At the US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio, Adrien Broner stopped former champ Khabib Allakhverdiev in the final round of their Showtime 12-rounder. Along with a much-needed win, the 26-year-old Broner also bagged the vacant WBA Junior Welterweight title. Why that belt was on the line for two fighters who had lost their previous fights and weren’t really in any position to earn the opportunity, is beyond me. But I’ll save that rant for another day…
In a one-sided affair, Broner cruised his way through just over 11 rounds, with the referee finally saving an outgunned, outclassed Allakhverdiev from further punishment. Really, this thing should have been stopped a round or two before. For what it’s worth, officials saw Broner vs Allakhverdiev 110-99, 109-100, and an odd 107-102 prior to the stoppage.
Broner now moves up to 31-2, 23 knockouts, while Allakhverdiev drops to 19-2, 9 knockouts.
So does this mean Broner’s back? Well, technically yes. And he’s now a champ to boot. Well, a diluted one (damn it, I said I wouldn’t rant!) The Cincinnati-native put in a good performance, I suppose, and did what he had to do against an incredibly overmatched foe. It would be reaching to say Broner did much differently, but he deserves some credit for staying focused and getting the job done inside the distance.
That said, Broner’s detractors will be unloading their criticisms on social media today. And to be fair, you can’t really blame them. They’ll be pointing out that Allakhverdiev was tailor made for ‘The Problem’, serving as more of a glorified sparring partner than legitimate challenge. Allakhverdiev certainly didn’t leave it all in the ring, throwing a dismal amount of punches as he was picked off and punished by Broner’s power shots from the onset.
Broner also seemed to coast, seemingly more content to do just what was necessary rather than punch his ticket home early. But as they say, it is what it is. Broner’s back, and now a four-weight world champion.
Did you catch Broner vs Allakhverdiev? Chime in with your own opinions on Broner’s performance, fight fans.
