From world champion to jail cell: the rise and fall of boxing’s ‘next Mayweather’
Many have tried and failed to become the ‘next Floyd Mayweather’, with one American boxer heavily tipped to succeed the unbeaten fighter as the heir to his throne. But shocking events outside the ring prevented him from fulfilling his potential.
Mayweather needs no introduction, having finished his career with 15 major world championships across five weight classes and a record of 50 wins from 50 fights.
Since his 2017 retirement, several American boxers – such as Terence Crawford, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney – have won multiple world titles, although none can truly claim to have replaced the icon that was Mayweather.
However, very few have resembled Mayweather’s Philly shell style as closely as Adrien Broner.
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The Cincinnati fighter graduated from the amateur ranks with a record of 300 wins and just 19 losses in 319 fights before turning professional in 2008, after missing the Beijing Olympics due to serving a 14-month prison sentence.
‘The Problem’ quickly built his professional record to 22–0 before winning the then-vacant WBO super-featherweight title with a third-round knockout victory over Vicente Martin Rodriguez in his 23rd professional bout in November 2011.
He retained the crown against Eloy Perez the following February, before Broner’s issues with discipline in training began to surface.
Ahead of his world title defence against Vicente Escobedo in 2012, Broner missed weight by 3.5 lb. Despite concerns that the fight would be called off, it went ahead, with Broner winning by fifth-round knockout.
The now 36-year-old continued to rack up wins, claiming both the WBC lightweight title and WBA welterweight title in subsequent bouts before losing the latter to Argentina’s Marcos Maidana in December 2013.
The American was heavily criticised for his post-fight behaviour, leaving the ring before the judges’ decision was announced.
Broner returned by beating Carlos Molina by unanimous decision in 2014, but again drew negative headlines after making a racially offensive comment about his opponent’s Mexican heritage.
He was later suspended by the WBC for a ‘racially offensive statement’.
Upon his return, Broner recorded two wins before losing for the second time in his career to Shawn Porter in June 2015.
Despite winning the WBA super-lightweight title in 2015, the following year Broner’s ill-discipline resurfaced, with the fighter missing weight by 0.4 lb and, as a result, being stripped of his world title.
Outside the ring, Broner’s life began to spiral, with the fighter arrested and charged with allegedly choking a waitress in Las Vegas just weeks after suggesting he was considering suicide on social media.
In 2017, he continued to box, beating Adrian Granados before losing to Mikey Garcia, while issues in his personal life persisted.
Broner was jailed for three days for contempt of court after failing to appear at a hearing relating to a disorderly conduct charge stemming from a 2014 incident at a bar in Kentucky. After pleading guilty, he received a suspended sentence.
The following year, in 2018, Broner was again in trouble with the law after a woman claimed he sexually assaulted her in a Cleveland nightclub.
It was alleged that Broner pinned the woman to a couch before kissing her as she tried to free herself.
The lawsuit stated that one of Broner’s friends pulled him away. Broner was ordered to pay the woman $830,000 in damages in 2019. She was also awarded $500,000 in punitive damages and $250,000 in compensatory damages.
This came after Broner was accused of groping a woman at an Atlanta shopping centre earlier in 2018.
The charges were reportedly later dropped due to a lack of evidence.
After drawing with Jessie Vargas in 2018, Broner lost by unanimous decision in a WBA (Regular) welterweight world title fight against Manny Pacquiao.
He then took a 35-month hiatus from boxing after being arrested again in 2020, this time on a drink-driving charge in Miami.
This resulted in him being sentenced to seven days in prison for violating his parole in relation to the 2018 charges of ‘gross sexual imposition, a fourth-degree felony, misdemeanour sexual imposition and abduction, a third-degree felony’.
Broner also claimed he was unable to pay the $830,000 owed, stating he had just $13 in his bank account despite previously boasting about his wealth.
In 2021, he returned to the ring, beating Jovanie Santiago by unanimous decision before another lengthy 28-month lay-off.
In the same year, Broner was jailed for a parole violation after failing to enrol in a court-mandated alcohol treatment programme.
The former four-weight world champion returned with a win over Bill Hutchinson in June 2023 before losing to Blair Cobbs in June 2024. The fighter has not fought since.
Speaking to World Boxing News in 2023, Broner explained how he was prioritising his mental health over his boxing career.
“I’ve been through a lot, but I’m not one to give up easily,” Broner said. “I know I’ve got what it takes to be a champion again.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to get there. My mental health is a priority.
“I’m taking the necessary steps to get back to my best inside and outside the ring.”
Topics: Boxing, Floyd Mayweather, Boxing News
Luke Davies