Notebook: Broner returns, vows to make most of latest chance
Top Rank makes Narvarrete-Valdez official; light heavyweight Izmailov seeks to shine on 'ShoBox'; Quick hits; Show and tell
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The outside the ring issues former four-division titleholder Adrien “The Problem” Broner has faced over the past several years have been well documented, including mental health struggles, financial despair, and various legal problems that have seen him jailed.
So, as Broner prepares to give his career another go in a 10-round welterweight bout against Bill Hutchinson on Friday (FITE, 6:50 p.m. ET, $24.99) at Casino Miami in Miami, Florida, in what will be Broner’s first fight in nearly 2 1/2 years and only his fourth since 2017, Don King, his new promoter looking to give him another chance, used the humor card when talking it up at their fight-week news conference.
“Dealing with lawyers is Broner’s forte,” King deadpanned.
The 91-year-old high-haired promoter, of course, was referring this surprising fact: Besides being a boxer, Hutchinson is also a practicing attorney with offices in his native Pittsburgh and Naples, Florida.
“Usually when people see Adrien Broner, there is usually something messed up coming behind him,” Broner said, looking at Hutchinson. “So after I mess you up I’m going to hire you because I can always use a good lawyer. Now that I know you’re a fighter, I know you will fight for me in the courtroom.”
Said Hutchinson: “As previously stated, I am a licensed attorney. However, first and foremost, I am a fighter, and Adrien Broner is going to see that Friday night, and he’s going to have his hands full. So, I appreciate the offer for some work after the fight, and we can talk about that after, but make no mistake, I am going to do everything in the ring to take his head clean off his shoulders.”
Joking aside, few besides King would give Broner a chance. After Broner left PBC’s Al Haymon, who, along with Showtime, had given him ample opportunities, he signed a three-fight deal with fanfare with upstart BLK Prime, which couldn’t deliver and quickly disappeared.
Then King, whose stable of name fighters was depleted long ago, signed him in hoping to they could ride back to prominence together.
Broner (34-4-1, 24 KOs), 33, of Cincinnati, sounded grateful for the opportunity, which came about when his trainer, Kevin Cunningham, talked to King about signing him. King and Cunningham, who are both based in South Florida, go back many years with each other.
“The real problem is they let Adrien Broner and Don King get together; that’s the real problem,” Broner said. “I can tell you right now, I am not looking past this man, but I can tell you this — Adrien Broner will become world champion again. And it will be under Don King. There are bigger things to come, but the first is to take care of Billy.”
Broner is 1-2-1 in his last four fights and has not fought since a disputed decision win over Jovanie Santiago in February 2021. He was scheduled to fight Omar Figueroa Jr. on Showtime last Aug. 20 but pulled out five days beforehand, claiming mental health issues.
He claims he is now mentally and physically ready to fight again.
“I have been doing this for a long time and at this point in my career I realized I just sit back and focus on everything ahead of me,” said Broner, who won world titles at junior lightweight, lightweight, junior welterweight and welterweight.” Fights were dropping and all that did was give me more time to stay in the gym, stay out of trouble and just keep working. That’s what I did and now we are here.
“Training camp has been crazy. There has been some crazy days. With a coach like my uncle — I call him my uncle — Kevin Cunningham is very militant. No BS. He’s yelling or cussing me out every day. He’s a perfectionist. I wouldn’t say this is a new beginning, I would say I am just going to reclaim something I already had. If I hit it once I know I can hit it again.”
Hutchinson (20-2-4, 9 KOs), 34, has won 10 fights in a row and has not lost since a six-rounder in 2016. But he also has faced an extremely low level of opposition on the club circuit in Western Pennsylvania.
Still, he’s talking a big game.
“I am more confident than ever. We put in the preparation. We know what we need to do and we are going to execute on Friday,” Hutchinson said. “We want to make sure he remains uncomfortable at all times. I am going to impose my will on Adrien Broner. I know I will have to deal with his power. He is a four-time world champion for a reason.
“They made a big mistake by allowing me this opportunity. Why did I want this fight? Because I know I could win. Styles make fights and I have the style to beat him.”
The bout is at welterweight but Broner’s aim is to go return to junior welterweight and contend at 140 pounds. Like anything with Broner, believe it when you see given his past issues making that weight, but he sounded upbeat about his return and his future.
“I have goals and that’s what I am focused on,” Broner said. “Only a fighter can know. It’s a lonely sport. It’s a sport where you have to look in the mirror every day and say ‘F’ it. You gotta say ‘F’ everybody and go out there and do what you gotta do. You have to make sure you are straight, with no shortcuts, and I think that’s why I’m doing good this time around.”
Navarrete-Valdez official
In an all-Mexican fight most expect to produce fireworks, Emanuel Navarrete will make his first defense of the WBO junior lightweight title against former two-division titleholder Oscar Valdez on Aug. 12 at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, Top Rank announced on Wednesday.
The fight, which has been long expected — Fight Freaks Unite reported the date and site last month — will headline a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card (ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET).
“Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez are proud warriors, and this is a fight that is destined to go down as a classic,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, who has compared the potential action the match could produce to the legendary trilogy he promoted between Mexican greats Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales. “The fight fans at Desert Diamond Arena and everyone watching on ESPN are in for a real treat. The winner of this fight etches his name among the great Mexican fighters. I can’t wait.”
Navarrete (37-1, 31 KOs), 28, and Valdez (31-1, 23 KOs), 32, were scheduled to fight for the vacant WBO title on Feb. 3, but Valdez withdrew due to a back/rib injury. Instead, Navarrete, who has also won titles at featherweight and junior featherweight, knocked out replacement Liam Wilson in the ninth round of a rousing battle to claim the 130-pound belt with Valdez watching at ringside knowing he would get the first crack.
But first Valdez had to win his return fight, which he did via lopsided unanimous decision over Adam Lopez in a rematch on May 20 as he shook of the rust of a 13-month layoff in the co-feature of the Devin Haney-Vasiliy Lomachenko card.
“After so much time, this fight will finally take place,” Navarrete said. “Obviously, I am 100 percent motivated because Valdez is still a big threat, and a fight against him could possibly be the start of a new Mexico versus Mexico rivalry like the one between Barrera and Morales.”
Valdez, a 2008 and 2012 Mexican Olympian, who grew up a big Morales fan, is a former junior lightweight and featherweight titlist. When he defeated Lopez last month it was his first fight since a decision loss to Shakur Stevenson in a junior lightweight unification bout.
Now he has another chance to claim a world title.
“I’m excited to return to the ring, especially because it’s for a world title against ‘Vaquero’ Navarrete,” said Valdez, who spent several of his childhood growing up in Arizona. “Being a world champion is something that I always dreamed of. I already did it two times, and this is yet another opportunity. So, I’m excited and prepared both mentally and physically for this new opportunity. And I like that it’s between two Mexicans because it’s a win-win for Mexico. It's a guaranteed war when there are two Mexicans in the ring.”
Izmailov strives to shine in spotlight
Light heavyweight up-and-comer Ali Izmailov, a former amateur standout, hopes to impress against fellow unbeaten Charles Foster and launch himself into more prominent bouts.
Izmailov (10-0, 7 KOs), 30, a Russia native based in Detroit, and Foster (22-0, 12 KOs), 33, of New Haven, Connecticut, will meet in the 10-round main event of the Salita Promotions tripleheader on “ShoBox: The New Generation” on Friday (9 p.m. ET/PT) during International Boxing Hall of Induction weekend Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York, which is just a few minutes from the Hall of Fame in nearby Canastota. Inductions are on Sunday.
“I’m coming for everyone at 175 pounds,” Izmailov said. “I plan on making a statement on Friday night. I’m going to showcase my power and boxing ability against a world-rated fighter. When the opportunity for the knockout comes, I’m taking it and I’m ending his night early.”
He has the confidence of trainer John David Jackson.
“Ali is one of the best fighters I’ve trained with and he has tremendous power that you can only be born with,” said Jackson, who also trains undisputed women’s middleweight champion Claressa Shields. “I believe he’s going to be beating Dmitriy Bivol, Artur Beterbiev, Canelo Alvarez, or whoever is holding the world titles when the time comes. Friday night during the Boxing Hall of Fame weekend is the perfect stage for him to make his grand entrance against a very good opponent.”
Also on the card:
Southpaw Richard Vansiclen (13-0-1, 6 KOs), 29, of Seattle, takes on Juan Carrillo (10-0, 8 KOs), 30, a 2016 Colombian Olympian, in the 10-round co-feature.
Light Heavyweight Clay Waterman (10-0, 8 KOs), 27, a former amateur standout from Australia, faces Kenmon Evans (10-0-1, 3 KOs), 31, of Port Orange, Florida, who is promoted by Hall of Famer and women’s boxing legend Christy Martin, in an eight-rounder.
Quick hits
The undercard for the Errol Spence Jr.-Terence Crawford undisputed welterweight title fight likely won’t be formally announced for at least a couple of weeks, but Fight Freaks Unite has learned that lightweight contender Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (24-2-1, 17 KOs) will be on the Showtime PPV on July 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Cruz, 25, of Mexico, had his highest profile fight as a late replacement to challenge WBA “regular” lightweight titlist Gervonta Davis in December 2021 and gave him the toughest fight of his career in a debatable decision loss. Cruz has since won two fights in a row, a fifth-round knockout of Yuriorkis Gamboa on the Spence-Yordenis Ugas undercard in April 2022 followed by a second-round demolition of Eduardo Ramirez on the Andy Ruiz Jr.-Luis Ortiz undercard in September.
A purse bid for the fight between IBF cruiserweight titlist Jai Opetaia (22-0, 17 KOs), 27, a southpaw from Australia, and mandatory challenger Mateusz Masternak (47-5, 31 KOs), 36, of Poland, has been scheduled for June 15, although the sides could still make a deal up to 15 minutes before bids are unsealed. The split will be 65-35 in Opetaia’s favor if the bid goes forward. Opetaia has been idle since he was the mandatory challenger and won the title via unanimous decision from Mairis Briedis last July in Australia in a fight of the year contender that left Opetaia with a broken jaw and a long layoff. Former European champion Masternak has won six in a row since a 2018 loss.
Newly crowned WBC bridgerweight titlist Lukasz Rozanski has been ordered to face mandatory challenger Kevin Lerena next. If they don’t make a deal, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said a purse bid is scheduled for June 23 at the WBC offices in Mexico City. The purse bid split would favor Rozanski 60-40. Rozanski (15-0, 14 KOs), 37, of Poland, won the vacant belt in the 224-pound division only recognized by the WBC by stopping then-unbeaten Alen Babic in the first round on April 22. Lerena (29-2, 14 KOs), 31, a southpaw from South Africa, has been a cruiserweight for most of his career but dabbled at heavyweight, including in his last two bouts, a third-round knockout loss to WBA “regular” titlist Daniel Dubois in December followed by a decision over former cruiserweight titlist Ryad Merhy on May 13 that was officially a bridgerweight eliminator.
Upstart Disrupt Promotions announced that it will stage its first event on June 16 at Humo Arena in Tashkent, Uzbekistan with former two-time bantamweight titlist Paul Butler (34-3, 15 KOs), 34, of England, headlining against an opponent to be named. Butler has not boxed since Naoya Inoue dominated him en route to an 11th-round knockout to take his IBF belt and become the undisputed champion on Dec. 13 in Japan. The card will also feature bouts involving British featherweight Joe McGrail (7-0, 3 KOs), Irish lightweight Steven Cairns (5-0, 2 KOs) and Dubai-based Cuban welterweight Yan Marcos (9-0, 6 KOs).
Wasserman Boxing announced it has signed junior featherweight Lee McGregor (12-0-1, 9 KOs), 26, the former British, Commonwealth and European bantamweight champion, to “a long-term promotional contract.” McGregor, who previously was with now-shuttered MTK Global, will have the first fight of his new deal as the main event on July 21 (Channel 5 in U.K.) at Meadowbank Sports Centre in his hometown of Edinburgh, Scotland. McGregor has not fought at home since his 2017 pro debut.
Show and tell
When I began covering boxing in 2000, the mega fight everyone was dying to see was a showdown between heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson, despite how shot he was. The road to making the fight was as agonizing as for any major fight in history, but it eventually did happen after much uncertainty and many twists & turns. One of the biggest reasons that it was difficult to make was because the fighters were under contract to rival networks. Lewis was a franchise fighter for HBO and Tyson for Showtime. Ultimately, it led to the first-ever joint pay-per-view between as the networks finally struck a deal once thought to be impossible, even though the fight was put in jeopardy when Tyson bit Lewis on the leg during a brawl at the kickoff news conference in New York that never really started. I was at the aborted news conference and it was surreal. It also left the fight in doubt with Nevada officials refusing to license Tyson because of his ill behavior that day. Today, when people ask me if such and such fight can happen I have one response: If they could make Lewis-Tyson, they can make anything.
I have many vivid memories of that wild fight week in Memphis, which agreed to host the fight after Nevada said no thanks because of Tyson. Memphis rolled out the red carpet for visiting media. I was there all week covering the fight for USA Today and the time I spent hanging out with comedian Dave Chappelle, who is a big boxing fan, was just one of the many highlights. He was there “covering” the fight for nightly spots on Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show.” That’s how big the fight was. It was as mainstream as any fight I’ve ever covered.
The fight, which was the biggest money fight in history at the time, went how I expected — a Lewis destruction of the massively faded Tyson, who showed heart and took his beating like a man. Lewis dominated and bloodied Tyson before knocking him out with a huge right hand in the eighth round that brought the curtain down a great heavyweight era that mostly took place in the 1990s. The fight was on June 8, 2002 — 21 years ago on Thursday. I have many items from the fight in my collection. Here are three of them: a think cardboard site poster limited to 500 pieces with beautiful LeRoy Neiman artwork, a mint ticket to the fight and an invitation to the pre-fight party jointly thrown by HBO and Showtime.
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Broner/King/Hutchinson photo: David Martin/DKP
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Narvarrete Valdez will be a war
Bridgerweight news! dan covers it all!!!