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Showtime confident Broner shows up Feb. 11

Photo by: Naoki Fukuda
Fighters Network
27
Oct

Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza has received assurances from those close to Adrien Broner that the volatile boxer is stable enough to prepare and show up for a fight.

Broner, a former four-division champion, was part of Showtime’s unveiling of its 2016-2017 schedule on Tuesday — he has a junior welterweight bout against spoiler Adrian Granados set for Feb. 11 at a site to be determined. Espinoza is aware of the risks involved with Broner but is confident he will walk the straight and narrow for his upcoming bout.

“We’re monitoring that and depending on how things play out, we’re prepared to adjust course if necessary,” Espinoza, Showtime’s boxing chief, told RingTV.com. “Having spoken to several knowledgeable people close to the situation, at this point, we don’t expect there will be any problems with his availability.”

Broner’s behavior has oscillated from the curious to the alarming. He recently posted messages on social media suggesting he was contemplating suicide. He has also shown a frightening penchant for getting into trouble. Earlier this month, he was cited for misdemeanor battery for allegedly choking a waitress at a Las Vegas night spot and was released. He was also arrested for felonious assault and aggravated robbery back in January. The charges were dropped when the alleged victim failed to show up to court for the start of trial on multiple occasions.



Still, Broner is a lightning rod for controversy and remains one of the more well-known boxers and favorites of powerful advisor Al Haymon. There is speculation he could face junior welterweight titleholder Ricky Burns in 2017 if he wins in February and Espinoza would be interested in acquiring that fight for Showtime. “That is a definite possibility,” Espinoza said. “Adrien is settling back in at 140 and might be there for the foreseeable future. Whether it’s Burns or someone else, I think he will be campaigning there in 2017.”

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