Broner wins exciting fight over Granados via split decision: Results, scorecard

Broner vs. Granados proved to be a fantastic fight in another win for Showtime Boxing

By Adam Silverstein

Feb 19, 2017 at 12:09 am ET • 2 min read

Saturday night in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, Adrien Broner (33-2, 1 NC, 24 KO) survived a back-and-forth fight with Adrian Granados (18-5-2, 12 KO), edging the underdog via split decision in a result that was not so much controversial but certainly could have gone either way.

Broner beat Granados 97-93, 93-97, 96-94, landing 20 percent more punches (41-21) on the evening and doing so despite claiming he injured his hand with a hard left hook in the first round. Broner said he was forced to keep the fight inside from that point forward, and he succeeded doing just that with a number of uppercuts and short hooks that kept Granados at bay.

“I knew that Adrian Granados was going to come tough as a steak that’s cooked too, too long,” he said after the fight. “But at the end of the day … I beat up beef like Rocky in the meat freezer, man. ... This was an easy one for me. I’m OK.”

Granados starts bleeding from nose in Round 3, and a couple combos from Broner late in the round spotted him an early advantage. Despite Broner’s aggression, Granados hung tough throughout. He pushed Broner against the ropes and threw together a number of flurries, though his low hit rate likely played a significant role in his loss.

Rounds 4-6 could have gone either way, and momentum in the match appeared to change by the minute as it reached its climax. However, as the bout drew longer, Broner landed more impactful blows and made his case to take the win as the favorite.

“I don’t make excuses. Like I told you before, Adrian Granados is a world-class fighter. A lot of guys duck him, but I wanted to fight him because I know he brings the best out of me,” Broner said.

Granados fell to 0-3-1 in 10-round fights, which is likely one reason why he wanted a 12-round fight and was upset that the weight and length of the bout changed before the opening bell.

“I knew it wasn’t a pretty fight,” Granados said. ... “[Broner] fought smart. He did his thing. If he can do it, beat me again. Let’s do it in my house.”

Though Broner, whose now won three straight fights since falling to Shawn Porter by unanimous decision in June 2015, brushed off talk of a rematch, he did take time after the match to promise his fans that he will be a better role model and father figure going forward.