By Radio Rahim
Former world champion and Golden Boy Promotions partner Bernard Hopkins is really rooting for Adrien Broner (36-0, 30 KOs) to pull off the upset on July 29th, when he faces undefeated Mikey Garcia (36-0, 30 KOs) in a highly anticipated showdown.
Garcia, who is currently the WBC lightweight champion and regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in boxing, will move up to junior welterweight to face Broner at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Broner has held world titles at super featherweight, lightweight, junior welterweight and welterweight.
Broner will turn 28 years old on July 28, the day before his bout with Garcia.
Garcia, 29 years old, was recently crowned the WBC lightweight champion back in January when he scored a very brutal knockout over unbeaten Dejan Zlaticanin. Garcia has also held world titles at featherweight and super featherweight.
At one time Broner was regarded as one of the best fighters in the world. But in recent years his stock has dwindled after suffering defeats to Marcos Maidana, Shawn Porter - and also dealing a string of criminal problems outside of the ring. Broner has also displayed issues with making weight - including for his last fight with Adrian Granados..
But Hopkins believes the Cincinnati native is more than capable of turning back the clock to stun Garcia.
"Garcia is a beast and he has all of the talent in the world, but I'm just rooting for Broner for more of a comeback kid, an underdog... I'm biased when it comes to that. Against Garcia, I won't be surprised if [Broner] wins and he should be the favorite by some odds. But I just feel like Broner.. and to the ones who don't know he is not with us [at Golden Boy], I just feel like Broner has a lot more than people see in him," Hopkins told BoxingScene.com.
"We saw it earlier in his career, but when he gets his mind together and he realizes that he's here for a purpose, and uses his boxing, we are going to see the Broner that we saw early in the pro ranks when he started being that prospect. I think this is his chance to do it or shut it down. To be taken seriously, Broner is going to have to really do something to Garcia and he has the tools to do it. I'm really rooting for him and it's not a sympathy rooting - its because I know that he has the tools to do it."