Adrien Broner failed to stop lawyer Bill Hutchinson as he coasted to victory in his return to the ring after over two years on his debut under controversial promoter Don King in Miami.
The four-weight world champion scaled a career-high 147lb for his first fight since February 2021 at the Casino Miami, with a relatively sparse crowd in attendance for the showcase. Broner hadn't stepped in the ring with fans since his 2019 defeat to Manny Pacquiao, and almost gave them a perfect show with a early stoppage.
Across the ring from Broner was little-known Hutchinson, who moonlights as a professional fighter alongside his day job as a lawyer. But the Pittsburgh native, who himself was coming back off a year-and-a-half out of action, looked game despite an obvious chasm in class between the pair.
The night was typical King fare, with the 91-year-old showing up in flashy denim surrounded by outrageously dressed ring girls in a venue that appeared to be straight out of his 80s heyday. The cover of the event's official programme saw King take a more prominent place than Broner, with no mention of Hutchinson at all, while the back exclusively featured the promoter.
In the ring, Broner showed glimpses of his own brilliance in the early rounds, particularly the third where he landed at will on a game Hutchinson. But he was unable to put his rival down in the first half of the fight, despite comfortably picking up points across the opening five.
The sixth was Hutchinson's best of the night, but the bigger shots were still landed by Broner, who was levels above his opponent on the night. If the pair were to have met anywhere near Broner's prime, the Pittsburgh native would have struggled to survive a few rounds, but he exposed a number of issues with the returning star.
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Rounds seven and eight were brutal as Broner began to push through the gears, but the Hutchinson corner didn't appear to concern themselves with the possibility of stopping it between stanzas. And the lawyer-by-day managed to see the final bell, having not won a round but showing impressive heart on the night.
Broner proceeded to repeat his "can man" shtick after the bell, telling fans to expect fights with Rolly Romero and Ryan Garcia. He also called for a meeting with Teofimo Lopez, who fights Josh Taylor in New York tonight
As for the comical Florida venue, which housed a sub-500-person crowd last year for Daniel Dubois ' regular heavyweight title win over Trevor Bryan, it was much improved from the year prior. A larger out-turn led to a much better atmosphere, although the comical aspects such as lawn chairs for VIPs and a bar with just three staff to serve hundreds of people remained.
