Did Marcos Maidana Derail Adrien Broner’s Career Path?

With a record of (27-0, 22 KOs), Adrien Broner appeared to be well on his way to being a pound-for-pound star. Unfortunately for Broner, what happened on the night of December 14, 2013, seemed to alter the path of his boxing journey.

A product of Cincinnati, Ohio, Adrien Broner, who’s also known as AB, made his professional boxing debut in May 2008 when he stopped Allante Davis in the first round. Broner would go on to win his next twenty fights.

Broner collected his first world title in November 2011 when he stopped Vicente Rodriguez in the third round and won the vacant WBO super-featherweight belt. Unfortunately, he was stripped prior to his second defense due to the fact that he didn’t make weight.

AB would proceed to move up in weight and defeat Antonio Demarco via 8th-round TKO. With the victory, Broner won the WBC lightweight title and became a two-weight world champion.
Nine months later, in June 2013, Adrien Broner was attempting to win a championship in a third division. The fight was close, but Broner was able to outpoint Paulie Malignaggi and win the WBA welterweight title.

At the age of 23, Adrien Broner was on the fast track to superstardom. However, six months after the fight against Malignaggi, Broner entered the ring for the 28th time, and when he left the ring, he became a changed man.

During the buildup for his fight against Marcos Maidana, Adrien Broner was talking trash and doing his usual comedic antics. Broner was extremely confident as he entered the bout as a 5-to-1 betting favorite.

As soon as the bell sounded to start the opening round, Maidana rocked Broner when he landed a big left hook. Maidana continued to swarm Broner with a barrage of punches through the course of round one.

At the 2:40 mark of round number 2, Maidana landed a big left hook that sent Broner down to the canvas. Broner was able to get up, but Maidana continued his aggressive attack.

From rounds 3 through 7, Maidana dictated the pace of the fight. With 1:29 remaining in the eighth round, Maidana floored Broner for a second time when he connected with another hard left hook.

For the remainder of the bout, Maidana continued to overwhelm Broner with his work rate. At the conclusion of the 12-round world title contest, Marcos Maidana won by way of unanimous decision.

After the Maidana championship bout, Broner wasn’t the same fighter. The loss changed Broner’s fighting style as he became more hesitant. Broner proceeded to go down in weight and bounced back by winning three fights in a row.

Next, Broner faced Shawn Porter in a 144-pound catch weight bout. Once again in a major fight, Broner fell short on the scorecards.

Broner decided to go back down to 140 as he beat Khabib Allakhverdiev and won the vacant WBA super-lightweight title. AB won two additional fights, and then he lost another major bout when he battled Mikey Garcia.

AB had one last bout against an elite fighter back in January 2019 when he was outpointed by Manny Pacquiao. Five years later, Broner would make a final ring appearance, and it didn’t go well, as Blair Cobbs defeated him via unanimous decision.

Adrien Broner (35-5-1, 24 KOs) is a four-division world champion, but the fight against Marcos Maidana changed his career to the point that if that fight had never happened, AB could have been even more legendary.

Before the Maidana fight, AB was a skilled pressure fighter who threw combinations. After the Maidana fight, Broner became a passive boxer who seemed cautious and was reluctant to throw punches because he was worried about being countered.

Currently, Adrien Broner has found success in the streaming world by teaming up with Misfits boxer Deen the Great. The 36-year-old Adrien Broner’s boxing career is on ice at the moment, but rumors are circulating regarding a possible return to the ring to face Chris Eubank Jr.