Adrien Broner vs Blair Cobbs Picks, Predictions, and Odds: Back 'The Flair' in Friday Night Bout

Adrien Broner and Blair Cobbs face off in a welterweight clash that serves as the featured boxing of the week from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

It is another return to the ring for the woefully inactive Broner, though his lack of dedication to the sport may finally creep up on him against the supremely confident Cobbs.

Boxing odds have Cobbs listed as a narrow -155 favorite, while Broner returns as a +125 underdog for tonight's bout. Here are my best free Broner vs. Cobbs predictions for June 7.

Broner vs Cobbs prediction and pick

• My fight prediction
  Cobbs moneyline (-155 at DraftKings)
  
  
• My best bet
  Cobbs moneyline (-155 at DraftKings)

Fight analysis

For better or worse, Broner is making his return to the ring after another significant layoff in hopes of curtailing his continued fall from prominence and reclaiming his lost glory. While Broner is likely a lost cause now that he's 34 years old, barely active, and without a notable win in over five years, he's doing what he can to remain relevant and prop himself up for a cash-out fight.

Although Broner is on a two-fight win streak, his last win was a year ago against part-time boxer Bill Hutchinson, and in 2021, he had a disputed win over the mediocre Jovaine Santiago, in which he looked awful. Cobbs has been out of the ring since a 2022 win over a badly faded Maurice Hooker, where he came in heavy. Despite dropping the physically dejected and checked-out former champion three times, he had to settle for going the distance while looking like he survived a mugging attempt.

"The Flair" might have more in the tank than Broner, and with notable height and reach advantages and a faster-paced style compared to the overly conservative Broner, there might be an upset brewing. Broner was best when he was a cocksure lightweight carrying a massive weight advantage in the ring. This greatly amplified his punching power and allowed him to rely on singular, accurate strikes to open his opponents up and unload on them with combinations.

However, the last 11 years have seen Broner mold into a passive potshot artist who will not let his hands go, even if the fight is getting away from him. Once Broner falls behind in a fight, he doesn't have the firepower or maybe the desire to grind it out, as evidenced in his losses to Mikey Garcia, Shawn Porter, and Manny Pacquiao. While Cobbs isn't anywhere near as good as those fighters at their worst, he has a better chance of dictating the pace of the fight if he can keep Broner outside and opts to outwork Broner instead of pursuing a knockout of the strong-chinned former champion.

The years of neglecting his technique and indulging in his bad habits will finally catch up to Broner in the worst way, as he'll be dealt a career-threatening loss by a fighter simply more motivated to perform than he is. I'm picking Cobbs to score the upset win.

Pick: Cobbs moneyline (-155 at DraftKings)

Best best analysis

Though Broner hasn't taken good care of himself to extend his career with his physical merits, he remains a sturdy fighter with a good chin. His conservative style and average defense tend to see him get hit often, and while he's shared the ring with several strong punchers, he's never looked in danger of getting stopped. His lack of output also means Broner has plenty left in the tank if the fights go into the later rounds.

All of Broner's bouts at 147 have gone the distance. One reason for that is that Broner's best shots are a stiff counter-right hand that has a lot of speed and power behind it, and if Broner gets a good read or Cobbs gets too loose with his offense, Broner will have that punch ready to fend the southpaw off.

However, Cobbs can make this fight easier for himself staying on the outside and testing Broner's resolve by controlling the range with his reach advantage. Cobbs isn't hard to hit, and if this is the fight where Broner decides to let his hands go, there could be trouble.

Alexis Rocha walked Cobbs down with his volume approach, dropping him with a big right hand in the eighth round before unloading on a defenseless Cobbs in the ninth. Nevertheless, I expect both of these fighters to be rusty after being out of action as long as they have, and the fight will be contested at a slower pace as Cobbs aims to outwork a counter-minded Broner.

That could result in scorecards being all over the place unless there is an early knockout. That said, Cobbs should be able to grind this out, and partially due to the lack of available odds, taking him straight up will be our best bet.

Pick: Cobbs moneyline (-155 at DraftKings)

Adrien Broner vs Blair Cobbs odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of 6-7.

Adrien Broner vs Blair Cobbs tale of the tape

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