On changing trainers
“I felt like it was time to change. I hear people say, ‘You are expected to change but you don’t, that’s why you end up in the same spots over and over’. So, I have to change something to get a different result. That’s why I had to step outside of the box and go for it.
“I had to change things. I had to add to my repertoire because I’m getting all that I can do out of what I’m doing but I keep coming up short for these fights that I’m supposed to be winning. So, it was time for a change.
“Looking back at all of my defeats, the only real punishment that I’ve taken in this sport was against [Marcos] Maidana—I got a fractured jaw. In the Shawn Porter fight, he outwrestled me and in the Mikey [Garcia] fight, he just outworked me. So, it’s time to add to my team and that’s why I got coach Kevin Cunningham. He’s going to bring out the best of Adrien Broner.”
On why he chose Kevin Cunningham
“I’ve known Coach Cunningham since my amateur days. We used to go up to St. Louis all the time and fight in his tournaments, on his shows. I have even fought for St. Louis in the Ringside Tournament. It was a great experience.
“I’ve known Coach Cunningham for a long time. He is the real deal He is not going to B.S. me. He’s going to keep me on my toes. I need that.
“There are coaches that change when their fighters get to certain levels. They still coach, but they don’t provide the structure the fighter needs. When I was fighting at 130, 135, Coach Mike [Stafford] will be at my door yelling ‘Get your butt up. We have to run. We have to train. Get up! Get up!’ But time went by and things changed.
“Coach Mike stopped being a coach and started being more of a friend. I needed him to keep being my coach. I need someone to keep me in line. Don’t get me wrong, he’ll always be like a father figure but when it comes to training and my career. I needed a change.”
On training camp
“I’m very happy with this camp. It’s just what I needed. I’m catching up with sleep, eating well. The isolated training is really good. I love everything about this camp.
“Training in isolation is really good for me. I told everybody that they were not coming to Florida with me, that I will see them all after the fight and that if they really love me they will understand the situation and they will be cool with it.
“I actually did a camp with Coach Kevin before when Devon Alexander fought Timothy Bradley. And I’ve seen the way he is. We had our arguments and he cussed me out almost every day, but I was just missing the structure and that’s what I need.”
On how he felt after losing to Mikey Garcia
“I was upset. At the end of the day, nobody fixes my problems but me. I can take care of everybody when they have a problem, but nobody fixes my problems. There are one or two people that are there for me but at the end of the day, I told myself I have to get my life and career together.”
Reflecting on his career
“I started my career young. I won titles in four weight classes. I’ve accomplished a lot and there’s still more to come. I got a lot of fighting left to do.”
On why he decided to do training camp with Kevin Cunningham
“I was actually going to go to Colorado to train, but Adrien invited me to come down here to West Palm Beach to check out the camp. He said I should come to Florida to train with him and Kevin. So I came down, I saw Kevin’s routine and I really liked it.
“There were a lot of distractions in Baltimore and I think they were a problem for me. I needed to straighten my head and focus on the things I have to work on. It was time to set my camp somewhere else.
“I needed a change after my last fight. I let myself down. I learned to be a different fighter, more responsible. I let others down, but think I let myself down more than anything.”
On becoming one of the youngest champions in boxing
“I was one of the youngest world champions in boxing. It is not that I was not prepared for it. I was just so young and it happened so quickly. I had to adapt to it. Live up to the hype. It was hard.
On his opponent, Jesus Cuellar
“I’m not really into researching my opponents—or other fighters other than the ones that I like. I just train hard and fight who is in front of me. I know a little bit about him [Jesus Cuellar]. I know that he can hit, that he’s not going to back down and that he’s a tough opponent. I believe he’s my toughest opponent to date. On April 21, we will see if he is ready. I know for sure I will be.”
On life in training camp when not at the gym
“We have a big house that the coach provided for us. We all live together—Adrien and I. We go swimming and to the movies. We just chill. We are being responsible. No South Beach, no clubbing. Just training hard.”
On his relationship with Adrien Broner
“What people don’t know is that I’ve been around Adrien since I was younger. I looked up to him. When Adrien came on the scene, he was super sharp and fast. I remember him. He used to come to the amateur tournaments.
“I used to watch Adrien and Floyd Mayweather on television. I fought on Floyd’s undercard and now I am training with Adrien and we are fighting on the same card. It feels great but I am still amazed by all of it. I am soaking it all in and enjoying the ride.
“Adrien is like a big brother to me. We are just like a little brother, big brother. We are very competitive. We do not say it but we always want to outdo each other. For example, I usually run faster than he does, but sometimes he beats me. Yesterday he ran so fast I could not catch him. So today, I took the lead and ran even faster. We push each other to our best.”
On his plans for the future
“I want to win more belts. I want to become a big star in boxing. I am going to put my work in the gym, put on a great performance in the ring and get back on track to become a world champion again.
“Being a world champion again is just a step closer towards my goal: I want to be a pay-per-view star. I want to be able to fight on pay-per-view against the big fighters and do big numbers.”