Reason First: Adrien Broner is Arrested, Has Yet to Learn Lesson

Just when you think that someone would be mature enough to stay away from certain venues, that’s when they fail you. Boxer Adrien Broner received the steel bracelets at a weigh in for the Fury-Wilder fight. A few months ago, Broner took instruction to not appear on the premises of the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada. What all of this points to is a young male who is defiant, out-of-control, and longing for the taste of another bout.

It’s been over a year since Broner fought and lost to Manny Pacquaio in January 2019. He’s been involved in serious and bizarre behavior like sexual assault cases, a weird situation where he wanted to gun down gays, and just a litany of untoward behavior. This seems to be the climax. With his hands in cuffs, Broner must face the reality that he is never to step foot on those grounds for the rest of his life. He ought to know better.

The former welterweight champion should have enough sense to differentiate where he ought to tread. If a certain owner forbids him from stepping onto their property, he must respect that if he wants to maintain his freedom. And it’s sad. He’s had a winning record and could even end up in the International Boxing Hall of Fame if he is able to fight again. Of all of the troubles and trials that he has encountered, the greatest contender that he has faced thus far is himself. If he can get out of his own way, he may have a chance to return to the ring. He might be enabled to seek therapy and counseling to quell the raging beast within.

While all of that “jiggy” lifestyle is cool for Instagram, the world outside of the social platform permits little nonsense. For Broner to be thirty-years-old and still have a broken moral compass is the true crime here. He should have positioned himself in a place to gain more money and other values due to his skill. But the knuckle headedness prevents him from fully embracing adulthood like a fledgling bird still attached to the nest. He ought to be able to spread his wings and fly. Broner should be wise enough now to know on what premises he may not walk. This latest arrest is just another entry into the craziness that is Adrien Broner. All of the tough talk and flashy bravado will only get him to the front door of maturity. To open it, he needs to strengthen, not dampen, his ego.

Some folks will say that having an ego is “selfish.” And it is, but not in the way that they mean it. They want it to mean that he is ruthless and will slash any throat just to have his own way. That’s not selfishness. That’s brutality. Selfishness and embracing one’s ego means to never slight anyone in the pursuit of your own values. It means that the self or ego is intact and ready to face any challenges of unselfishness or sacrifice. Broner ought to be able to be quiet and ambitious, not humble. He doesn’t have to beat his chest to show that he has an ego.

All that he has to do is demonstrate that his free will is tied to his own destiny and nothing deterministic. For every rant that he spews and property he violates, he should remember that little voice from his youth that drove him to climb into the squared circle. All of the training and hours of practice to hone his craft ought to ring in his ears like the peal of a bell.

For Broner, the time has come to put boorish things away, grow up and start with that man in the mirror.