The outcome was never truly in question in Atlantic City; Adrien Broner simply wasn't going to lose to Gavin Rees.
That's why he's one of the most dominant boxers in the world, and it's why he retained his WBC lightweight title with his fifth-round KO of Rees, a British fighter who entered the bout with just one previous loss to his name.
But Broner wasn't about to let anyone ruin his perfect 26-0 record, and the 23-year-old dropped Rees twice, landing his 20th career win by knockout after pummeling his opponent with 149 punches.
Now, after having successfully defended the WBC lightweight title for the first time since earning it against Antonio DiMarco in November, Broner is, at least for the moment, without a worthy opponent at his weight.
But according to ESPN's Dan Rafael, Broner already has an idea of who he'd like to take on next.
With Rees out of the way, the question again becomes: Who's next? Broner fights in a division with little star power and no big names. Many have called for him to move up to the talent-rich junior welterweight division, but he has said he isn't quite ready.
Still, there is one potentially interesting fight for him at lightweight -- a unification bout with Ricky Burns of Scotland. Burns will fight Miguel Vazquez in another unification bout on March 16 in London, and Broner would like to fight him if he wins.
"If I fought Ricky Burns, he would get burned up," Broner said. "I want to fight him, but if he doesn't want to fight me, oh well."
Burns, who carries an impressive 35-2 record, would be an interesting opponent for Broner, as the 29-year-old Scot has remained unbeaten since suffering his second career loss in 2007.
After Burns' bout with Vazquez for the WBO lightweight title next month, assuming he wins, getting the opportunity to capture the WBC crown against Broner could be enticing. In his last bout in November, Burns was dominant, as he delivered a fourth-round knockout against Kevin Mitchell for the WBO title.
Sure, it's a long shot that Burns could unseat Broner, but at this point, he's one of the few boxers at this weight who could even provide Broner with enough of a challenge to step into the ring.
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