Adrien Broner vs. John Molina: Fight Time, Date, Live Stream and TV Info
Boxing has certainly become a mainstream topic again in anticipation of the upcoming Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight. However, that bout isn't the only iron in boxing's fire as the sport looks to edge it's way back into popular discussion.
Saturday night will see the debut card of the "Premier Boxing Champions" series on NBC, a promising event featuring a junior welterweight bout between Adrien "The Problem" Broner (29-1, 22 KOs) and John Molina Jr. (27-5, 22 KOs) from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The PBC series is the brainchild of powerhouse boxing manager Al Haymon, with a deal signed between NBC and his company Haymon Boxing to broadcast 20 cards in 2015, the first year in a multi-year agreement, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael.
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Haymon knows how to sell a venture, and he has chosen one of the most notorious figures in boxing in Broner to bring star power to the inaugural card.
Due to his unsavory antics, Broner has drawn the ire of many boxing fans even though he's an extremely talented, powerful fighter. The 25-year-old made headlines in 2014 when he was suspended from the WBC for using "racially insensitive remarks," per USA Today. He has since been reinstated.
Molina might not ring a bell with casual fans of the sport, but he should bring plenty of motivation into the ring coming off of two straight losses.
Broner-Molina isn't the only draw to this intriguing night of boxing. The undefeated Keith Thurman (24-0, 21 KOs) will take on Robert Guerrero (32-2-1, 18 KOs) in what should prove to be a highly entertaining welterweight scrap.
Broner vs. Molina Fight Info
Date: Saturday, March 7
Time (E/T): 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada
TV: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
Fight Preview
Both Broner and Molina bring plenty of knockout power to this fight. With 44 stoppages between the two pugilists, this 12-rounder has as good a chance as any to see an early conclusion.
Broner seemed to be on an inexorable rise to the top of the welterweight and pound-for-pound ranks for much of his career. A hard-hitting orthodox boxer with a flair for the dramatic, Broner racked up titles in three separate divisions from 2011 to 2013.
However, the brash Broner's dizzying ascent hit a snag in the form of Marcos Maidana, a gutsy brawler who knocked Broner down twice in their December 2013 bout and went on to win via unanimous decision. It was the first—and so far only—loss of Broner's career.
The Problem has found the solution in his last two bouts, earning unanimous-decision victories over Carlos Molina in May 2014 and Emmanuel Taylor in September of that year. Broner is hoping to end this bout a bit earlier than those two contests.
“I’m not expecting the fight to go 12 rounds but if it does I will be prepared for it,” Broner said, via RingTV.com's Andreas Hale. “But hopefully I get this fight over with fast because in this game you don’t get paid for overtime.”
Molina, with a 68.75 KO percentage, could also be going for the knockout on Saturday night, but first order of business will be convincing observers that he can still measure up against elite opposition. 2014 was a bad year for the Covina, California, native.
He lost a brutal bout to Lucas Martin Matthysse via 11th-round knockout in April. Molina managed to knock Matthysse down twice in that bout early on, but his opponent came storming back, dropping Molina in the eighth and 10th rounds before pulling out the victory in the 11th frame.
The 32-year-old Molina then lost a 10-round bout to Humberto Soto by unanimous decision in September. In fact, Molina's career has been in something of a tailspin in recent years, as he's lost four of his last seven bouts dating back to September 2012. Despite the poor run of form, Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole notes that Molina is capable of testing Broner's limits on Saturday:
"Those in the know, however, saw a guy who, while admittedly a big underdog, will push Broner like few would push him. One of the most important things about fights returning to network television is that they need to be compelling, and Molina will no doubt make it compelling.
For as long as he lasts, he'll push the pace and make Broner work. Broner is the vastly more talented guy, but as we saw when he faced Marcos Maidana, the more talented guy doesn't always win.
Hockey coaches often use the saying, "Talent won't beat hard work if the talent doesn't work hard," and that's also true in boxing.
There are two truths about the Broner-Molina match: Broner is one of the most physically gifted fighters in the sport, and Molina is one of its gutsiest, hardest workers.
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Indeed, Broner's athleticism often makes his matches quite a spectacle to behold. He has lightning-quick hands and beguiling upper-body movement. While he has drawn Mayweather comparisons in the past—those presumably ended after his beatdown at the gloved hands of Maidana—Broner is nowhere close to the defensive technician that Money is.
Molina is a brave opponent who boasts a strong work rate and is unafraid to take a punch if it means he can dish out an even better one in return. He believes fans like his style and attitude because of what he's had to do to reach the top, per Iole:
"People are going to say what they're going to say, but the reality is that the people have fallen in love with my style given the fact that I took the scenic route to get where I'm at. I didn't have those accolades and the amateur career others have had. I didn't turn pro until I was 24, so I definitely took a while to get to this plateau, this level, if you will. At the same time, I've left it all in the ring. I plan on leaving it in the ring every time I go in there.
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Broner has an opportunity here, should his behavior in and out of the ring change, to remake his image on Saturday night. Fans will see plenty of Broner this year—he told Hale he's set to fight on NBC four times in 2015—and a big win over the powerful Molina could go along way toward repairing his reputation in boxing circles and diminishing his heel status.
Prediction: Broner wins via decision
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