Adrien Broner with Glen Davis discussing his personal struggles
Adrien Broner | Kick
Adrien Broner is fighting personal demons every day as he continues struggling to stay sober, according to former NBA champion Glen Davis.
Davis believes unresolved trauma is behind much of what WBN has documented during a turbulent few months for the former four-division world champion.
Broner had reached three days sober by September 12 before videos circulated the following day with claims that he was intoxicated again.
It was another setback after repeated attempts to stop drinking, a hospitalization with pancreatitis and warnings from those around him.
But Davis believes there is more going on with Broner than simply refusing to stop drinking.
“Adrien Broner, I think he’s a great guy, man. I just think where we come from and what we’ve dealt with in our life, it’s trauma,” Davis said on a Kick stream associated with Broner and Deen the Great.
“Everything you see him doing on here is trauma. That s*** ain’t for fun.”
Broner’s Personal Demons
Davis believes making money again has not solved the problems Broner continues dealing with away from boxing.
“Like he’s in a tough situation because now he’s making money, but he still hasn’t dealt with the demons that he has to deal with every day,” Davis said.
“Instead of us like talking about him like, ‘Let’s try to figure out how can we help him.’ We don’t want to feel like we’re asking for help.”
Davis is not the first person to become concerned about Broner’s drinking. Ryan Garcia recently warned Broner that years of abusing his body could eventually catch up with him.
“You can’t keep abusing your body and thinking everything is going to be okay,” Garcia said. “One day you’re going to wake up and your body is not going to be okay.”
Garcia had previously pleaded with Broner to stop drinking and described alcoholism as a “sneaky quiet disease.”
Ryan Garcia with Adrien Broner during a streaming collaboration before Garcia warned Broner about his drinking
Ryan Garcia | Kick
Hospitalization
The situation became considerably more serious in August when Broner was taken away on a stretcher during a livestream.
His partner Deen later revealed that Broner had been hospitalized with pancreatitis.
Within hours of leaving the hospital, Broner was drinking again.
Deen had already issued a frightening warning about what could happen if Broner continued.
“If he keeps drinking too much, he’s gonna die,” Deen said.
The frustrating part is how much Broner has already managed to recover during those turbulent months.
Broner’s Streaming Revival
Streaming transformed Broner’s financial position after serious money problems followed the decline of his boxing career.
He also reconnected with Ryan Garcia, Floyd Mayweather and former opponent Marcos Maidana, while renewed interest in his boxing career offered another route back to the ring.
But those highs have been accompanied by the grief of losing his trainer and continuing problems with alcohol.
One comeback offer underlined the problem more than most.
Broner was offered a significant purse by Zeus for a comeback fight but could not remain sober long enough to complete the training camp required to make his return.
Davis also points to the loss of Broner’s trainer as a significant factor in what has happened since.
That may explain some of what Broner is going through, but there will also be those who believe he must find a way to deal with his grief without returning to the bottle.
Friends can warn him, the people around him can offer incentives and Garcia can plead with him to stop. None of those things can make Broner’s decision for him.
After rebuilding his finances, reconnecting with some of the biggest names from his boxing life and receiving another opportunity to fight, staying sober remains the one battle he has been unable to win.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience. He has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside since 2010. Read full bio.