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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 19: Adrien Broner reacts during the WBA welterweight championship against Manny Pacquiao at MGM Grand Garden Arena on January 19, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 19: Adrien Broner reacts during the WBA welterweight championship against Manny Pacquiao at MGM Grand Garden Arena on January 19, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
If you’ve been following Adrien Broner lately, you would know the spree of ‘redemption’ he is on. A series of unfortunate events almost led to the collapse of his boxing career. However, now Broner is starting where he left off with a fight scheduled for December. As he was preparing for the big revamp of his career, there came a moment where he was all in remembrance of his late coach, Mike Stafford, who passed away this year at the age of 67.
Adrien Broner was last seen in the ring in June this year after almost two years. At the Casino Miami Jai Alai, Broner faced off against Bill Hutchinson. He scored a ten-round decision victory at 147. His next crusade in this battle of redemption? On the 2nd of December, the welterweight boxer will go against Chris Howard. They will fight at the same location as his previous bout. While in the middle of his preparation, he still took time to remember his coach, who passed away only a few months ago on September 6th.
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Adrien Broner’s Ode to Mike Stafford
Taking to Instagram stories, Adrien Broner shared a clip of his late coach, Mike Stafford. In the endearing footage that has since disappeared, the coach can be seen giving a heartfelt toast to his mentee, a young AB. With a raised glass in his hands, in the clip, he can be heard saying, “In honor of agent AB, I know he made his mom proud, you made me proud, I know he made the team proud. We go through, what we go through but we get through it, okay?”
AB trained with Stafford over the years at the Golden Gloves Gym in Cincinnati. The latter started his stint at the gym back in 1991. The idea came when one of his sons, his namesake, wanted to start training there.
The coach was associated with other fighters as well, like Rau’shee Warren, Robert Easter Jr., Jamel Herring, and Devon Alexander. Now that AB is on the path of a total relaunch of his boxing career, there remains a void in this journey, his beloved coach Mike. However, it seems as though his next fight with Chris Howard is almost a chance at redemption for him.
What does the Howard fight offer Broner?
The fight now between Broner and fellow Cincinnati native Howard has been pushed to December 2nd and has received a rather cold response from the community. His aim to contend for the titles soon has seen Broner take the backdoor route. The fighter is undertaking bouts with scrubs instead of the big names. It is a big fall for someone with prowess like his. But that is the position he finds himself in after the debacle that he led in the last few years.
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Broner is pushing himself to contend for a title shot at 140. It could mean that if he does manage to reach that stature, he might get to fight Regis Prograis. If the fight does take its course, it’ll be an interesting night for the boxing realm, given how keen Broner has been for it. However, for the “Problem” to bag a Prograis fight, he needs to ace the small fights that are on the horizon for him. While the Howard fight enables him to do that, a few more reasons for this clash touch upon the money and relevance it offers.
Broner is bringing everything he can to win bouts like the Howard one. His ability to win them remains unquestioned, however, the way he does that will be keenly watched. At a time when boxers in his weight class have gone on to attain global stardom, he grapples with being relevant within the sport. The December fight will be the third time he has entered the ring since 2019. With his survival in the realm on the line, it needs to be observed how far he goes in the new chapter of his boxing career.
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What do you think of Adrien Broner’s next fight? Do you think he’ll win easily? Let us know in the comments section below.
Watch This Story: Adrien Broner’s Intense Training & Diet Routine for Boxing Comeback against Michael Williams Jr.
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