Former four-division world champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner (34-4-1, 24 KOs) returned from his two-year hiatus from boxing with a unanimous decision victory over Jovanie Santiago (14-1-1, 10 KOs) in the main event of Saturday night’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast, live on SHOWTIME from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Broner, who last fought against the legend Manny Pacquiao in January 2019, started slowly but used the second half of the fight to surge ahead on the judges’ scorecards. The fight was scored 116-111, 117-110 and 115-112 and all three judges had Broner.
“That was cool,” said Broner, who had his hand raised for the first time in four years. “I want to go home and really look at my fight. I haven’t fought in two years. But I felt good, I felt like I won the fight. I felt like I beat him with the jab, honestly. But it felt good to get my hand raised though.”
In the co-main event, Swedish heavyweight contender Otto Wallin (22-1, 14 KOs) continued his rise in the division with a unanimous decision over former world title challenger Dominic Breazeale (20-3, 18 KOs). The judges scored the fight 117-111, 116-112 and 118-110.
In the opening bout of the evening, former world champion Robert Easter Jr. (23-1-1, 14 KOs) showed his championship pedigree with a dominating unanimous decision victory over Chattanooga, Tenn.’s Ryan Martin (24-2, 14 KOs). The judges scored the fight 117-111 and 118-110 twice.