Adrien Broner's fighting career may be over after a heartbreaking loss to Blair Cobbs on Friday night.
If that happens, he will retire after 42 fights (35 wins, 1 draw) as a fighter who has held world titles at super featherweight, lightweight, super lightweight and welterweight and, according to Chris Algieri, is “the worst four-division world champion in history.”
At 34, Broner's prime is long gone and there's no doubt he hasn't lived up to the expectations of those who once predicted he would succeed Floyd Mayweather at the top of the sport.
“He’s fought some big names, but in terms of a four-weight world champion, he’s probably the worst four-weight world champion I’ve ever seen,” Algieri said on Probox TV’s “Deep Waters.” “That’s a very short list.
“His wins after 135…that was his downfall, because he couldn't stay in the weight class where he belonged. At 130 and 135 he was an absolute nightmare. He was great to watch, he had the punching power, he had the speed. At 140 and 147 he just wasn't the same guy. And as his career went on and he got a little older and his discipline outside the ring faded…that's why he's making these fights now.” [against Cobbs]. “
Broner won a controversial split decision over Paulie Malignaggi in 2013, but Malignaggi, who like Algieri is a retired world champion, said: “I don't think he could have been more. He was a world-class fighter who won a world title. He was definitely a world-class fighter.”
“But certainly he was overrated in that he was named 'the next Mayweather.' It was a bit of a heavy burden for him to carry and I don't know if he'll be that good. But just because he's not the next Mayweather doesn't mean he's not world class. The way I look at Adrien Broner, he can be overrated and still be world class. Even at 130 pounds, he hasn't convinced me.
“I remember fighting him, looking at his record. [Vicente Martin Rodriguez] He won the 130-pound world title. It was a vacant title at the time. He had two losses. One of them was to a guy with a record under 500 pounds, who he beat for the 130-pound world title. And I think he also lost to Ponce de Leon at 130 pounds.
“There were flashes of brilliance in some of the fights that made you realise Broner was a world-class fighter, but there were also signs that he wasn't going to be the next Mayweather. That's where the word 'overrated' comes in, but it has to be taken in the right context. He was a world-class fighter, but he was overrated because he was pushed to be the next Mayweather, which he wasn't.”
