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Adrien Broner has reunited with Marcos Maidana for the first time in years, coming face-to-face with the opponent whose victory marked the beginning of a dramatic change in his career. Broner could barely contain his excitement when Maidana appeared, with the former four-weight world champion immediately embracing his old rival. “My boy Maidana in the building!” Broner said. It was a warm reunion between two fighters whose careers became permanently connected on one explosive night in December 2013. They watched their fight back almost 13 years later, discussed each other’s careers and even the possibility of an exhibition rematch. Broner and Maidana hold significant history, given that many AB supporters view the Argentinian hardman as the opponent who triggered the exact moment the Cincinnati native began to spiral. Through no fault of his own, Maidana’s victory marked the beginning of a period that ultimately brought three more defeats over the next four years as “The Problem” crashed and burned following an explosive start to his career. Maidana Changed Everything Broner entered the Maidana fight unbeaten at 27-0 and already a world champion across three weight divisions. He had made the jump from lightweight to welterweight to defeat Paulie Malignaggi six months earlier and appeared destined for the biggest fights in boxing. Maidana destroyed that aura, dropping Broner twice before inflicting his first professional defeat over twelve rounds at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Broner later admitted that his lifestyle and growing belief in his own invincibility had caught up with him. “Before the Maidana fight it felt like I was unstoppable, I could do anything. I could just go back in the ring and everything would be normal,” Broner said in 2014. “But after the fight I realized I have to slow down. I can still be me and have fun, but I can’t be beating up my body.” Years later, Broner went even further by admitting Maidana had changed the way he fought. “It made me a little bit more cautious in the ring,” Broner stated in 2022. “It made me a little less reckless and more patient. “When I fought him, I was thinking with my heart instead of being smart and thinking with my brain.” Broner rebuilt after Maidana and won another version of a world title, but the fighter once tipped to follow Floyd Mayweather’s path never regained the momentum of his unbeaten years. Losses to Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia and Manny Pacquiao followed as Broner’s appearances became increasingly sporadic. Maidana Never Turned on Broner Despite handing Broner the defeat that changed his career, Maidana has consistently shown respect for his former opponent. When Broner was dealing with personal problems and withdrew from a planned fight with Omar Figueroa in 2022, Maidana publicly backed him. “I wish him the best. But I hope he can get back to the ring soon, to be a champion again. He is a great boxer,” Maidana said at the time. The former WBA welterweight champion even opened the door to sharing a ring with Broner again. “I would like to have an exhibition fight with Broner,” Maidana said. “We always talk about that. “If there is a chance to do something with him, it would be great.” Four years later, seeing the pair together meant more than an ordinary reunion between former opponents. Broner is now far removed from the young champion who walked into the Alamodome believing he was unstoppable. His boxing career has stalled while the Cincinnati native has recently turned to streaming as another outlet for his larger-than-life personality. Maidana has long since walked away from elite competition after ending his professional career with consecutive fights against Mayweather in 2014. Thirteen years after Maidana shattered Broner’s unbeaten record, however, there was no bitterness when the two came face-to-face again. For one emotional moment, the opponent whose victory marked the beginning of Broner’s spiral was simply an old rival and friend again. About the Author Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.