By Ian S Palmer
Former three-division world champion Adrien Broner of Cincinnati, Ohio takes on Carlos Molina of Los Angeles, California in a junior welterweight showdown this Saturday, May 3. The 10-round bout can be seen live on the Showtime pay-per-view network in the USA and on Viewers Choice pay-per-view in Canada, while British boxing fans can check it out on Box Nation.
Many fans were pleased when Broner lost his WBA Welterweight title to Marcos Maidana a few months ago due to the former champion’s arrogant attitude. Maidana did a job on him by decking Broner twice on his way to a wide unanimous decision. Maidana was rewarded with a shot at Floyd Mayweather Jr., which is the headlining bout on this card.
Molina has been a top-10 contender for some time now, but doesn’t seem to be able to get over the hump when it comes to taking on elite fighters. Molina usually has trouble against fast, powerful and aggressive boxers, which is what Broner is. As Molina is entering this contest with a 17-1-1 record with 7 Kos we can see that he doesn’t have much power and without it he’s not going to be able to keep Broner off of him.
Molina has basically been handpicked for Broner’s first bout since Maidana upset him in December. He may be fighting at 140 lbs for the first time after jumping from 135 to 147 lbs to take on Maidana, but it shouldn’t make a difference really. However, it may be a little odd that he’s dropping down in weight from the welterweight division and will be fighting in his fourth different weight class.
The 24-year-old Broner, who enters the bout with a record of 27-1 along with 22 Kos said he’s happy to be fighting the 28-year-old Molina and it’s not too hard to understand why. He also realizes that a loss here to the light-hitting Molina will put a serious dent in his promising career. To his credit, Broner said he isn’t taking Molina lightly since he respects anybody who has the courage to step in a boxing ring.
Broner has been training with former champion Lamont Peterson in Washington D.C for the fight as he attempts to get back to his roots and launch a successful comeback. He said the loss to Maidana has made him a hungrier fighter and the fans will see this Saturday night. He added that he shouldn’t have any problem making the weight and he’s mentally prepared for the challenge.
Molina last fought in December of 2012 when he was stopped by former champion Amir Khan of England in the 10th round. He’s probably going to have to deal with some ring rust as well as with Broner’s power and skills.
Prediction
Molina’s chances may be quite slim here, but he still has some hope. Broner had a tough time with a light-hitting boxer when he took on Paulie Malignaggi last year and won a close and controversial split decision. That bout showed that Broner has a tough time handling boxers with elite skills. However, Molina’s not quite at that level. Molina’s in with a better overall boxer here and while he should hold his own, look for Broner to take the fight by a unanimous decision.
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