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Vinny’s Views: Adrien Broner Vs Jessie Vargas – The Stats, The Facts & The Fight Prediction Is In!

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By Vinny “Glory Days” Lucci

While the east coast still hangs on the coat tails of old man winter, the spring promises to usher in some fascinating match ups for the rabid fans who fail to miss a match. While none may equal the star power of the Golovkin Vs Alvarez rematch, there are a few that will strike a chord inside the ardent admirers of the sport. Regardless of Vegas odds these bouts present more of a pick-‘em mentality.

Jarrett Hurd fights is in a light middleweight unification match against Erislandy Lara on April 4th, and Adonis Stevenson will defend his WBC light heavyweight title against new WBA champion Badou Jack on May 19th. Sandwiched in between Adrien Broner will once again try to resurrect his career by taking on Jessie Vargas in a catch weight match of 144 lbs. on April 21st.

So, let’s ring the dinner bell and get one of these matches plated. All three bouts are stock piled with behind the scenes intrigue as each fighter carries a unique karma amongst the fans and media. Since five of the six boxers are working on win streaks let’s focus first on Broner seeking redemption after being dismantled over 12 rounds by Mikey Garcia last July.

The Event:

Adrien Broner will look to tack a recognized name to his resume in the guise of former WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas on April 21. Bout to be promoted by Premier Boxing Champions and hosted by Barclay’s Center, Brooklyn New York and televised by Showtime Boxing.
The undercard features Jermall Charlo Vs Hugo Centeno, JR. for WBC (Interim bullshit) middleweight title, while Gervonta Davis Vs Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar for WBA Super Featherweight belt.

Stats:

Broner gets listed first strictly by his popularity and no longer by his credentials. The Cincinnati resident is a former three belt titlist who stands 5’8” with a 71” wingspan. The orthodox boxer owns a ledger of 33-3, 1 NC, 24 KO’s. At 28 years of age, he has just added Kevin Cunningham as head trainer to his corner while Mike Stafford remains on board as second in command.

Jessie Vargas is also looking to re-establish his career with a win over a name opponent. The former WBO welterweight champ hails from Las Vegas and stands 5’10” with a 71” reach. At 28, he is fast approaching his prime looking to add wins to his 28-2, 10 KO’s resume. He is trained by former three belt titlist Mike McCallum who could make this an easier affair if he would take a feather from his mentors cap and went to the body more often in this match up. Vargas is stepping in for Omar Figueroa who pulled out shortly after signing with a shoulder injury.

Last Fight:

Broner was cock sure of himself as usual thinking he would easily rebuff the challenge of lightweight champion Mikey Garcia who rose five pounds to test the waters at junior welterweight. Garcia had just rose five pounds previous to that in securing the 135 pound belt from Dejan Zlaticanin. Adrien has spent the last five fights in hibernation mode posing more than letting his hands go behind his shoulder role defense and it has cost him dearly. Garcia is a master craftsman who keeps to the fundamentals while looking to expose flaws in his adversary’s arsenal.

He used the entire ring to attack from angles and pushing Broner back on his heels. The 12 round unanimous decision came last July at Barclay’s Center.

Vargas last fought in December taking a 10 round unanimous decision victory over seasoned Aaron Herrera at Pioneer Event Center in Lancaster California. Coming off a thirteen month layoff and adding McCallum as head trainer, Jessie boxed a workman like performance winning every round. It appeared after knocking his opponent down in the sixth that he was more concerned in getting work in than looking to score a KO.

Styles:

Broner is a cheap copy of Floyd Mayweather, JR. Apologies to his fans but there simply is no other way to describe him. He hides inside the “shoulder roll,” and looks to deflect oncoming traffic while leaning back with his right hand cocked against his chin. Since his glory days of fighting at feather through lightweight he simply doesn’t let his hands go enough in recent years nor does he set traps or train seriously enough to have any comparison with Mayweather, JR. Floyd, SR. has gone on record predicting a win for Vargas.

Vargas is thin and lanky for a welterweight. He easily could add to his frame, and come morning of the catch weight bout you can count on him to add ten pounds. Jessie does most aspects of a fundamental game well, but lacks any superior skills which is why he was shut out against Manny Pacquiao. Still in all he is well conditioned, boxes behind a jab and constantly looks for openings to unload his right hand. When he truly commits to it the punch it packs a wallop. He nearly decapitated Timothy Bradley with It but Bradley was saved by the final bell in a controversial ending. His most glaring fault is he often drops his guard when throwing combinations and is open for the receipt.

What to look for fight night:

Broner will be looking to add a name fighter to his ledger keeping him in the welterweight sweepstakes. Think about that for a moment. Many thought his win over blue collar Paulie Malignaggi was undeserved. Since then, he has done scant little to reassure his fans that he could ever truly compete in this division. Making this a catch weight bout will do little to improve his chances. Should he pull off the win, does anyone believe he could handle any of the belt holders or former champ and gate keeper nemesis Shawn Porter?

Ringside Report doesn’t like Broner’s chances against the elite 140 pounders, let alone the bigger boys who enter the ring at 160. He will look to stalk Vargas behind his middleweight torso using his left shoulder like a shield. He won’t have to search far as Vargas will be on a mission to work both the body and head and turn fight into a crap shoot, a scary place inside the pocket that Broner can excel at, yet shuns. Adrien prefers to fight at his own controlled pace. If this was poker, Vargas would be forcing him to make a decision for all his chips. He doesn’t have the big guns of Errol Spence, JR., but will fight that way none the less.

Vinny Factor:

Both Men have good chins, but there are some question marks lurking about. Vargas hasn’t faced any real punchers and Broner was used for a heavy bag against wild swinging Marcos Maidana, and gored about the ring by the bull rushes of Shawn Porter. His fights in between with the likes of Emmanuel Taylor, Ashley Theophane, and Adrian Granados did little to enhance his credibility let alone his competency in the ring.

His life outside the ropes has led to a spiral declivity that one can’t deny. Broner’s fans will be hoping for him to uncork a “Hail Mary” type right hand that he keeps in moth balls. His corner will be looking for him to out jab his adversary and score better in key exchanges. Broner has gone on record declaring his loses were the fault of Mike Stafford. Should he lose this night, who will he hang the blame on now?

Vargas will look to turn up the heat and make Broner fight at an uncomfortable pace believing there is nothing in his game plan to stop him from getting a title shot. While Vargas isn’t a master craftsman he has the speed and mobility to negate Broner’s one dimensional fight plan and outland him round after round.

Odds:

Early Vegas line is almost pick-em’ with Jessie Vargas -116 to Adrien Broner -114

Prediction:

Vargas by decision. He’ll be looking for the KO, but Broner will make a fight of it from his armadillo defense and should hear score cards read.

Stay tuned…

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