Adrien Broner doesn’t deserve to steal the spotlight from more deserving fighters anymore

I know, I’m falling for it. Adrien Broner put out the bait, and I am snapping at it.

But it’s a slow news month, so forgive me, please.

Did you see this?

Maybe Broner has been back on your radar because the rumor mill is saying that Floyd Mayweather is coming back, maybe in September, and his dance partner could be AB.

No way. Not gonna happen.

Broner shit the bed too many times, and no writer-reporter-analyst can in good conscience tell the potentially buying public that this time, it really is different.

It wouldn’t be, I am going out on the limb to tell you this.

The 30-year-old Broner (33-4-1, 24 KO) is many things — but a committed prizefighter, who gives 100% of himself in the ring, that’s not him. Hasn’t been him for a long time. And he will tell you different, as he does after every damn fight now, and you may find yourself believing it, then kicking yourself after. I know, because this happens to me.

AB is smart, in that he takes advantage of human nature. Of our “better angels,” I guess. Most of us want to believe in second chances, in third ones, even. Especially if there is a narrative push to encourage us to do so.

I know, because I’ve been complicit in it. But no mas. Not gonna happen this time, I won’t carry even a sip’s worth of water for the latest Broner reclamation attempt.

I ignored it when I saw this one:

I’m usually at that stage with AB, because playing along now seems pointless, counter-productive even.

But as long as we’re here, I will say good luck with that, pal. Your market value is way off the 10-spot, and it’s no given that you get a million next time out, either. But that’s really neither here not there.

Back to the present.

That latest message from Broner indicates yet again the disconnect between Broner’s perceptions and reality. OK, not totally; Broner isn’t wrong that boxing fans are too quick to tear down, they do indeed go overboard with critiques when an undefeated boxer takes the first L. But AB has taken four, so who is he trying to stick up for?

And regarding how Showtime should “step it up and be more on the fighters side” — he’s off. Really, really off. He has been very, very fortunate to keep getting gigs, because time and again and again and again, he talks a great game, and then come showtime, he disappears. He does enough to stay alive and not get stopped if he’s the B-side, or get the W if he’s in as the A-side. But he does nothing to have you thinking this was the guy HBO was thinking would be their next PPV cash cow driver after Mayweather was all done.

In other words, boiled down, it’s on him, not Showtime. By and large, boxing fans really just ask for and expect and are reasonably pleased when the fighter gives it his or her all. Even in a loss. And Broner just can’t be trusted to do that in his next fight, no matter who that’s against. He will swear on a Bible stack it’s different, this time it’ll be different, as he implied three weeks ago on an IG chat that he’s finding lockdown boring and thus he’s about to get into “120%” mode and just focus on boxing.

Nonsense. Same level of BS when he talks about going back to 130 pounds.

I’m not playing along this time.

He’s slung too much BS for too long, and it’s tiresome. It’s not just me falling for it, either. Suits giving him checks, because he talks a good game, are short-sighted. Broner under-delivers in the actual fights he’s in. He can argue that hey, people watch my fights. True enough. But plenty are hate-watching. And just about every time out, people are left disappointed, his effort again didn’t match his pre-fight promises.

In fact, it can be argued that judges and even fans give Broner more love than he deserves at times. Against Jessie Vargas Apr. 21, 2018, he gave away the first half of the fight, started to work in round seven, and got a draw that some thought was a gift. As per usual, his volume was weak — Vargas threw 300 more punches than Broner. This despite the fact — again, as usual — the Ohio native told us before that his camp was wondrous.

One would have hoped so, after he threw 400 punches against Mikey Garcia the fight before.

“They said it’s a do-or-die fight,” Broner snapped at Jim Gray post-fight July 29, 2017. “If I fight tomorrow everybody here’s still going to come see me. At the end of the day, I’m still a four-time world champion, still a champion in four different weight classes, and when I’m done in the sport, I’m going to be in the history books.”

Clinically speaking, yes, he will. But only Broner really gets jazzed by the titles against the B side set-ups. And let me remind you, in case so much time passed that you forgot. In his last outing, Broner conned everyone. He threw 300 punches against Manny Pacquiao on Jan. 19, 2019, and most minutes of every round didn’t even look like he was trying to win. He made you cringe for him when he said after the bout to Jim Gray that he thought he won.

He’s hoping you forgot, I’m here to make sure you don’t. Don’t believe me? Here’s what the NY Times reported: “Broner, meanwhile, fought like he was merely trying to survive, despite being 11 years younger than his opponent. He was booed loudly as he raised his hands in victory and jumped on the corner ropes as if he had won.”

Bottom line: Broner has been full of it for a lot of years. He’s gearing up to do his rinse and repeat act. Don’t fall for it. There’s plenty of bullshit being slung about this world now, how about we use this undesired downtime to ponder, and come back and re-start the engines and be smarter? That includes not falling for the Broner con job yet again. He’s a side show act who’s been sneaking into center ring and stealing spotlight from more deserving and more talented fighters for too long.