Former champion Timothy Bradley talks to Fight Hub TV about his thoughts on where Adrien Broner’s career is at and how he views his upcoming fight with Jessie Vargas. Check it out...
“It’s chaos,” Bradley said of Broner’s career. “Broner’s probably not ready for anybody...I think Jessie Vargas beats him. I mean, you know, I really do. Jessie Vargas is a guy that stays in shape year-round, he trains year-round, he believes in himself. You know, he’s fought some tough opposition out there...I think he’s ready, I think he’ll surprise a lot of people.
“Broner, like I said, has all the skills in the world, man. But no brains. No brains, man. You know, you gotta have brains, man, and I feel that he doesn’t. And I’m talkin’ bout outside the ring...To be a complete fighter you gotta be able to control stuff outside the ring and you gotta be able to control stuff inside the ring.
“I think he has some problems outside the ring, but that’s his mess, it is what it is — it’s what I think — but like I said, I’m going with Jessie Vargas, a guy that’s more focused, a guy that’s been around the block, that has grown since my fight, since the fight with me. He has grown and so I’m going with him to pull off the upset.”
On if he thinks Broner can turn things around or if he’s a lost cause:
“Can he turn it around?! Nah! I been a fighter my whole career but I know what it takes to remain at the top. He ain’t got it! I’m just being truthful here. He ain’t got it. And I’ll tell any fighter, I’ll tell any fighter if you got it or not — if you got what it takes. It just don’t boil down to just skills and boxing skills in the ring. It just don’t boil down to that, man. Really, outside shit affects you. Outside things affect you, man. It does! And it carries in the ring, man. Everything you do, it carries into the ring, man...
“When your back is against the wall bro, and you’re in that ring man, you start thinking of things that happen outside the ring, what been going on in your life, I mean, you know, just things in your mind, what’s been going on. It all catches up with you physically in the ring and emotionally in the ring, man. That’s what happens. People don’t realize that. People don’t understand that, man.
“It’s like when your back against the ropes and you getting hit and you just like ‘Damn!’ Damn, you tired, you like ‘Man, I should’ve run that extra mile. Fuck!’ I mean, all these thoughts coming to your head, man...
“When you sittin’ and waiting for the weigh-ins and you sittin’ in your hotel room, you got all these demons all in your head, man. And they just playing tricks on you, man. And outside stuff does that...It could be the girl that you just messed around with about a week ago — are my legs gonna hold up? You start second-guessing yourself. It could be I went to jail that day — what happened in the jail or whatever...Somebody could just trigger you and say something you don’t like and it just throw you completely off!
“You gotta be right mentally, man, when you entering the ring you can’t be thinking about anything outside. You gotta be focused on the fight and you can’t let all that outside stuff affect your performance at all...Like I said, when it gets tough in that ring, them demons come out, b. They come out! They really do...and when they do come out, that’s when you see ‘em fade.
“I thought he was gonna do a lot better against Mikey Garcia [shakes head]. But you saw what happened!...Couldn’t do it, man. You know, all the skills in the world, but ain’t got nothing operating it. Ain’t got no brains up here, man.”