On Saturday, October 3, at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, former three-division champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner (30-2, 22 KOs), fighting out of Cincinnati, gets it on with former WBA super lightweight champion Khabib “The Hawk” Allakhverdiev (19-1, 9 KOs), from Derbent, Russia, for the vacant WBA World super lightweight world title.
The fight will be televised live on Showtime starting at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT.
“I’m excited to be back in Cincinnati,” says Broner, “taking on a tough world-class fighter who is going to bring it. This fight means the world to me. It’s a huge deal to have the chance to be a four-division world champion at 26 years old.”
Broner is 8-1 in title fights and has collected belts at 130, 135 and 147 pounds. He has never won a title at 140 pounds. Broner is an immensely talented but flawed fighter. He has lost two of his last five fights, to Marcos Maidana in 2013 and Shawn Porter on June 20, so he needs a win, and better yet a title, if he hopes to maintain his marquee status.
“Broner is a good boxer,” says Allakhverdiev. “He is a fast and talented guy. But as a man I don’t have anything good to say about him. I am looking forward to a world championship winning performance and I know that if he tries to do something to get in my head, to approach me or to push me that I will be as restrained as possible and save my anger for fight night.”
Allakhverdiev’s only loss came via controversial 12-round split decision to then-undefeated Jessie Vargas in April 2014. He won the WBA 140-pound crown with an eight-round technical decision over previously unbeaten three-division champion Joan Guzmán in November 2012. In his one defense of the title, in July 2013, The Hawk TKO’d former world champion Souleymane M’Baye.
In the co-main event, undefeated IBF junior lightweight champion Jose “The Sniper” Pedraza (20-0, 12 KOs) will defend his title against veteran former world title challenger Edner “Cherry Bomb” Cherry (34-6-2, 19 KOs).
This article was penned by the author who is not related to the WBA and the statements, expressions or opinions referenced herein are that of the author alone and not the WBA.
