Adrien Broner stops Ashley Theophane in ninth, calls out Floyd Mayweather

WASHINGTON - Adrien "The Problem" Broner ended the most problematic week of his professional boxing career on a high note, stopping challenger Ashley Theophane with a ninth-round TKO before a sold-out crowd Friday night at the DC Armory.

Broner, looking gassed but happy, jumped up on the ropes after he pounded what appeared to be a much smaller Theophane into submission at 1:10 of the ninth round, a stoppage Theophane was none too happy about.

"As you know, I've been going through a lot and for me to come in here and bottle everything up and do what I did, I want to give myself a pat on the back," Broner (32-2, 24 KOs) told the 8,172 fans that packed the old building to see Broner, and all the baggage he brings with him.

But Broner was far from finished. He glanced at Floyd Mayweather, his onetime "Big Brother" who was sitting ringside, and unloaded on the retired undefeated champion, who was there for his fighter Theophane. He challenged Mayweather.

"I'm a man, but at the end of the day, somebody that I look up to, someone that I admire took the chance to do an interview and talk bad about me. I'm a man - Floyd has got to see me.

"I come from nothing. I'm talking about water and corn flakes. And I would never let a man disrespect me like that. So you gotta see me. I don't care if we're sparring or if we're fighting, let's get it on."

Broner said in his post-fight interview that all that "big brother" (crap) is over. "From now on he will address me as AB and I will address him as Floyd Mayweather."

Broner said if they do somehow fight, "(Mayweather) won't be 50-0."

Broner's victory celebration is tempered by the fact that he agreed to turn himself in to Hamilton County (Ohio) authorities on Monday, where he is wanted in his hometown of Cincinnati for felonious assault and aggravated robbery stemming from a bowling alley incident in January.

That's how his week began, learning that news.

On Wednesday he showed up an hour and a half late for his press conference, saying he did not want to have to go through that (b.s.) because the fight was already sold out, with or without the press conference.

On Thursday, the 26-year-old four-division champion missed weight, hitting the scales at 140.4 pounds, .4 over the super lightweight limit. He didn't even try to lose it and was subsequently stripped of his title by the World Boxing Association. He also had to forfeit $50,000 from his purse to Theophane, who was still able to fight for the title, his first career shot at a belt.

Broner said he was able to block everything out in the ring. "I stayed focused," he said. "I knew I had everything to lose and he had everything to gain."

Friday night, Broner fought in spurts through the first eight rounds, allowing Theophane to keep his distance and control the middle of the ring during the early part of every round. Then he would go on the attack and force the British fighter into a corner or on the ropes and tee off. A few of the rounds he took off, which helped him recoup his strength. His punches were considerably more effective and concussive than Theophane's.

"When people fight me, they come with their 'A' game, and he came with his 'A' game," Broner said of Theophane. "But even his 'A' game wasn't enough tonight."

By the time the ninth round rolled around, USA TODAY Boxing Junkie had Broner leading 7-1 in rounds. By then Broner decided it was time to end it, chasing Theophane around the ring and connected on power punch after power punch as Theophane ducked for cover. The end came on a left uppercut to the body and he finished him with a thudding right hand before referee Luis Pabon stepped in and waved it off at 1:10 of the ninth.

"Any performance I can always do better," Broner said. "But we did exactly what we trained on in the gym. There was a lot of power shots that were getting him out of there, and I perfected it and got him out of there in the ninth round.

"That's another knockout on my record. It's two in a row."

Theophane (39-7-1, 11 KOs) said he thought the stoppage, his first in 13 years as a pro, was premature.

"I thought I was in the fight. Me and Broner were going at it. It looked like he was starting to get tired because he started to move around and wasn't able to stay there with me as much," the 35-year-old fighter said.

"No way should that have gotten stopped. It's a shame the referee did that. I was telling him 'I'm okay, I'm okay' then he waved it off. I don't know what he was thinking."

Broner said this would be his last fight at 140 pounds, that he's grown out of the weight class. "My next fight will be at 147 pounds."

Hmmm. That just happens to be Mayweather's weight class. Game on?