In what was supposed to be a coronation and an official welcome to superstardom, Adrien “The Problem” Broner (27-0) faced his stiffest test to date, leaving much to be desired against a game yet powerless Paulie "The Magic Man" Malignaggi on Saturday night.
Broner cracked the door open for criticism and gave credence—however slight—to those who claim him to be more sizzle than spice and more imitation than the real deal.
Matchmaking kingpin Al Haymon conceived of the fight with the purpose of delivering a named opponent to the otherwise barren record of the now three-time champion, but the contest instead morphed into an exhibit of what ring generalship, stamina and a decent motor can do for a challenger in the ring.
Despite a substantial power deficit, Malignaggi kept rounds competitive and forced a split decision. Stealing rounds by sheer power alone, Broner coasted by fighting in spurts.
While no one would suggest Malignaggi did enough to win—judge Tom Miller's 115-113 for The Magic Man exemplifies the sad state of judging incompetence—Broner never displayed the level of dominance or control that he and much of the boxing world predicted before the fight.
With Broner labeled by many as the successor to Floyd Mayweather’s reign, the question was not whether The Answer would defeat the 32-year-old never-quite-elite Malignaggi, but whether he would flash the same brilliance he showed against the Antonio Demarcos and Gavin Reeses of the world in his welterweight debut against his first legitimate opponent.
Coming into Saturday night’s matchup at the Barclays Center, we had to ask: Are we officially entering the Adrien Broner era, or is time to slow that locomotive down?
In the buildup to the fight, I drew comparisons between Broner’s step-up in weight and class against Malignaggi and Mayweather’s 2001 showdown with then-undefeated Diego Corrales. For Broner and Mayweather, these respective fights saw a dramatic rise in competition and occurred at roughly the same time in their careers. Both were installed as favorites, but analysts expected them to encounter new challenges.
Mayweather dropped Corrales five times en route to a 10th-round TKO in a fight that many still consider to be his most impressive performance.
Broner had no stoppages or memorable moments—outside of his customary post-fight antics—in a fight he said would serve as a testament to his greatness years after his retirement. Instead, it was just a respectable performance against a reputable opponent.
After the fight, Broner stated a willingness to fight anywhere between 135 and 147 pounds, going as far as to say he will let his "fans" pick his next opponent. While the chances of that are next to none, early talk has pointed to Marcos Maidana as a possibility.
Regardless of the next opponent for the self-entitled "future of boxing," with the answer to the pre-fight question appearing to be a firm “No,” new questions will need to be answered by The Problem.
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