John Molina Says Style Earned Him Big Broner Bout

By Keith Idec

John Molina Jr. is 3-4 in his past seven fights, has lost back-to-back bouts and is about a 6-1 underdog entering his fight Saturday night against Adrien Broner.

Those unfavorable figures don’t mean much to the ever-determined Molina. He isn’t about to apologize for landing this high-profile assignment and isn’t bothered by those who’ve said he doesn’t deserve a spot in Al Haymon’s inaugural Premier Boxing Champions telecast on NBC (8:30 p.m. ET).

The 12-round junior welterweight bout between Cincinnati’s Broner (29-1, 22 KOs) and Molina (27-5, 22 KOs), of Covina, Calif., will be the co-feature of a telecast from MGM Grand in Las Vegas that’ll match interim WBA welterweight champ Keith Thurman (24-0, 21 KOs, 1 NC) against Robert Guerrero (32-2-1, 18 KOs, 2 NC) in the 12-round main event.

“People are going to say what they’re going say, but the reality is, is that people have fallen in love with my style given the fact that I took the scenic route to get to where I’m at,” Molina said on a conference call. “I didn't have these accolades and the amateur career [others had]. I didn’t turn pro until I was 24 years old, so definitely it took a while to get to this plateau – this level, if you will. But at the same time, I’ve left it all in the ring. I plan on leaving it all in the ring every time I go in there.”

Molina dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to Mexico’s Humberto Soto (65-8-2, 35 KOs, 1 NC) in his last fight, Sept. 13 at MGM. He was knocked out in the 11th round by Argentina’s Lucas Matthysse (36-3, 34 KOs, 1 NC) in his previous fight, a brutal battle last April 26 in Carson, Calif., that was widely viewed as a top “Fight of the Year” candidate for 2014.

The 32-year-old Molina intends to battle Broner with the same tenacity he displayed against Matthysse, who also was heavily favored to win their fight, yet found himself on the canvas twice.

“Boxing has provided for my family and has gotten me everything that I have today to show for it,” Molina said, “so I’ll never disrespect boxing or spit in its face because of what it’s provided for my family. I’m a family man and I take that very serious. So I believe that the true fans of mine know what they’re going to get March 7th. They know that I’m bringing everything to the table.

“A lot of fighters say that, that they’ll go out on their shield, but I truly mean it. This is not just me fighting for my pride – this is me fighting for my family. This is for me to better my family’s life, so I take that very seriously. The unconditional love that you have for your kids, for your wife – boxing has only enhanced their life. I think it’s very different and I believe that will show forth March 7th.”

Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.