Adrien Broner is in a must-win situation Saturday night as he makes his 2018 debut. He'll face Jessie Vargas in a non-title fight at a catchweight of 144 pounds at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The former four-division world champion (33-3, one no-contest, 24 KOs ) is coming off the most lopsided loss of his career, to Mikey Garcia last July. Garcia, who moved up to 140 pounds, made Broner look like he didn't belong in the ring.
Vargas (28-2, 10 KOs) is a former two-division world champion who initially was targeted to face unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman. Thurman, though, decided to go in another direction.
Vargas has struggled of late, going 2-2 in his last four fights, though the losses were to Tim Bradley and Manny Pacquiao.
The undercard features two title fights: Jermall Charlo will battle Hugo Centeno for the vacant WBC interim middleweight title, and Gervonta Davis will face Jesus Cuellar for the vacant WBA "regular" junior lightweight championship.
A loss for Broner or Vargas will drop them to gatekeeper status, but this fight is set up for Broner to look spectacular. Vargas will stay in the pocket and eat shots. Still, with all his recent legal issues, can "The Problem" stay focused and make another run?
This is a can't-miss card, with the controversial Broner in the marquee event and two fighters on the rise in Charlo and Davis. Follow Sporting News throughout the day for updates as we get closer to Broner vs. Vargas.
(All times Eastern.)
Broner vs. Vargas results
8 p.m.: The Broner vs. Vargas main card will begin in less than an hour. Who wins the main event?
Battle between Bad Guy vs. Good Guy, who will come out on top?#BronerVargas TONIGHT 9PM ET/6PM PT via @ShowtimeBoxing pic.twitter.com/6FDhh9HUnc
— SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) April 21, 2018
5:50 p.m.: We are getting closer to Broner vs. Vargas. To keep you on the edge of your seat, let's take a look at Vargas' last fight in December when he defeated Aaron Herrera.
11:30 a.m.: Adrien Broner returns to the ring Saturday to fight Jessie Vargas at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. SN will provide live updates throughout the day, so stay locked into our coverage as we approach Broner vs. Vargas.
Broner vs. Vargas fight card
- Adrien Broner vs. Jessie Vargas; welterweights
- Jermall Charlo vs. Hugo Centeno for the vacant WBC interim middleweight title
- Gervonta Davis vs. Jesus Cuellar for the vacant WBA "regular" junior lightweight title
Broner vs. Vargas latest news
— Vargas tells SN this fight is bigger than he and his team thought it would be.
— What stands between Broner and greatness?
— Don't know too much about tonight's fight? We give you the breakdown here.
Steven Muehlhausen is an MMA and boxing writer and contributor for Sporting News. Subscribe to his You Tube channel here . You can email him at [email protected] and can find him on Twitter @SMuehlhausenMMA .