Photo Credit David Martin-Warr / DKP.
“It ain’t over.”
That three-word line has been a way of life for Blair Cobbs, and one he repeated after his latest victory. The boisterous welterweight rode an early lead to the finish line in a ten-round, decision win over former four-division titlist Adrien Broner. Scores were 97-92, 96-93 and 96-93 for Cobbs in their Triller TV Pay-Per-View main event Friday evening at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Broner promised to fight with renewed hunger but immediately reverted to old form once the opening bell sounded. Cobbs was able to take the first round strictly on activity, as Broner sparsely threw pawing shots.
Cobbs produced the bout’s lone knockdown early in the second. A right hook was followed by a straight left to send Broner to the canvas. It also managed to knock a tooth out of the mouth of the Cincinnati, Ohio native.
The sequence prompted Broner to let his hands go, which is to say that he actually threw punches. Action picked up from that point through the rest of the round, though Cobbs still landed the more telling blows.
It was quickly back to one punch at a time for Broner, and often not even that many.
Cobbs, meanwhile, moved around the ring both to taunt Broner and set his combinations. The left hand continued to land for Las Vegas-based southpaw, who also steadily worked his jab midway through the fight.
Broner slowly picked up the activity rate in the second half of the fight. Cobbs had already built up a sizeable lead by that point, however.
An uppercut by Broner found its home, as did right hands in an entertaining sixth round. Cobbs turned the tide in round seven through combination. Enough shots landed to dislodge Broner’s mouthpiece, a recurring theme throughout the fight.
Broner closed strong in the final three rounds. Cobbs was still the more active boxer but forced to move more and punch less as Broner desperately fought to erase the earlier deficit and deliver a knockout ending.
The final round saw Broner back Cobbs into a corner during the moments he couldn’t pin down his flashy foe. Cobbs was never rattled, even as he ate right hands and a final left hook in the closing seconds.
Cobbs advances to 17-1-1 (10 knockouts). The win was his second in a row, though spread out over a two-year span. He last fought in an Aug. 2022 victory over former 140-pound titlist Maurice Hooker on the road in Fort Worth, Texas. The bout put him back in the win column following a March 2022 knockout defeat to Alexis ‘Lex’ Rocha (24-2, 16 KOs). It was also his last under his contract with Golden Boy Promotions—and anywhere until he secured this opportunity.
Cobbs signed with Don King Productions earlier, specifically to land this bout.
“One of the items on my message board… fight Adrien Broner,” Cobbs said after the win.
Broner fell to 35-5-1 (24 KOs). The win ended a two-fight win streak for the former 130-, 135-, 140- and 147-pound titlist, who turns 35 in July. He has fought just three times since a Jan. 2019 defeat to eight division titlist Manny Pacquiao, with Friday’s bout his first since a win over Bill Hutchinson last June 10 in Miami.
Meanwhile, life goes on for Cobbs who was realistic in his primary post-fight callout. He didn’t expect a title shot to be next but would love to land one of the biggest names in the sport.
“I saw something on Instagram. Ryan Garcia was rooting for ‘AB’,” noted Cobbs. “That was hurtful because I thought we were boys. But get your girl out of DMs.
“It’s my time, it’s Blair “The Flair” Cobbs, the most exciting man in boxing and the People’s Champion. Woo!”
Also on the show, second-generation heavyweight Michael Hunter II (23-1-2, 16 KOs) pitched a ten-round shutout over a reluctant Cassius Chaney (23-2, 16 KOs). Scores were 100-90 on all three cards for Hunter, the only one who bothered to engage for much of their dull affair.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.