Background and career
Adrien Jerome Broner (; born July 28, 1989) is an American former professional boxer and online streamer. He won world championships in four weight classes including the World Boxing Organization (WBO) super featherweight title from 2011 to 2012, the World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight title from 2012 to 2013, the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title in 2013, and the WBA super lightweight title from 2015 to 2016. He won the vacant WBO super featherweight title in 2011, the WBC lightweight title in 2012, and the WBA welterweight title in 2013. He suffered his first career loss to Marcos Maidana in 2013. Following the Maidana defeat, he encountered challenges maintaining consistency in his boxing career. His 2015 victory over Khabib Allakhverdiev marked a rare career milestone: it made Broner only the second-youngest boxer (behind Oscar De La Hoya) to win a world title in four different weight divisions. In 2019, he challenged for the WBA (Regular) welterweight title, losing to Manny Pacquiao in a highly publicised bout.
Broner grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and started boxing at the age of six. He has said that the sport saved him from a life on the streets.
Broner finished his amateur career having 319 fights under his belt, with a record of 300 wins, 19 losses.
Broner turned professional on May 31, 2008, and scored three consecutive first-round knockouts against Allante Davis, David Warren Huffman and Ramon Flores. In Broner's fourth fight he faced Terrance Jett at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on the undercard of the Ricky Hatton vs Paulie Malignaggi fight. Broner defeated Jett with a stoppage in the sixth round. In Broner's fifth professional fight and final of 2008, he faced Eric Ricker; the bout ended in the second round after Broner pushed Ricker out of the ring, originally disqualifying Broner before the result was overturned to a no contest. In January 2009, he was forced to go the distance with Jose Alfredo Lugo, at the Staples Center on the undercard of Shane Mosley vs Antonio Margarito. Broner returned to the ring in March scoring a unanimous decision over Eric Ricker. Three weeks later Broner stopped Angel Rodriguez in the fourth round. In his eighth fight Broner stepped up to eight rounds in a hard-fought fight with Fernando Quintero, pulling out a controversial majority decision victory in a fight that Quintero took on 4 days' notice. In June at the Staples Center Broner met Australian William Kickett, scoring a sixth-round knockout. On the Juan Díaz vs Paul Malignaggi undercard in Houston Broner made short work of Edgar Portillo, victory coming via stoppage in the first round. Broner defeated Henry White Jr via KO in September and finished his busy year against Tommy Atencio. Broner stopped Atencio in the first round, for the sixth time in thirteen fights. In 2010, Broner engaged in four more fights with Rafael Lora, Carlos Claudio, Guillermo Sanchez, and Ilido Julio, stopping them all.
Broner took his first major step up in weight when he competed against former Super Bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce de León on March 5, 2011. In a very closely contested fight, Broner came away with a controversial unanimous decision victory. Broner got off to a slow start, having trouble penetrating De Leon's high guard. Broner came on strong in the fourth, hurting De Leon with a body shot. Broner slowed down in the middle and later rounds, though landed the cleaner shots, while De Leon proved to be the busier fighter. CompuBox had Broner landing 126 of his 351 (36%) of his total punches, while De Leon landed 127 of his 592 (21%) punches. Harold Lederman scored the fight: 96–94, in Ponce De Leon's favour.
Broner's next fight was on HBO's Boxing After Dark show from Guadalajara, Mexico, Broner took on Top 10 Super Featherweight contender Jason Litzau in a fight scheduled for ten rounds. Broner landed combos on the ropes late in the first, with a straight right, left hook and then a right uppercut hurting the Minnesotan badly. He crumpled, and the ref leaped in, seeing he was out. The official end came at 2:58 of the first round.
