By Ian S. Palmer
Unbeaten super featherweight Adrien Broner will be defending his WBO world title in his hometown of Cincinnati against Vicente Escobedo on July 21 at the U.S. Bank Arena. Escobedo is a former Olympian, but will be stepping up in class against the champion. He’ll still have quite a bit of support though since Broner rubs some fans the wrong way with his brashness and confident style in and out of the ring.
The 30-year-old Esocbedo has a decent record of 26-3 with 15 KOs while the 22-year-old Broner is 23-0 with 19 Kos. There isn’t much between them in height with Escobedo standing at 5-foot-8 and Broner at 5-foot-7. Broner has knocked out his last three opponents and usually shines in the spotlight of his televised fights. His last bout took place in February when he disposed of Eloy Perez with his quick hands, footwork, and power.
This could be Escobedo’s only chance at a world title and he should be well prepared for it. But having the heart and determination to win doesn’t always result in victory. He’s going to have to box well and unleash some powerful shots to keep the champion off of him. However, while he has pretty good power, especially in the left hook, he doesn’t have the speed of hand to surprise Broner.
It’s going to be almost impossible to take a decision from Broner, so Escobedo is going to have to go out there to hurt him. He’s got the killer instinct, so if he does rock Broner he could possibly finish the job. His best weapons are going to be left hooks and straight right hands and he’s going to have to catch Broner making a mistake. It’s easier said than done though, since Escobedo will have to try and keep a swarming Broner at bay at will likely spend a good portion of the bout on the defensive.
Photo: Pat Lovell
If Escobedo’s hungry enough though he could cause some damage since he basically has nothing to lose and isn’t expected to put up much of a challenge. Broner has the home town crowd behind him and that will surely lead to some showboating. If Escobedo is also sharp enough he could perhaps put some hurt on the champion while he’s busy entertaining his friends and family.
Escobedo will have to think about trying to take Broner out as early as possible, but that’s also going to be difficult since Broner’s a pretty fast starter. Escobedo has won four straight bouts, but when he’s stepped up in class against former world champions, Michael Katsidis and Robert Guerrero he struggled and lost against both of them.
It’s hard to see Escobedo winning this fight because he’s outclassed in all categories. As always in boxing though, he’s got a puncher’s chance. However, it’s highly unlikely that he’s going to be able to take Broner out. Escobedo’s quite durable and has lost all three of his bouts by decision, two of them being split, but look for Broner to keep his belt by a unanimous decision or late stoppage.
