Four division champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner (33-3, 24 KOs) will make his return to the ring on Saturday, April 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn NY to take on former welterweight champion Jessie Vargas (28-2, 10 KOs).
Initially, Adrien Broner was supposed to fight undefeated Omar Figueroa on this night, but Figueroa suffered a shoulder injury in training camp which forced him to pull out of the fight.
Jessie Vargas, who last fought in December when he defeated Aaron Herrera by unanimous decision, was named as a replacement.
“This is a fight that should garner a lot of attention from boxing fans and they deserve a fight like this,” said Vargas. “We are two entertaining fighters who come in and give it their all.
April 21st | BARCLAYS CENTER | TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW pic.twitter.com/LhHnymxrmO
— Adrien Broner (@AdrienBroner) March 28, 2018
The last time we saw Broner in the ring was back in July at the Barclays Center when he lost to Mikey Garcia by unanimous decision. Garcia, who was moving up in weight to face Broner, was the aggressor for the entire fight landing 244 out of 783 punches compared to Broner who landed 125 out of 400 punches.
After the loss, people once again questioned Broner’s commitment to the sport as some feel he would rather be a rapper and a social media star than a prizefighter.
Broner is, without a doubt, one of the most talented fighters in the sport, but hasn’t pulled down a signature win in the last couple of years.
He was once thought to be the future of boxing and the heir apparent to Floyd Mayweather Jr as the biggest star in boxing. Broner is 6-3 in his last nine fights since losing to Marcos Maidana in December of 2013.
At 28, Broner is still young enough to turn his career around and reach his full potential, but if he’s going to do it, he needs to start with his fight against Vargas and he knows it.
“I’m feeling really good and I’m excited that this is an even bigger fight than Figueroa,” said Broner. “I had to switch up some sparring partners but everything is going great in camp. We’re fighting at 144 pounds, so he’ll have a slight weight advantage, but it won’t matter. I’m going to be in great shape for this fight. Coach Kevin Cunningham is my head coach for this camp, but I did not fire Mike Stafford. I just added to my camp, because I needed the help. I know what I have to do at the end of the day to get back on top where I belong.”
If Broner pulls off the victory and looks impressive, he’ll set himself up for bigger fights and a chance of avenging his losses to Garcia or Shawn Porter. If he has another lackluster performance, he’ll begin to be seen as an afterthought in boxing.
There’s nothing worse in sports than when an athlete squanders away their potential by not being fully committed. Hopefully, on April 21 in Brooklyn at Barclays Center, we’ll see a new and committed Adrien Broner as he tries to resurrect his career.
