Adrien Broner confirmed today that he has decided not to retire following his unanimous decision loss to Blair Cobbs in a 10-round bout last Friday night in Hollywood, Florida.
Broner turns 35 on July 28 and has lost three of his six fights since 2017. It's unclear whether promoter Don King will continue to schedule Broner fights.
Former four-division world champion Broner (35-5-1, 24 KOs) posted a message on Instagram telling his 1.2 million followers that he had received a message from God urging him not to retire and that he would “be back soon.”
Broner's reflections and promises
AB has said he's “been doing it the wrong way” and suggested his training methods are stunting his development, but the main culprits causing Broner's problems are his age and a lack of power, speed and athleticism to compete at a high level at welterweight.
“God sent me a message and I see that He has not forgiven me yet. I have done things the wrong way and ruined the blessings and opportunities He has given me. I am determined and I am making the most of this opportunity He has given me. Today I see everything more clearly and understand myself better. 'The Problem' will be back soon,” Adrien Broner said on Instagram.
Unfortunately, Broner lacks the physical ability to fight at 147 pounds, and that won't improve with additional training. He can't beat any opponent at welterweight.
That was evident in his loss to 34-year-old Blair Cobbs, who isn't even ranked in the top 15 at welterweight and was recently knocked out by runner-up Alexis Rocha.
In Broner's prime, he competed at super featherweight, where his power, size and skill were ideally suited.
When Adrian moved up to welterweight in 2013 in search of bigger paydays, his career went downhill quickly with a string of losses and poor performances.
Broner should probably add four more losses to his resume against Adrian Granados, Jessie Vargas, Giovanny Santiago and Paulie Malignaggi, which would bring him to nine losses and now put him in the journeyman category.
Potential solution: A return to super featherweight?
If possible, Broner should return to the 130-pound division, where power matters more, and stay as active as possible.
A return to super featherweight may not be possible for Broner as his diet has caused him to gain a lot of weight and his body would likely resist returning to that division.
