Was out of town so finally getting around to reading through this thread and watched the fight last night (without reading anything about it beforehand).
Fight played out how I expected, so no real comments breaking it down. Broner wasn't active and Mikey was technically sound.
The bigger story to me is the aftermath. I was getting on the Broner train early in his career, but I realized that he was a guy whose flaws weren't going to change and I had a problem with that, so I couldn't support him as a stan, but rather just watch him as a fan of boxing. He is too caught up with trying to be Floyd in the ring that it is really detrimental. He is talented and athletic, had he developed his own style I think he would have been better suited. But he seems caught trying to be someone else in the ring. He refuses to let his hands go and is constantly shaking his head at his opponent, which works for Floyd, but for Broner is a symbol that his opponent is landing clean and outworking him. At this point with his style I think Broner has been doing it for too long I don't believe it will change and he will ride with it for better or worse for the rest of his career.
The Maidana fight proved to me that Broner has a chin. Never questioned it since, which is why I was suprised at how many media members thought Broner would get KO'd. I don't doubt Mikey can punch or that in the long term that Mikey may bring his punch to 140, but for all the negatives about Broner, his chin is legit.
Broner's post fight interview was disgraceful and I wonder when his fans begin to turn on him. He was straight up mocking them and knows that they will be back to pay to watch him no matter what he does. Also saying the fight was like Tom and Jerry and he was chasing the mouse literally made me say WTF out loud. Dude was getting walked down the whole fight and had Mikey right in front of him the whole fight.
Leave the fight wondering what is next for Broner. He isn't bum status. He still can and should beat all the B level fighters decisively, but I don't see him beating any top level fighters. Something either will happen to Broner or he needs to make something happen. Right now he seems at the clear dividing line where we can tell who he is better than and who is better than him. Broner needs to beat a fighter who is better than him right now to jump start his career, or he may get beat by someone who he is better than. Broner's career hasn't lived up to expectations financially IMO. Don't get me wrong he has made good money, but this is a fighter who wanted to tranform into the financial elite. It hasn't happened and looks like it will never happen. With the way it appears he mismanages his money I would be concerned over his long term financial health...also with his out of the ring run-ins, it concerns me what will happen if he doesn't have money.
Mikey's spot is complex, yet simple. Really we just need to seem him keep fighting. At 135 I think he cleans up whoever he fights, although a Lomachenko fight would be interesting as hell. At 140 I think Mikey is probably first or second best with Crawford (I lean Crawford). Long term he would stay as a top fighter there, but I could see if a young, athletic, and rangy fighter came up it could give him problems. At 147 I don't like Mikey that much, unless he were to fight Pacquiao. Best IMO to stay out of that division. Broner has some reach on Mikey and physically gave Mikey some issues when he pressed at his best moments and Broner gets that done to him at 147.