Adrien Broner, a lightweight from Cincinnati, burst upon the boxing scene as a star with his eight-round stopping of Antonio DeMarco this weekend to take the WBC lightweight championship in Atlantic City.
It was a dominating performance by Broner against a tough, game champion. Broner (25-0, 21 KOs) dominated from the outset, punishing DeMarco (28-3-1, 21 KOs) until DeMarco’s corner mercifully threw in the towel. Referee Benji Esteves stopped the fight at 1:49 of the round.
”I’m proud of DeMarco for fighting the way he fought,” DeMarco’s promoter, Gary Shaw said. ”But Broner’s the total package. He could be the next Floyd (Mayweather, Jr.).”
Said Broner: ”I wanted to make a statement and I did. He was definitely the toughest opponent I’ve faced. He was strong and could take a punch.”
DeMarco took plenty of them. In the decisive round, Broner, 23, blasted a left uppercut against DeMarco’s jaw that sent the 27-year-old Mexican to one knee. While Broner danced his way into a neutral corner, Esteves moved in to start counting. DeMarco’s corner signaled him to stop the bout over DeMarco’s mild protest.
It ended then, but Broner actually assumed command of the fight in the fifth, punishing DeMarco with uppercuts and straight rights that thudded against DeMarco’s face and produced a bruise under his left eye to match the one under his right.
Some fans cheered while others cringed at the onslaught. When the bell sounded, DeMarco walked wearily back to his corner.
”I was shaking and baking him until I flipped him up,” Broner said. ”I knew coming into this fight it was going to be a world-class fight. But I knew he didn’t have the skills to beat me.”
