Broner vs DeMarco Close to Done For November 17 on HBO

A very intriguing lightweight title fight between Adrien Broner and Antonio DeMarco is deep in negotiations between Golden Boy and Gary Shaw, and BoxingScene.com reports that the fight is close to done for November 17 on HBO, but not quite there.

There have been some reports that the fight is done, which 90% of the time does mean that a fight is going to happen, but there is that other 10%.

Broner (24-0, 20 KO) has the November 17 HBO date at Boardwalk Hall sewn up, it's just a matter of opponent, and DeMarco (28-2-1, 21 KO) has the full attention of everyone at the moment. He won his last fight on September 8 in just 44 seconds, blitzing John Molina on the Ward vs Dawson undercard. (Full Fight: DeMarco TKO-1 Molina)

Broner's last fight saw him vacate his super featherweight title on the scales, when he missed weight pretty badly against Vicente Escobedo before their July 21 fight -- and then missed weight again the following morning. But the fight went on anyway, with Escobedo paid handsomely to lose to a bigger man. Fan reaction was poor, but Broner pulled a nice ratings number on HBO Boxing After Dark, so he's going to be catered to for the time being.

DeMarco would, on paper, be the best fighter he's faced in his young career, and it's a really good fight that we should all hope does get done. It's not like this is some world where Broner will have to start small at 135 pounds -- we all know with his Haymon/Golden Boy/HBO backing, he's going to go right into whatever fight they may desire, and that probably means a title shot. Since DeMarco has the WBC belt, it's obviously a desirable fight.

Let's say this gets done: Who do you favor here? Has Broner matured enough in the ring that he's just a level above DeMarco, or will DeMarco's experience, power, finishing ability, and grittiness carry him through some disadvantages in speed and, probably, in size on fight night?