Adrien Broner gently cradled his three-day-old son, Adrieon, in the fold of his left arm as he greeted two men at the door of his high-rise condominium in Covington, Kentucky.
Adrien Broner is staying focused on his March 7 fight with John Molina Jr. after the birth of son Adrieon on February 15.
The 25-year-old three-division champion has been busy preparing for a 140-pound clash with hard-hitting John Molina Jr. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on March 7.
Normally, Broner (29-1, 22 KOs) works with trainer Mike Stafford in Washington, D.C., when he is in camp, but the birth of Adrieon is the reason he stayed close to home this time around, living just across the Ohio River from his native Cincinnati.
"It was actually my first birth that I've ever seen out of all of my [six] children," Broner said. "I was supposed to have left to make preparations by going to D.C. and then to Vegas, but I'm like, 'Man, I’ve got to see one.' It was a very special moment for me, and I cherish that moment."
Adrieon weighed 7.05 pounds when he was born on February 15 to Broner’s fiancée, Arienne Gazaway.
"To be there and to witness it, and to really see a woman go through that, I tip my hat to them. They go through so much,” Broner said. “My son came out and he really didn't cry that much. He was just like, 'What's up?'
“This is actually my first time being around one of my children as a newborn baby. It was a great experience. I always wanted to be there for all of my children, but it was always at times when I was in camp, or me and their mother weren’t together, so I'm not there every step of the way. But now we've got an in-house baby. This is fun for me."
Broner's children are the reason he chose the location of his new residence, which overlooks the Ohio River and is close to where the rest of his kids reside.
"Like they say, ‘You can take the guy out of the ’hood, but you can't take the ’hood out of the guy.' I took myself away. I've got to always distance myself, but at the end of the day, that's what I need," Broner said.
"I've got to stay close to Cincinnati, because my kids are there. If I keep doing what I've got to do, then one day I can move all of the kids out. But for now, I have to be close to them, and I have to keep my family safe, and this is the safest place."
Broner will have to leave Adrieon on February 22, when he takes off for Las Vegas for the final preparations for his fight with Molina.
“It's two different places, work and home. I'm a grown man with responsibilities and six children, and need to make sure that food is on the table and to make sure that they're doing the right things,” Broner said. “But in that ring, I'm Adrien Broner and it's more. Once that bell rings, then it's me. There still is more that I have to do, and I'm still hungry."
