Adrien Broner showed signs of life Saturday in Miami.
The former four-weight owner, who has only fought once in more than four years, defeated cruising runner Bill Hutchinson for most of the 10-round welterweight bout to win one. The match was almost decisive.
The official scores are 100-90, 99-91 and 99-91.
The fight is intended to be Broner’s first step towards regaining his status as a world-class boxer.
That’s why Hutchinson (now 20-3-4, 9 KOs) was chosen as his opponent. Licensed attorney from Pittsburgh has a good track record but has never fought at the elite level.
That quickly became apparent on Saturday, when the dominant Broner (35-4-1, 24 KOs) began knocking Hutchinson down in the opening round and raking in little.
That’s how it went round after round, Broner almost at will to knock Hutchinson down. Losers never give up but never really have a chance to win either.
Hutchinson’s only achievement is surviving to hear the final bell, which is impressive given the number of punches he has received.
Broner has now won head-to-head matches, having overtaken Jovanie Santiago in February 2021.
That led to consecutive defeats, draws, and losses against Mikey Garcia, Jessie Vargas and Manny Pacquiao that knocked Broner out of the ranks of the boxers involved.
The 33-year-old from Cincinnati, brimming with confidence, was thinking hard as he had a successful evening.
“Anyone with a title,” he said when asked what’s next. “I see, what’s his name? Romello? roll over [Romero]? I like Teofimo’s winner [Lopez] and Josh Taylor, and anyone with a belt. I want all the belts.
“I don’t just want a Loui belt or a Gucci belt, I want a WBA belt, a WBC belt, a WBO belt and an IBF belt as well.”
Don King, Broner’s new promoter, also has big plans for his boxer.
“We’re not joking,” he said. “We will take care of the business. And we have WBC here who will help us fight for the title. We will win that title, then defend that title, then unify the world, because he can do it.
“He was a four-time world champion before and now the best is yet to come.”
