As if boxing needed any more crazy, Adrien Broner happened. He won his fight against Vincente Escobedo but lost his belt due to the fact that he missed his weight.
According to ESPN.com's Dan Rafael:
Broner was stripped of his junior lightweight title at Friday's weigh-in for missing weight. He weighed in at 133.5 pounds, 3½ more than the division limit. Escobedo was 130 and will fight for the vacant belt.
Escobedo's team demanded a Saturday morning weigh-in...Broner weighed 143.2 pounds, with his camp insisting he was within the 10-pound limit of the 133.5 pounds he weighed in at Friday.
This fight almost didn't happen. Per Rafael's report, Golden Boy had to pull off some fierce negotiations with Escobedo's side to get them to consent to the fight.
It turned out to not be a fair fight, either, as Broner destroyed Escobedo.
Per ESPN's Rafael:
As Broner beats the living crap out of bloody Escobedo in rd 5, Escobedo trainer Joel Diaz throws in towel. Utter destruction #brush #boxing
— Dan Rafael (@danrafaelespn) July 22, 2012
Emotion gets better of Escobedo as he cries during postfight interview. He got beat in unfair situation but took the $, didnt make excuses.
— Dan Rafael (@danrafaelespn) July 22, 2012
Then, to make matters worse on an already ridiculous night, Broner faked a proposal to his girlfriend, bending down on one knee and then pulling the rug out from under her by asking her to brush his hair.
Black Sports Online's Robert Little was on the scene to catch this priceless gem:
Broner's chick a little salty twitter.com/BlkSportsOnlin…
— Robert Littal (@BlkSportsOnline) July 22, 2012
The last thing that boxing needed was another spectacle like the one Broner and his camp pulled.
You can't blame Escobedo for taking some extra cash in order to keep the fight alive, but the only thing it really accomplished in the grand scheme of things is that Broner was given a platform to behave like a buffoon.
It's also a shame that Broner's obvious talents as a boxer aren't the story of the night. Poor management allowed him to show up way overweight, and he will have a lot of work to do repairing his image after this scandal.
Tell us what you think about the weigh-in, the fight, the fake proposal or all of the above. Thanks for making Bleacher Report your source for all your boxing news, analysis and opinion.
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