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If Adrien Broner is concerned that he doesn’t throw enough punches in his fights, he certainly isn’t showing it.
The multiple weight-division titlist from Cincinnati was recently asked to respond to criticism regarding his relatively low-volume offense, a topic that has come up in some of the biggest fights of his career, including his 2015 welterweight (catchweight) fight with Shawn Porter, his 2017 junior welterweight clash with Mikey Garcia, and his 2019 pay-per-view welterweight title fight with Manny Pacquiao.
But Broner, a counter puncher by nature, brushed off the critique. By way of analogy, the popular boxer compared himself to a certain NBA center and Hall of Famer.
“It’s different styles of fights,” Broner told Cigar Talk. “Different opponents. There are lot of different opponents. It’s a lot of sh!t that comes with that. I don’t worry about none of that.
“They say, what, Tim Duncan–he wasn’t exciting but he knew how to win. So, with me, I just do what I gotta do when I get out the ring and handle my business man.”
Duncan, known as “The Big Fundamental” during his playing days with the San Antonio Spurs, was a dominant presence during his nearly two decades in the NBA. Although Duncan did not necessarily produce gaudy highlight reel-worthy moves on the court, his steady production on both the offensive and defensive ends made him a force to be reckoned with.
Whatever his feelings about his punch output, Broner has been dogged by this particular critique for several years now. Indeed, Broner was roundly criticized for not “letting his hands go” enough in his last fight against Jovani Santiago in February of 2021. Broner won a somewhat controversial unanimous decision; his relative inactivity, at least in the first half of the fight, allowed his opponent to have some favorable moments.
Broner (34-4-1, 24 KOs) is gearing up to return to the ring after a nearly 16-month absence on Aug. 20 against Omar Figueroa Jr. at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.