Adrien Broner Pulls Out Of August 20 Return Against Omar Figueroa
Those boxing fans who were looking forward to seeing four-division world champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner (34-4-1-1, 24KOs) back in the ring will have to wait. The Cincinnati, Ohio native took to social media to announce that he would no longer be fighting former WBC lightweight champion Omar Figueroa (28-2-1, 19KOs) on August 20.The fight was set to be aired live on Showtime as the main event.
MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS
His reasoning for withdrawing from the bout is due to mental health issues he’s currently battling. A fighter with an enormous amount of talent, things haven’t been so peachy for him the last few years. Whether it’s the lack of success inside the squared circle or the trouble outside of it, Broner seems to not be in the proper place mentally to compete in a very dangerous sport. While he didn’t go into detail about what was exactly effecting him, he just mentioned that he was going through a lot.
To play devil’s advocate, he’s one of boxing’s best self-promoters, and marketing himself is something he does well. Back in July, Broner lashed out at Al Haymon and President of Showtime Sports, Stephen Espinoza, over the fact that he had to participate in a zoom call instead of a traditional one, which has been set in place since the COVID-19 pandemic.
By no means should anyone dismiss his claims of mental health issues, but he could be using this as a way to drum up more interest in his fight should it be rescheduled. For now, the card will continue on with former IBF junior welterweight champ Sergey Lipinets filling in for Broner.
Regardless, we here at 3KingsBoxing.com wish him the best. We’ll also continue to monitor this story and provide updates as they become available.
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By: Jerrell Fletcher
