By: Sean Crose
Yes, he’s back. He reportedly couldn’t make the set upon weight, but he’s back. Adrien Broner, boxing’s bad boy, returns to the ring this Saturday to face the undefeated but widely unknown Jovanie Santiago in a scheduled 12 round affair that is now being held in the welterweight division. Broner, 33-4-1, hasn’t fought since being bested by Manny Pacquiao back in early 2019. The man always brings it when the bell rings, however. Say what one will about the four time champion, Broner’s never in a boring fight. The 14-0-1 Santiago has never faced someone of Broner’s stature, his last fight having been a first round knockout of Juan Zegarra in December. There’s little doubt, however, that Santiago has the opportunity to really leave his mark on the sport should he best the fighter known as “The Problem” this weekend.
The 21-1 heavyweight Otto Wallin will also appear on the card. He’ll be facing the 20-2 Dominic Breazeale in a scheduled 12 rounder. This is an interesting bout between two high level heavyweights. Breazeale, whose last bout was a crushing knockout loss to Deontay Wilder in 2019, has nonetheless proven himself to be a knockout machine against the right opponent. His only loss, aside from Wilder, was to Anthony Joshua in 2016. In other words, he’s more than just a fighter with a big frame. And the same can be said for Wallin, whose only loss was to Tyson Fury in a 2019 battle which saw Fury on some shaky ground thanks to Wallin’s performance. Wallin was last seen in the ring back in August when he stopped Travis Kauffman in five.
Last but not least, Saturday’s card will feature popular former lightweight champion Robert Easter Jr as the former lightweight titlist takes on Ryan Martin in a scheduled junior welterweight 12 rounder. The 22-1-1 Easter has been out of the ring for a while, his last fight being a UD win over Adrian Grenados back in October of 2019. As for the relatively unknown Martin, the 24-1 fighter was last in action in October of 2020, when he knocked out Hevinson Herrera in the first round. Overall, this is an intriguing card which has the makings of an entertaining Saturday evening. The bouts will be aired lived by Showtime starting at 9PM eastern time from Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Arena. They will be presented by Premiere Boxing Champions.