July closes with the much anticipated bout between Adrien Broner and Mikey Garcia. The fighters meet this afternoon for the official weigh-in. Will Broner be able to make the 140 pound limit with no complications? How will Garcia look at the highest weigh of his career? All questions will be answered at 1 p.m. ET.
BeatsBoxingMayhem is providing a live a stream of the final press conference between Adrien Broner and Mikey Garcia. Be sure to check back in tomorrow for live coverage of the weigh-in. The fight airs Saturday night on Showtime.
Showtime Sports will offer a live stream as Adrien Broner and Mikey Garcia go face-to-face for the first time at a New York City press conference today to officially announce their blockbuster showdown on Saturday, July 29. Look for Garcia to go in-depth about the weight jump, and we’ll get our first idea on if Broner is keeping his weight issues in check for the big fight.
After several weeks of rumors, former champion Adrien Broner and current WBC lightweight titlist Mikey Garcia have agreed to a junior welterweight superfight at on July 29.
Broner last competed at welterweight in February, defeating Adrian Granados by split decision. His last fight at 140 pounds was a 12th round TKO win over Khabib Allakhverdiev in October 2015. Over the last five years, he’s won titles in four different weight classes.
Garcia is coming off his world title-winning effort over Dejan Zlaticanin, who was stopped in three rounds on January 28. Junior welterweight will be a new division for Garica as he’s never weighed in over 138 pounds.
Showtime will carry the fight and made the official announcement this afternoon. A venue has not been determined.
Now this is an intriguing fight. On paper, I favor the more disciplined fighter in Garcia. With the fight in less than two months out, making 140 will be a struggle for Broner. Nonetheless, The Problem will be the bigger man and has a chance if Garcia has trouble with the power differential.
If Barclays gets this fight, I might have to make the trip.
CINCINNATI, OH — A barrage of accurate hooks in the last 30 seconds turned out to be the difference for Adrien Broner, who won a close split decision over Adrian Granados in a back and forth 10-round war of attrition.
This was a highly entertaining fight with neither man holding an advantage for more than one round. Hell, sometimes barely 30 seconds in a round. In the end, Broner showed his usual mixed bag of promise and alarming trends for his immediate future.
EARLY VERSATILITY: The first three rounds displayed a Broner who was accurate with his counters and not a sitting target. Instead of previous Mayweather shoulder roll imitations, he showed nimble footwork to evade Granados’s long right hand. On the inside, he ripped counter uppercuts and looked sharp despite being outworked in pockets.
STILL UNCOMFORTABLE WITH PRESSURE: Much like his efforts against Maidana and Porter, Broner is still wilts under constant pressure. He spent too much time grappling and holding (with little warning from the hometown ref). But unlike Porter, Granados was not passive in the clinches and ripped home body shots in every round. Those shots had Broner visibly weary in the late rounds.
CONTROVERSIAL SCORECARDS: The judges scored the bout 97-93, 93-97 and 96-94 for Broner. The last scorecard had Broner winning the 10th, and that likely came down to Broner scoring several hard hooks in the final seconds despite Granados controlling most of the round and forcing clinches.
Personally, I had it 95-95 with Granados taking two of the last three rounds. I had the Chicago native taking rounds 2, 4, 5, 8, and 10. I gave Broner rounds 1, 3, 6, 7, and 9. The two scorecards that had it 7-3 in rounds for each guy felt too wide.
WELTERWEIGHT FOOD: Unable to make 140, Broner’s camp was able to switch this to 147 in the final weeks. The problem for Broner is he’s now a fighter without weight class. Perhaps now too big to safely make junior welter, and too small to successfully challenge the elite at 147, as evidenced by the sound defeats to Shawn Porter and Marcos Maidana, and close decision wins over Paulie Malignaggi and now Adrian Granados.
Should Broner continue testing his luck at 147, or has this fight convinced you he’s better suited for 140? Sound off in the comments.
Photo Credit: Stephanie Trapp/Showtime
Tonight, Showtime is making history by streaming the entire Adrien Broner vs. Adrian Granados card live on Twitter. The event, starting at 9 p.m., includes Lamont Peterson vs. David Avanesyan for the WBA World welterweight title, and undefeated Marcus Browne against Thomas Williams Jr.
For those who don’t have a Twitter account, you can stream the event below via BeatsBoxingMayhem.
Watch live! “Showtime Boxing: BRONER VS. GRANADOS” #BronerGranados https://t.co/78mEwNWnDb
— Ismael AbduSalaam (@Ismael_BBM_NYK) February 18, 2017
Photo Credit: Stephanie Trapp/Showtime
Adrien Broner and Adrian Granados are primed and ready for their welterweight showdown Saturday night on Showtime. Both fighters looked healthy coming slightly below the limit at 146.5.
On the undercard, WBA welterweight title-holder David Avanesyan was at the 147 limit. Challenger Lamont Peterson tipped the scales at 146.5.
Opening the card is a light-heavyweight crossroads bout between undefeated Marcus Browne (174.5) and Thomas Williams (174.5).
The card airs Saturday on Showtime and live on Twitter at 9 p.m. ET.
