ESPN.com
Nicknamed “The Problem,” Adrien Broner had a big one on Friday.
Broner did not come close to making the 130-pound weight limit at weigh-in for his junior lightweight title defense against mandatory challenger Vicente Escobedo on Saturday night (HBO, 10 ET/PT), and he has been stripped of the title.
While Escobedo was right on the division limit of 130 pounds, Broner weighed 133½ pounds after hours of working out in the gym on a treadmill and sitting in a sauna.
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Rafael Flashy, confident 130-pound titlist Adrien Broner is hoping to exit the junior lightweight division with a bang on Saturday against mandatory challenger Vicente Escobedo, in front of his hometown fans in Cincinnati, write Dan Rafael. Story
Escobedo can win the vacant title assuming the fight at the U.S. Bank Arena in Broner’s hometown of Cincinnati goes ahead as scheduled.
Rolando Arellano, Escobedo’s manager, said he was negotiating the terms of a Saturday weight check to make sure Broner does not balloon in weight overnight, which woud give himself a significant size advantage against Escobedo.
“We’re going to try set up a second weigh-in for Saturday,” Arellano told ESPN.com. “We want him limited to 10 pounds over the contract weight, so he could have a maximum of 140 pounds. But if he comes in over that, then we want to start imposing fines. We want $10,000 a pound, but so far (the Broner camp) has not agreed. The ball’s in their court. We’re not considering pulling out, but Broner didn’t live up to his agreement, so we are giving him the flexibility to modify the initial agreement.
“If he is unable to satisfy those terms and conditions we are asking for, that’s on him. We came to his house, to his arena, to his show. We did everything we were supposed to do.”
Arellano said he was working with Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Eric Gomez to work out the details of the Saturday weight check and the financial penalties.
Arellano said he and Escobedo (26-3, 15 KOs), 30, of Woodland, Calif., heard on Thursday night that Broner was having trouble making weight.
However, Arellano said he was ticked off that Broner immediately got off the scale and began to drink water Friday rather than try to lose a little more weight.
“I think he should have acted more professionally,” Arellano said. “That’s not cool. That’s a lack of professionalism. We know he made an effort to make the weight because we knew he was in the gym working (Friday) morning. We just wanted him to try it again, but by running off he didn’t respect the game, he didn’t respect us or the people who work hard to put the event together.”
Arellano said the Ohio commission imposed a $60,000 fine on Broner — a percentage of his purse — for not making weight. He said half of the money would go to the commission, with the other $30,000 being added to Escobedo’s $150,000 purse.
The 22-year-old Broner (23-0, 19 KOs) said before what was supposed to be his second title defense that Saturday’s fight would be his final bout in the junior lightweight division before he moved up to the 135-pound lightweight division.
But he did not say his reason for the move was because he was having trouble making 130 pounds.
“I’m young. I’m 22. I’m still growing. I just feel like it’s time for me to go up,” Broner said on Wednesday. “After this fight, there really wouldn’t be a reason for me to stay. I’m just going to go up and give the lightweights hell.”
Welterweights Keith Thurman (17-0, 16 KOs) and Orlando Lora (29-2-2, 19 KOs) both were on weight for Saturday night’s 10-round co-feature. They both weighed 147½ pounds.
