ADRIEN BRONER rescued his career, and nabbed a ‘world’ title in a fourth weight class, when he thrashed Khabib Allakhverdiev to claim the vacant WBA super-lightweight strap. The American dominated from the start, eventually halting the overmatched Russian in the 12th and final round.
Broner, once considered a heir to Floyd Mayweather, has struggled for form in recent years, and lost to both Marcos Maidana and Shawn Porter. But he promised he was a changed man prior to his latest fight and eased through the early rounds before upping the pressure in the fourth and fifth sessions. By the time the final round began, Broner’s victory was long since assured and he put the icing on an impressive cake when another assault forced the referee to halt the slaughter.
Prior to the showdown at the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Broner largely refused to talk to the media but said afterwards: “I’m still AB. But this next half of my career, I’m going to be about boxing and billions.
“I’m getting wiser. I’m getting older. After my last fight, I said I wasn’t putting my all into it.”
He then called out Britain’s Ashley Theophane – a member of Mayweather’s Money Team – for his first defence.
“It would mean everything to me,” Theophane told Boxing News about the potential world title shot. “I turned professional in 2003 at York Hall. Many British boxing reporters, promoters, coaches never thought I would get to British champion level and I surpassed that. I was British champion, I was world number four, and I’ve fought some really good fighters. I’m already signed with Floyd Mayweather, and he’s backing me. It shows that you can achieve dreams against the odds.”
