by David P. Greisman
Ashley Theophane won’t be the favored fighter when he faces Adrien Broner on April 1 in Washington, D.C., and while he trains out of Las Vegas he will still be a British boxer challenging an American champ.
That doesn’t give him any concerns about the judging, however.
“I think the judges, they will be fair,” Theophane said at a Feb. 29 press conference. “Ishe Smith, he won his title on the right. Badou Jack, he won his title on the road. So I think the judges have been fair to other Mayweather Promotions boxers. I don’t think there will be no issue with the judges. I win the fight, I do believe the judges will give it to me.”
Smith topped Cornelius Bundrage by majority decision in 2013 in a fight in Detroit, where Bundrage is from. Jack also won his title by majority decision, defeating Anthony Dirrell in 2015 in Chicago (Dirrell isn’t from there, but Jack is a Swede who now trains out of Las Vegas).
“A lot of folks expect me to lose,” Theophane said. “I don’t care about that. It’s what I expect from me. I expect me to go out there and be able to beat him. To be here as a 35-year-old man, I’m proud. It’s been hard, but now I know I got here against the odds.”
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