ATLANTIC CITY — WBA welterweight titleholder Adrien “The Problem” Broner has been blessed with boxing talent as well as the gift of gab and the unbeaten 24-year-old isn’t shy about letting you know it.

“God just makes special motherf___ers, and I’m one of them,” Broner before sitting down to a Friday evening meal at Caesars Hotel in advance of tongiht’s Bernard Hopkins’ IBF 175-pound title defense against Karo Murat.

“It’s just my time. They say that a guy like me comes around every — what? — 10-to-30 years? That’s starting to add up. It’s about time. It’s about that time for me to take over. I think that just sums it up right there.”

Hall of Famers, Aaron Pryor, and, Sugar Ray Leonard have expressed similar opinions about the youngster’s prowess, although they may not put it quite the same way as Broner.

“I’ve been watching this kid, man, and this kid, he’s a talent. That kid has it. He’s one of those rare fighters that has the entire package,” said Leonard, during an interview with RingTV.com. “He’s defensive, he’s offensive, he’s powerful, he’s quick. He has everything. I just look forward to watching him grow.”

While Broner said Leonard “probably doesn’t remember” meeting him, signing “a picture for me and everything,” as well as watching a 10-year-old Broner compete in a national amateur tournament in Kansas, Pryor has often interacted with Broner in their native Cincinnati.

Pryor, for example, all-but predicted Broner’s eighth-round stoppage of Antonio DeMarco for the WBC’s lightweight belt in November of 2012.

“I think that Adrien Broner is going to look real good in this next fight. I think that the harder the guy fights, the better Adrien Broner gets,” said Pryor a full month before Broner defeated DeMarco. “I think that somewhere from the seventh round to the 10th round, Adrien Broner’s going to get him. Those will be the rounds that I think he’ll take to knock the dude out.”

Broner (27-0, 22 knockouts) is predicting similar results as a Showtime headliner on Dec. 14 against hard-hitting Marcos Maidana (34-3, 31 KOs) as part of a as part of a card called, “Danger Zone” at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“When you talk about a Marcos Maidana, he’s never fought me. He’s never fought a guy who fights like me,” said Broner, who dethroned Paulie Malignaggi by split-decision for his third title in as many divisions in June.

“Maidana has never faced Adrien Broner. You’re going to see an electrifying victory from Adrien ‘The Problem’ Broner. You will see why I’m the lottery pick to take over this sport.” 

Trainer Mike Stafford said he expects Broner to take his game to another level.

“We’ve got something special planned, depending on how tough this guy thinks that he is. It’s going to bring the beast out of Adrien,” said Stafford. “Adrien’s got a lot to prove, because a lot of people are saying that he’s not the one in boxing as far as pay per view and all of that, but he’s going to prove to everybody that he’s the top, pound-for-pound, fighter in the world.”

MIX-AND-MATCH SCENARIO LOOMS AFTER MANNY PACQUIAO-BRANDON RIOS

Top Rank’s stars were aligned, literally, over the months of October and November, with WBO welterweight titleholder Tim Bradley’s split-decision over Juan Manuel Marquez on Oct. 12, followed on Oct. 19 by junior welterweight Ruslan Provodnikov‘s 10th-round stoppage of  Mike Alvarado that dethroned the loser as WBO titleholder.

On Nov. 24 in Macau (Nov. 23 in the western hemisphere), eight-division beltwinner Manny Pacquiao will engage in a clash of 147-pounders with former 140-pound titleholder Brandon Rios, who will make his welterweight debut.

Having earlier acknowledged the potential for a six-man, mix-and-match scenario,  Top Rank CEO Bob Arum’s idea may yet come to fruition.

Alvarado (34-2, 23 knockouts) was coming off a unanimous-decision win over Rios (31-1-1, 23 KOs) in March that had earned him the WBO’s 140-pound belt and avenged his seventh-round stoppage loss in October of last year.

Also in March, Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KOs) had scored a 12th-round knockdown against Bradley (31-0, 12 KOs) in a unanimous decision victory for Badley, who successfully defended the title he won from Pacquiao by disputed split-decision in June of 2012.

Marquez (55-7-2, 40 KOs) was coming off last December’s sixth-round stoppage victory over Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KOs), against whom Marquez is 1-2-1.

Depending on what happens in Pacquiao-Rios, Arum said any number of matchups could occur.

“Right now, this is the last fight of the three great fights, Manny against Rios, and, obviously, a lot depends on who the winner of the fight is. But there are some fantastic matches that can be made. Next year, with these fighters, Manny has unfinished business with Bradley. That might be a good option if he beats Rios. Rios, if he wins, Ruslan Provodnikov or Bradley would be very good opponents,” said Arum.

“Ruslan Provodnikov and Pacquiao, if Manny beats Rios, would be an intriguing kind of fight. And, then, of course, there’s a revenge match with Manny and Juan Manuel Marquez, which would be very sell-able, particularly with the Mexican Americans that would like to see that fight again and who are still heavily in Marquez’s corner. Let’s see how this fight goes on Nov. 23, and then I’m sure that everyone will sit down, and we’ll work out who Manny or Brandon or both are going to fight next.”

PROVODNIKOV WELCOMED BY RUSSIAN COMPATRIOTS, WHOM HE JOINS AS CHAMPION

Provodnikov received waves of support from his Slavic compatriots in the immediate aftermath of his victory over Alvarado, according to Provodnikov’s manager, Vadim Kornilov.

Photos by Chris Farina, Top Rank

Lem Satterfield can be reached at [email protected]