
Now just two fights into a lightweight title reign, he’s ready to move on to bigger and better things.
“The weight's not gonna be a problem,” Broner insists of the 12 lb. leap. “At the end of the day, it’s about skill.”
Broner isn’t having any trouble making the lightweight limit, just problems making fights. Ricky Burns twice turned down opportunities to face the American boxer, instead agreeing to a unification bout with Miguel Vazquez, only to pull out of that fight as well and eventually change promoters.
Rather than grow stale on the sidelines, the two-division titlist instead sought means to stay active.
“They all had fights coming up. I'm not gonna sit,” Broner said, explaining the motivation behind chasing Malignaggi. “I'm stil the Can-Man, but you can call me AB - always balling. Think about it, three-time weight champion in three different weight classes at age 23. Who else has done that?”
Plenty of other fighters have done it – Wilfred Benitez was a triple-crown champ by age 21 and fought future Hall of Famers to get there, for example. Still, there is a point to be made of accomplishing so much at such a young age.
That said, the welterweight belt isn’t yet secured around Broner’s waist. Whether sincere or not, the outspoken boxer expressed mild concern of the challenge that lies ahead.
“Paulie is bigger, he's stronger he's faster,” Broner stated, going through the motions with his comments, before being reminded by Showtime announcer Steve Farhood of where the fight will take place. “He's from Brooklyn as well. It's going to be tough.”
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board, Yahoo Boxing Ratings Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
