By Nick Bellafatto
It was only a few fights ago that undefeated Adrien “The Problem” Broner (23-0, 19 KO’s) of Cincinnati, Ohio was referred to as an up and coming prospect with a lot of promise. Fast forward that scenario henceforth, and this young rinsing star is now being touted by some to be the next heirapparent to Floyd Mayweather Jr. Whether it pans out in that fashion or not, the man determined to be the pound-for-pound best that boxing has to offer considers himself equally an entertainer.
And while Broner in the second and last defense of his WBO 130 pound title entertains thoughts of soundly defeating former Olympian and current challenger Vicente Escobedo (26-3, 15 KO’s) in front of his hometown fans at the U.S. Bank Arena this Saturday night, the well-schooled Escobedo has plans of his own. For not only is the Woodland, California native out to prove he’s worthy of competing at the elite levels of boxing after nearly seven and one-half years within the pro ranks, but the NABO titlist intends to turn his aspirations of becoming a world champion into reality in his first ever crack at a major title.
Stated the confident Escobedo, “I’m going to take full advantage of this opportunity. I’m hungry and I’ve been hungry. People say that he [Broner] has talent, power and speed. I’ve got talent, I’ve got speed, and I’ve got power too. I’m gonna shock the world. I guarantee it.”
Whether Escobedo can overcome or adjust to his quick-fisted opponent once the bell rings is quite another story. Be that as it may, he simply feels it’s his time. Coming in riding a four fight win-streak to include knocking out “Lightning” Lonnie Smith, a bout which in fact boosted Vicente to the number one rated contender position to earn him a shot at the WBO title, the current challenger would also cruise to victory over Juan Ruiz in his most recent outing.
But if you’ve never heard of Lonnie Smith or Juan Ruiz before, make no mistake, it’s because these adversaries don’t begin to approach the level of fighter that Adrien Broner is. To expand on that, Escobedo’ recent victories are not likely to factor in at all considering he’s up against the most physically talented fighter he will yet face.
What will factor in is Vicente’ ability to effect an accurate jab, utilizing what is determined to be as much as a three inch reach advantage over his opponent. Along with a stiff jab to keep the ever dangerous Broner at bay, the Mexican-American fighter will need to throw in combination, otherwise he will be cut to shreds as a result of the sharp, precise counter-punching ability of the champion, who’s combination of both hand speed and power has mowed down the opposition.
And as an opponent, in the eyes of many Vicente Escobedo is yet unproven as concerns being rated amongst boxing’s upper echelon of fighters. For on two separate HBO dates where the present day challenger would gain valuable exposure, he would twice taste defeat. For not only would Vicente receive a thumping at the hands of Robert Guerrero, but he would also come up short against a one-dimensional but rugged Michael Katsidis, albeit somewhat controversially.
To further bolster the above claim that the Mexican-American pugilist has not really broken the surface to mix in at the A level, the three most significant victories in his career to date have come against Kevin Kelly and “Famoso” Hernandez, two fighters well past their prime, and an under performing Rocky Juarez. Other than that, Escobedo hasn’t absolutely floundered, but although quite competitive, he hasn’t shone either in a way that would lead one to believe that he’ll shine this weekend.
The positives for Vicente going into this fight are that he’s experienced, he throws crisp accurate punches which consist of decent speed and deterrent force, while he possesses a modicum of defense that has allowed him to thus far earn a solid professional record. On the downside, he’s both inconsistent with his offense and defense, seemingly resigned to the fact that his battles should be give and take, or that his opponent should rather have an opportunity to retaliate while he covers up. Simply put, Vicente doesn’t always endeavor to control range or box smartly in and out, even when it’s apparent this might be to his advantage.
And in asking Vicente whether he feels he needs to control distance against Broner, he instead indicated that he would give up that reach from time to time as he feels totally comfortable in-fighting, and/or trading with the champion. I view this as a mistake. For much like Amir Khan who got too comfortable in too close against a solid counter-puncher in Danny Garcia last weekend, Garcia was able to catch a lingering Khan to finish matters off forthwith. This despite the fact that Khan was quite effective working behind his jab.
To trade with a good defensive fighter in Broner who by all outward appearances possesses the ability to beat Escobedo to the punch, this will be to the disadvantage of the challenger in a big way. If “The Problem” doesn’t finish his opponent before the limit under these circumstances, the accumulation of blows will no doubt take their toll to distinctly determine the winner by fights end. In other words, range needs to play a huge part if Escobedo is to prevail against a man who will venture up to the lightweight ranks directly upon conclusion of this bout.
But the story would no doubt be incomplete without presenting an opposing perspective in that Broner may have an existing liability or two himself. Along these lines, although the more athletic and accurate fighter in his bout with solid veteran Daniel Ponce De Leon, of whom Escobedo is somewhat comparable, Adrien Broner failed to put his punches together consistently in that bout. In effect, Ponce De Leon would outwork Broner during the course of action so that the fight could have arguably gone either way. The end result saw a controversial unanimous decision awarded to the Cincinnati native, drawing boo’s from by far the majority in attendance.
However, since that time Broner has demonstrated that he had perhaps taken something to heart regarding that particular contest. For in blasting out his three most recent opponents before the limit, to include knockouts over Jason Litzau, Vicente Rodriguez, and Eloy Perez, “The Problem” hasn’t let any fight get away from him, making it look easy in the process as he likes to say. But make no mistake, Vicente Escobedo brings more to the table than Adrien’ three previous adversaries, so that this fight represents a step up of sorts.
But other than not letting his hands go in the De Leon fight, the defending champion has looked stellar as of late, so that it’s difficult to detect any flaws on his part. If there are any shortcomings that make their way into the ring this weekend, they will not only be hard to decipher, but they will be that much more difficult for the challenger to exploit given the fact that Adrien Broner is just as fleet of foot as he is with his hands. In essence, a tough proposition all the way around for the challenger.
In light of that, Vicente Escobedo in the mind of many is the long shot here, with any chance at victory the result of the California native having to come up with a fight of the year type performance of a lifetime. I liken this match up in a way to Yuriorkis Gamboa versus Orlando Salido. For all of Salido’ toughness, will, experience, and skill level, these attributes in total weren’t quite enough to overcome any existing flaws on the part of Gamboa, simply because of the Cuban’ blazing speed.
And however well prepared Esobedo will be, as mentioned from the outset, it will be totally intriguing to see if in fact the challenger is able to adjust to Broner’ speed, which has seemed to baffle just about everyone. And come fight night, I suspect that the hometown fighter will not make the same mistake he did against Ponce De Leon where he failed to let loose offensively, and that he will either lead or counter in combination to in essence become a force to be reckoned with. All told, Vicente Escobedo just may have bargained for more than he’s able to deal with.
Could the proud former Olympian and current NABO champion prove the doubters wrong? It’s possible. But barring an all-out catastrophe, it’s difficult to see Broner letting the hometown fans down. He’s improved quite markedly in the past few fights, and on the surface, Adrien Broner simply appears to have too much natural talent for the challenger. And therein lies “The Problem.”
“Battle On The Banks:” Broner vs. Escobedo, a 12-round fight for Broner’s WBO Junior Lightweight Title which will take place Saturday, July 21 at U.S. Bank Arenain Cincinnati, Ohio. The event is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, R&R Promotions,and is sponsored by Corona and AT&T. The HBO Boxing After Dark® telecast begins at
10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
