Why Are So Many Boxing Fans Still Drawn To Adrien Broner?
By Keith Idec
LAS VEGAS – An annoyed Adrien Broner looked around an expansive theater inside MGM Grand and decided it wasn’t big enough for a star his size.
According to Broner, the press conference Wednesday for a fight of this magnitude should’ve been held somewhere bigger. It should’ve been open to the public, too, the way it went when Manny Pacquiao fought Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“I’m pissed off, for real,” Broner said. “Come in here and do this press conference in this little-ass room. When I went to Mayweather fight and Pacquiao and them fight, they was in that big-ass place and there was mass people around. And they just let the media in here, I guess. They ain’t spend no money on our sh*t, like our fight ain’t nothing. But, you know, I see what they’re trying to say. But they ain’t gonna do this sh*t no more, after I win.”
Broner’s rant seemed like an oblivious, unappreciative take from a fighter who drew with Jessie Vargas in his last bout, yet was rewarded by adviser Al Haymon with the biggest payday of his career and his first pay-per-view main event. Then again, why shouldn’t Broner feel figuratively bulletproof and demand whatever he wants?
The routinely crass Cincinnati native is one of boxing’s most fascinating figures, in that no matter what he does inside or outside the ring, it doesn’t seem to limit his opportunities, purses or television ratings.
Broner is 1-1-1 in his last three fights. That stretch includes a 12-round draw with Vargas (28-2-2, 10 KOs), whom Pacquiao defeated pretty easily in November 2016, a decisive decision defeat to Mikey Garcia (39-0, 30 KOs) and a closely contested, split-decision victory over Adrian Granados (20-6-2, 14 KOs, 1 NC).
Yet here he is, presented with yet another chance to realize the potential still oddly attached to his name 10 years into his pro career. Based on the strong ratings Broner’s bouts regularly produce for Showtime, the four-division champion’s place in his pay-per-view showdown with Pacquiao is warranted.
Those important numbers still beg this question: why do boxing fans continually tune in or purchase tickets to watch Broner box, when the results of his fights and his often-buffoonish behavior suggest those trends should end?
Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza believes Broner’s genuine nature, for better or worse, is what draws a significant segment of those viewers and customers to the polarizing Broner’s bouts.
“People who are Adrien Broner fans tend to say similar things about him,” Espinoza, Showtime’s president of sports and event programming, told BoxingScene.com. “And it all revolves around his authenticity. That, say what you want about Adrien Broner, he’s not trying to put on airs, he’s not trying to be anyone other than who he is, perhaps more than anything, to his detriment at times. But he’s not gonna say the right thing because that’s what’s expected of him. He’s not gonna always do the right thing because he feels compelled to do so. He is authentic to himself – good, bad or ugly. And he doesn’t try to be anyone he’s not.
“To some people, that’s a negative. And they would like a little bit more restraint in his actions and statements. But to a whole different part of the audience, they admire that authenticity, that realness and the ability to say, ‘Look, this is who I am. I’m not gonna try to be anyone that I’m not. I’m not gonna try to portray an image other than what I am. You can accept or reject me as I am. But I’m gonna go into this sport and go out of this sport on my own terms.’ ”
The 29-year-old contender’s lengthy arrest record in recent years might be more noteworthy than Broner’s boxing record during that same stretch. Those transgressions, in addition to his antics before, during and after fight nights, clearly make the train-wreck watchers gravitate toward him.
He also has displayed captivating vulnerability in openly discussing depression that seemingly made him suicidal more than once. Broner believes he appeals to fans in “the hood,” where many mired in circumstances comparable to those he overcame in Cincinnati – children and adults alike – view him as a symbol of hope.
“I’m me, man,” Broner told a group of reporters this week at MGM Grand. “I’m me. I’m me. It ain’t no duplicate. Well, there is – I’ve got a twin brother, but I’m me. No matter, I don’t care if the cameras are around or not, I’m gonna always be me. I’m just not afraid to say how I feel and express myself. I’m gonna be honest with y’all.”
