Everybody Asks Me

Adrien Broner was challenged, but only slightly, when he met Gavin Rees this past weekend at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

Everybody asks me and I tell them I was very impressed with Adrien Broner in his victory over Gavin Rees last weekend in Atlantic City. I told everyone going in that Rees was a serious guy with a solid resume and that he would test Broner.

All of that rang true - except for the fact that Rees was not able to test Broner as I believed he would because “The Problem” is just that good. As Broner said afterwards, he does have another gear and when he needs it he just shifts up and a fellow like Rees was unable to keep pace.

Many are calling for Broner to up the competition level but as far as I can see, there is nobody out there at 135 pounds that is on his level. It should be very interesting to see what the future holds for Broner as at only 23 years-old the sky is the limit for him. I’ll go on record now as declaring that he’ll likely remain undefeated for a long time.

Everybody asks me and I tell them the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights telecast emanating from the DC Armory in the nation’s capital is a must see TV event. Lamont Peterson versus Kendall Holt for the IBF title at 140 pounds. These two guys are rarely in a bad fight and the DC Armory is a great venue for boxing.

IBF 140-pound titlist Lamont Peterson will meet Kendall Holt this Friday night in Washington, D.C. The bout will be Peterson's first in 14 months.

Peterson is returning from a long lay-off after his positive steroid test following his bout against Amir Khan. Holt is making an attempt to stay relevant and win another title as another loss for him could relegate him to club fighter status. Holt is a tremendously explosive puncher and when he is on he is a sight to behold. Whoever wins puts themselves right back into the middle of the mix in the talent laden jr. welterweight division - so this fight is one that means something, too.    
Everybody asks me and I tell them I believe Bernard Hopkins could very well outbox Tavoris Cloud when the two of them meet up on March 9 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The ageless Bernard Hopkins (left) will soon discover if he can once again turn back the hands of time when he attempts to lift the IBF light heavyweight title belt from Tavoris Cloud.

While IBF 175-pound titlist Cloud is only 31 years-old, whereas Hopkins is 48, you can just never count Bernard out of any fight. Cloud hasn’t exactly vanquished a murderer’s row of opposition and he steps into the ring very infrequently. If Hopkins can impose his clutch and grab style on Cloud to slow him down enough so that he can do his usual maul and brawl, he very well may throw Cloud out of his rhythm. Hopkins likes to hold with one hand and hit with the other and since Cloud doesn’t possess the boxing skills of Joe Calzaghe or Chad Dawson then Hopkins may very well prove successful against Cloud with this sort of strategy.


February 2013