By Jake Donovan
John Molina Jr. has lost each of his last two starts, but don’t expect the veteran gatekeeper to resign himself to the role of opponent for his March 7 showdown with Adrien Broner.
The bout comes with the distinction of serving as the first to air in prime time on NBC in nearly 30 years, kicking off Al Haymon’s Premiere Boxing Champions series. All fighters involved are well aware of what’s at stake. For Molina, the night represents the opportunity of a lifetime, and a chance to resurrect his career against one of the sport’s most identifiable figures.
“A win over Adrien Broner erases any hiccups so far,” Molina Jr. (27-5, 22KOs) believes of his upcoming bout with the former three-division champ. “That’s what a name like Adrien Broner brings to the table.”
The hiccups have come in bunches as of late. Molina Jr. was certainly forgiven for his stoppage loss to Lucas Matthysse last April, twice dropping the Argentine slugger before twice hitting the canvas himself and battered into submission in one of 2014’s best fights. The brave showing earned the Californian a spot on the televised pay-per-view undercard of Floyd Mayweather’s rematch win over Marcos Maidana last September.
It turned out to be a blown opportunity, though, as he came up short in a 10-round bout with former three-division titlist Humberto Soto. The loss was shades of poor showings against lightweight titlist Antonio DeMarco – when he was stopped in just 44 seconds in his lone HBO appearance – and Martin Honorio in his first defeat way back in Nov. ’09 on Showtime.
Among the best moments of his up-and-down career include the amazing heart exhibited in come-from-behind knockout wins over Hank Lundy and Mickey Bey – both of whom were undefeated (in fact, with identical 18-0-1 records) at the time.
Fans can expect that some of that version to show up on March 7, the 32-year old insists. The difference here is that he knows what to expect, and not leave anything to chance. Broner is still feeling his way around the 140 lb. division, having leapfrogged the division from lightweight to a brief stay at welterweight in 2013.
Molina Jr. has spent his entire nine-year career bouncing back and forth between lightweight and super lightweight, with his past three fights taking place at the heavier weight. His size and strength, he believes, will be his keys to victory, doing his best to force his brand of fighting rather than trying to beat Broner at his own game.
“You don’t play chess with Bobby Fischer,” quips Molina Jr. “I’m not coming in to box Adrien Broner. I feel like I'll be the stronger man in the ring. I'll do whatever I have to do to come victorious that night.
“I’m going to come in with my fight. You have two guys who want to come out victorious on March 7. On March 7, I will be victorious.”
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
