Adrien Broner returns to the ring this Friday evening after over two years away at Casino Miami, with the former four-weight world champion taking on Bill Hutchinson over a scheduled ten rounds at welterweight.
FITE TV televise Broner vs Hutchinson live, with Don King promoting the card.
Broner (34-4-1, 24 KOs) is a troubled soul, and has had many problems outside the ring as well as inside the ropes through a checkered career.
‘The Problem’ was seen as a natural heir to Floyd Mayweather Jr, but a sobering decision loss to Marcos Maidana in 2013 dispelled those lofty comparisons.
From 2017, the Cincinnati native lost his way, losing to Mikey Garcia on the cards, and then drawing with Jessie Vargas, before dropping a clear points verdict to Manny Pacquiao in 2019.
There were plenty of police incidents in between, and Broner returned to action in February 2021, claiming a dour points win against Jovanie Santiago.
A comeback has been mooted for some time, but mental health issues kept the 33-year-old out of a planned August 2022 return.
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He is now booked to face Pittsburgh’s Hutchinson (20-2-4, 9 KOs), who isn’t likely to pose too much of a threat. In what will be his 27th professional contest, this will be the first ten round affair of the 34-year-old’s career, although he is on a ten-fight winning streak, the last a points win over six against Rondale Hubbard at the start of 2022.
Prediction: Broner may be involved in another slow burner here, as he sheds ring rust, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he banks the ten rounds and takes a landslide points win.
Rigondeaux returns
Another accomplished fighter in the twilight of his career is on the bill in Guillermo Rigondeaux (21-3, 14 KOs).
The gifted Cuban was often avoided and hard to promote as a slippery southpaw and as he needed to take risks to attract bigger fights, he was retired after six rounds against Vasyl Lomachenko in 2017.
Although he rebounded with three straight wins, back-to-back losses to John Riel Casimero and Vincent Astrolabio gave further proof that his best days are behind him.
The former unified world champion knocked out Jesus Martinez in a round last time out, but at 42, there can’t be too much left to give and prove.
Prediction: He should still have enough to take a ten round decision at bantamweight against the unbeaten Charlie Clemente-Andino (12-0, 5 KOs), who goes past the six round distance for the first time.
Remaining Undercard
Ahmed Elbiali (22-1, 18 KOs) can add the NABF light heavyweight title to his NABA trinket with a points win against Rodolfo Gomez Jr (14-6-3, 10 KOs).
The WBC FECARBOX lightweight title should be taken by Antonio Williams (15-0-1, 6 KOs), who can halt Braulio Rodriguez (20-6, KO17) inside the ten round distance, and the final ten rounder is at featherweight, where Nesla Machado (19-0, 8 KOs) should outscore Jonathan Smith (8-1, 6 KOs).
The sole eight rounder comes at welterweight, where Antonio Perez (7-0, 5 KOs) can outscore Nigel Fennell (13-2, 8 KOs), and in six round action, lightweight prospect Dorian Bostic (13-0, 12 KOs) can score another knockout against Joshua Clark (6-1, 2 KOs), while welterweight Adlay Rodriguez (4-0, 4 KOs) can do the same against Raul Garcia Jr (2-8, 1 KO).
