In anticipation of his big upcoming showdown with Mikey Garcia on July 29, Adrien Broner catches up with Showtime’s Brian Custer to discuss what this fight means for his career...
Broner on why he decided to fight at Garcia at 140 after not making that weight in a couple years:
“You know, it’s time to get the chip off my shoulder...I heard they got me at 5:1 odds and it’s like they not giving me a chance, but they sit here and say McGregor got a chance to beat Floyd. You know, so, it really got me feeling kinda shitty, but it’s okay.”
On a lot of people believing he won’t make the weight because of his history:
“I mean, I didn’t have a reason to make the weight. You know my last couple of fights it was like, ‘okay, we gonna fight at 40’ but then it’s like ‘ya’ll gonna pay me the same if we fight at 43, 44? Let’s do it!’
On if he views this fight as a career crossroad for him:
“Yes, I do. Um, this is not only a cross-defining moment for me, in my career, it’s a big fight for boxing. And I think this fight will go in history and, you know, I think that after this fight I will go into superstardom.
“It isn’t about the ups and downs, it’s about me, um, fighting another fighter with a nice following himself. He’s on the pound-for-pound list, I was on the pound-for-pound list, so, you know, uh, I think this is gonna be a life changing moment for me in boxing and I’m not taking it for granted, I’m gonna take it serious and do what I gotta do to get my victory.”
On why he made the decision to move his camp back to Colorado Springs:
“Because that’s were some of my best performances came from. Even in the Maidana fight, you know uh, I was in so much shape, I was so strong that I was able to still finish the fight strong and I could’ve won that fight...Maidana’s retired — of course I want the rematch, but he’s retired, he’s a nice friend of mine. You know, I’m happy for him, I’m happy for the success he’s had in boxing. But right now my main focus is Mikey Garcia, July 29th, and I’m ready to put on a great performance.”
On if he thinks Mikey Garcia will be willing to stand and trade with him after Maidana admitted to Garcia that Broner was the toughest fighter he’s ever faced and the punishment he took in that win contributed to his decision to retire:
“Of course, man. He’s not gonna stay in front of me. Nobody do. Everybody say they gonna stay in front of me but they don’t. Even if you look at the Shawn Porter fight. He didn’t stand in front of me and fight me how he fought Paulie, or a Keith Thurman. He didn’t fight me like that! He was bouncing around and doing all that rugged bullcrap. He didn’t come straight forward and try to bully through me...
“Adrien Granados, another one, he didn’t fight me the way he fought Amir Imam. He didn’t do it. So when guys, you know, look at the Maidana fight and they’re like ‘oh, we’re gonna pressure him’, you know, once they feel my power they change they mind.”
On if he takes offense to people think that they can beat him just by pressuring him:
“That’s just funny to me. Real funny. But you know, uh, I will be turning another page, going into another chapter of my boxing career. My two losses, I just beat myself. The Maidana fight I just fought with my heart instead of my brain, my smarts. In the Shawn Porter fight there was just so much going on [laughs]. Shit, I mean, Shawn n’ them know!”
On if the Porter loss has stuck with him:
“It don’t really stick with me it’s just a learning experience. I’m happy it happened because I know it’s something I can’t do again. Ain’t no more cuttin’ corners.
Custer: “Well getting back to Mikey Garcia, a number of people...”
“If Shawn Porter - Man I’ll fuck Shawn Porter up! If Shawn Porter wanna fight I’ll fuck him up, man! If Kenny and his daddy wanna fight I will stop this Mickey fight and go to 47 and fuck him up, man!”
On why he refers to Mikey Garcia as Mickey Mouse:
“Oh, Mickey Mouse, we gonna put him back in his clubhouse. We gonna put him back in his clubhouse, man. Come inside, it’s funny time. Mickey Mouse, Clubhouse!”
“...let’s put Mikey Garcia in the ring with all my opponents and then give me his whole 36. I guarantee I’m 36-0 with 36 knockouts. Who knows what his record would be! Point, blank, period. Come on, man...I’m a four time world champion in four different weight classes. He got some catchin’ up to do! I done already been champion at 30, 35. When I was that weight they didn’t want to fight me!
“When I was 30 they didn’t want to fight me! Well he was only 26, we coulda met at 28, I was weighing-in at 28, we coulda fought. They ain’t wanna fight me! When I was 35 they didn’t wanna meet me at 33 or 30, they ain’t wanna fight me! Now ya’ll wanna fight me? ‘Cause I had a couple bad days? Alright. It’s cool.”
On if he thinks Garcia targeted him because they view him as undisciplined:
“Yup. I know what’s gonna happen...I’ma fuck him up, I mess around and stop him. They just gonna go back to 35 like nothing happened, and you know what the boxing world gonna do? They gonna embrace him. And then they gonna make excuses like ‘oh he was naturally the bigger guy, he was naturally the faster guy, he had the most talent — he was supposed to do that.’
“At the end of the day, they gonna finagle some way, and find some way to downplay my victory.”
On what happens on July 29th:
“At first I was ‘The Problem’ and then I became ‘The Can Man’ and that’s the one everybody was scared of. No one called out ‘The Can Man.’ And then, once my name got more bigger and more money came, I became ‘AB’ - About Billions. And that’s when all the shenanigans started happening. For this fight, you know, um, I took it back to when I was ‘The Can Man’ and I can assure that ‘The Can Man’ is back. I just can’t wait to prove everybody wrong.
“And Mikey Garcia, he’s definitely someone I’m gonna prove wrong and after the fight I can promise you he will say that I’m the best fighter he’s ever fought in his life.”