Is July 29 “Must Win” For Adrien Broner?

The July 29 clash between talented but oft troubled Adrien Broner, who was seemingly, as of 2012, cut from Floyd Mayweather-type cloth, and Mikey Garcia, the ascendent Cali based hitter edging up and up top ten lists, is in actuality anticipated, AND intriguing.

Hyp men and women use those two adjectives too easily, but really, many of us are leaning in toward this night, and want to see if Broner can deliver.

OK, yes, he's won four titles.

But real fans know this is an age of dilution, that winning a world title in 2017 is a different and lesser animal than doing it in 1960. So, pointing to his crowns collected doesn't erase the stains on his name. Many of those came in outside the ring missteps, of course. But his haters love to revel in his loss to Marcos Maidana, as he was being positioned to be the next PPV attraction….

Boil it down, maybe you can assess it as a case of potential as yet unfulfilled.

So, we wonder…does Broner HAVE to win July 29 or that spells a death-knell for his career?

Nah…

The guy turns 28 next Friday. Even if he loses to Mikey, unless he gets blasted out early, he has lives to live in the ring. After all, he is a character within a sport lacking in that in this era. But that doesn't lessen my interest in the bout. We hear, and I am told, the kid is taking this fight quite seriously. (I really think he is…Check out his public admission below:)

So, I think he sort of has to look good. Because, if he's taking this game ultra seriously, and he doesn't deliver a stellar showing, then people might start wondering if maybe his potential hasn't been fulfilled, but whether he was over-hyped from early on. This tango unfolds at Barclays Center, and screens on Showtime.

Garcia seems to be seeing the fight through similar lenses, as far as degree of import:

Check out this video from Showtime, written and narrated by analyst/historian, the Hall of Famer Steve Farhood: