Broner wins unanimous decision over Molina on NBC

LAS VEGAS — Adrien "The Problem" Broner lived up to his nickname on Saturday, comfortably outpointing John Molina in a super lightweight contest at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Broner was a problem for the outmatched Molina, using his fleeter feet and flashier hands to dominate the first televised network contest of the new Premier Boxing Champions series.

But Broner, in the nature of his win, also may have caused a worrying headache for Al Haymon, the promotional boxing Svengali who has plowed $20 million into an ambitious attempt to bring the sport to the masses with a series of free to air television dates.

For while the 25-year-old from Cincinnati has the skills that have led many to suggest he could be the future face of boxing and took his record to 30-1 by handing Molina (27-6) his third consecutive defeat, his showboating and histrionics did nothing to endear him to the crowd — and likely the watching television audience — on this Vegas night.

Broner won all 12 rounds according to judges Patricia Morse Jarman and Burt Clements and 10 of them on John McKaie's card but by the end boos rained down from the stands from fans hoping for a swifter and livelier pace of action.

Molina's primary point of attack was a lumbering right hand that Broner was easily able to avoid, except for once in the third round, when he took a powerful shot to the jaw. Yet for the most part his jabs and movement was too much for his rival to handle and though Broner never looked particularly close to scoring a knockdown, neither did he ever appear seriously threatened.

Exhilarating entertainment it was not, but Haymon will have been thankful that Broner at least curbed his tongue for once; while he wasted few opportunities to taunt Molina in the ring his typically colorful language in post-fight interviews was contained enough for a PG-rating this time around.

"I know I lived up to the hype," said Broner, never a man to short-change himself of a compliment. "The last time i fought for the crowd, I got my first loss."

The plan of Haymon to increase the visibility of boxing and having leading young fighters performing regularly in front of a national audience can be no bad thing.

However, he may have wished he picked a different fight to get things started with.