“The Problem” Adrien Broner will defend the WBC lightweight title against Welshman Gavin Rees on Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
The 23-year-old Broner (25-0, 21 KOs), who is often compared to “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather due to dominating roughly 300 amateur pugilists, last fought on November 17 when he badly battered Antonio DeMarco until the tough Mexican’s corner mercifully halted the beating at 1:49 of the eighth round.
Comparatively, the 32-year-old Rees (37-1-1, 18 KOs), a past WBA light welterweight champ, most recently exited the squared circle with a ninth round TKO victory over Brit Derry Matthews at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, England.
Rees hasn’t been overcome since falling to Ukrainian Andriy Kotelnik by a 12th round TKO nearly five years ago this March in 2008.
Roger “Pit” Perron is a venerable boxing trainer from Brockton (Mass.) who now works with Mike and Rich Cappiello at their gym, Cappiello Brothers Boxing and Training.
Perron expects Broner to trump Rees and continue his maturation into one of the sport’s premier scrappers.
“Broner looks like the next great,” said Perron, 76, who worked with International Boxing Hall of Famer Marvelous Marvin Hagler (62-3-2, 52 KOs) at the Petronelli Brothers Gym. “He looks like he’ll become the next superstar as today’s big guns begin fading away.”
For better or worse, Broner, a cocky and flamboyant youngster who is ranked as the number one lightweight in the world by BoxRec and the sixth preeminent pound-for-pound fighter by The Ring, is “the next great.”
Adrien Broner will knock the formidable Gavin Rees onto Queer Street within nine lopsided rounds this coming weekend.
Comments