Why Adrien Broner still has shot at being boxing’s top star

Adrien Broner, boxing's self-anointed superstar, sits in a unique place in boxing history.

It's not clear who is going to replace Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao as the biggest star in the sport. It's only certain that someone will assume the mantle not long after they exit the stage.

Just as Sugar Ray Leonard followed Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson followed Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya followed Tyson, someone will emerge as the leading light to replace Mayweather and Pacquiao.

They've had a chokehold on the spotlight in the 21st century, but they're both now nearing the finish line.

Broner, who fights John Molina Jr. on Saturday in a nationally televised bout on NBC at the MGM Grand Garden as part of the debut card of the Premier Boxing Champions series, has long viewed himself as heir to that throne.

Truth be told, he has some of the characteristics it takes to grab such a position.

He's got fast hands and decent power and flashy movements in the ring. He's also not camera shy and is (more than) willing to promote himself.

A superstar doesn't have to be universally loved. But if there is a common thread in the lineage of boxing’s premier star, it's greatness in the ring and charisma outside of it.

Sometimes, the fighting ability is the more important factor. Tyson became extraordinarily popular because of his incredible punching power, but he wasn't a warm and fuzzy figure whom everyone wanted to be around.

De La Hoya, by contrast, was a terrific fighter, but much of his appeal was based on his looks, his charisma and the fact he was bilingual.

As Broner, 25, prepares to face Molina, he insists he's a changed man from the hard-to-like and carefully handled guy who burst into prominence at 22.

Search all you want for an A-fighter in his prime whom Broner (29-1, 22 KOs) has beaten and you won't find anyone. For all the criticism Mayweather receives for his level of opposition, Broner's is far lighter at the same age.

By the time Mayweather was 25, he'd already beaten Genaro Hernandez, Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo (twice), Jesus Chavez, Carlos Hernandez, DeMarcus Corley, Arturo Gatti and Sharmba Mitchell. And less than two months after his 26th birthday, he defeated Zab Judah.

Broner has no such list.

His popularity is more folk story than achievement.

Worse, he's not the kind of guy people find compelling personally. In a sport filled with self-absorbed, immature stars, Broner has been the undisputed world champion in that regard.

Even Mayweather has urged him to cool it down.

Broner is finally getting the message, it seems. He's got to be true to who he is as a person, and that's always going to be flashy and bordering on over the top.

But it seems as if someone has given him an insight into what fighting on network television could do for him.

Sergio Mora, the middleweight contender who won the first season of the reality series "The Contender" when it was on NBC, said the exposure is going to stun those who get to compete on the network.

"Until you've been through that and been on national television – network television, where you don't need a cable box to watch it – you can't understand," Mora said. "But this is going to be substantially different than anything else they've done."

So Broner promises to tone it down. He's not going to be as foul-mouthed or offensive. And he promises to be prepared.

The primary reason he lost to Marcos Maidana is that he began to believe his own hype and wasn't prepared for the intensity that Maidana brought to their 2013 fight.

What Broner needs more than anything on Saturday is a superb performance against Molina, an aggressive but slow fighter whose style seems perfectly suited for Broner's.

Molina is going to attack, and Broner should pummel him with clean shots and then dance away. And while he praises Molina, which in and of itself is unique for him, Broner promises to do just that.

"I really don't care what station it's on as long as people can see us fight and, obviously, there's going to be a lot more people seeing us fight," Broner said. "I'm just ready to put on a show. I know John Molina's going to come swinging for the fences. This is his big turnaround for his career if he beats Adrien Broner. Who knows where his career would go?

"I'm going to do the same things I always do. I'm going to come out and put on a show. I'm going to come in dancing and doing what I do and do whatever I got to do to get the victory."

If he does that, and does it with panache, there is hope yet for Broner.

He was anointed a legend long before he ever should have been in that conversation, but this could be the time he begins the drive to succeed Mayweather and Pacquiao to become the sport's biggest star.

Whether he can make it is up to his maturity, understanding and preparation. How he handles Molina on Saturday will go a long way toward providing an answer.