Adrien Broner to Return July 21 on HBO Boxing After Dark

Update (10:10 p.m. EDT): Broner vs Escobedo is indeed the plan, according to Ring Magazine.

WBO super featherweight titlist Adrien Broner had his May 19 fight canceled along with the Peterson vs Khan II fight in Las Vegas, and now the 22-year-old will make his return to the ring on July 21, headlining a Boxing After Dark card on HBO from Cincinnati.

Broner (23-0, 19 KO) was set for a truly lousy fight against the UK's Gary Sykes on the Peterson-Khan undercard, and there's not yet word on who he may fight in July. One possibility could be Vicente Escobedo, who was tentatively slated to fight Broner in August, if Escobedo is successful this weekend against Juan Ruiz, which he will be. A two month turnaround for Escobedo could be no problem if he takes little or no punishment on Saturday night.

I will say that I do feel bad for Sykes, who was going to lose predictably but was getting the chance of a lifetime for a fighter in his position. As no more than a decent domestic fighter on British soil, he's not exactly going to be knocking down the doors for world title shots.

This was going to likely be the only chance he was ever getting, and the fact that he was called on for the shot and accepted it didn't make me think less of Sykes, even if it did make me think less of Broner and his team.

We'll have more on what's next for Adrien Broner and Amir Khan, who is also going to likely return in July, even though Khan floated June 30 as a target date, as soon as anything is known.