Adrien Broner vs Gavin Rees on February 16, HBO

Adrien Broner appears to have an opponent, as Gavin Rees has reportedly agreed to terms for a February 16 fight on HBO from Atlantic City, with a contract needing to be signed still.

Broner (25-0, 21 KO) is coming off of a thrashing of Antonio DeMarco in November, and Rees (37-1-1, 18 KO) isn't likely to be an upset special pick for many. The Welshman is a former world titlist at 140 pounds, but that was as paper a title as has been won in recent memory, and while he's an admirable battler, it's incredibly difficult to see any way he can really trouble the 23-year-old Cincinnati star.

Rees, 32, has been on a hot streak, though, and with other top options not wanting that fight date, such as Ricky Burns, it comes down to a question of who else Broner could fight on February 16. That's his date, and that's locked in -- if nobody better than Rees can come to terms for a fight, then there's not much blaming Broner, Golden Boy, or HBO. Rees is a top 10 guy in the division; the problem is, the division looks like a mid-day snack for Adrien Broner after the way he dismantled DeMarco.

In short, it's a fight easy to dismiss, quite frankly, as a likely one-sided beatdown. Broner, though, is staying at 135 pounds and not looking to rush up in weight. And Rees may well have been the best available opponent out there.