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Adrien Broner says he's still "The Problem," and that he's still planning to take over the boxing world when Floyd Mayweather steps down. In other words, if you were waiting for Broner to change following his first career loss, he's not going to be doing that.
Or is he?
"I'm happy Carlos Molina took this fight, but he might be looking to give me another loss. I hope he doesn't come to lose, but he's going to lose," Broner said on a media conference call.
"At the end of the day, everybody is looking for Adrien Broner to be this new humble guy. Well, if you're looking for Adrien Broner to be this new humble guy, you won't get it. I'm still the same fresh, flashy, young, rich and famous guy. I'm a young man, and I respect every fighter, but I'm ready to fight."
Broner (27-1, 22 KO) faces Molina (17-1-1, 7 KO) in a mismatch comeback bout on May 3 on the Mayweather-Maidana undercard. Though he says he's not changing, and that he's not been humbled at all by getting beaten up by Marcos Maidana in December, there does seem to be some change in Broner's tone.
In fact, he sounds like Floyd Mayweather, as usual, but the allegedly "matured" Mayweather of recent vintage, the one who has told Broner and told the public that Broner needs to learn when to turn it on and off, in regards to his outlandish persona.
"He's a hell of a fighter," Broner said of Molina. "Like I said, I don't disrespect no boxer. It takes a lot to get inside that squared circle and I don't take any boxer lightly. I just want him to be on his A game May 3."
The 24-year-old Broner will be holding his training camp in Washington, D.C., getting out of his hometown of Cincinnati. Trainer Mike Stafford believes that will be a benefit.
"(That is) where Adrien first started training as a pro. So psychologically we kind of went back up here to get down to our roots and see why we're here. Whatever made sense from where we started to come from is what we want to start back again," Stafford said.
"We want to take the same steps. He's still, to my eye, the three-time World Champion and the champion of the world, so that's where we want to be. So, that's why we're coming back here and doing the things that we used to do and that we will do. Nothing has changed. We're just hungrier now."
Broner dismisses any belief or idea that his loss to Maidana may have taken a mental toll.
"Anybody taking a loss that I did, it would probably break them. But coming from where I come from, I'm strong mentally and physically so I'm OK," he said. "I'm personally proud of myself and I don't care that a lot of people are looking for me to just go in here and walk over this guy, but at the end of the day they're forgetting that he's not just somebody to walk over, he's a top class fighter.
"I can go in there and make the best fighter look like the worst fighter when I'm on my A game. So, you know, after May 3 I just hope I don't get a lot of criticism for who I'm fighting and the way I make it look."
"I'm really not here to talk trash because he doesn't talk trash, so I can't talk trash to somebody that don't talk trash to me. Like I said before, I just want him to be on his A game because this is not only just a fight for me," Broner said.
"This is one of the biggest fights in the world because literally they're looking at me to take over the game after my big brother is done with boxing. Coming off a loss they want to see what I come back and do and they can't wait to see me on TV again. I know there's a lot of people that dislike the things that I do, but there's a lot of people that love the things that I do and they want to see Adrien Broner back on top and I will not disappoint them and anybody who wants to see me."