Top-rated contender Adrian Granados opens up in an intimate interview with Mark Kriegel in the latest edition of the reoccurring Showtime series The Reveal with Mark Kriegel.
As Granados prepares to meet Adrien “The Problem” Broner Saturday, Feb. 18, in Cincinnati, Ohio, he talks about his struggles, the loss of his long-time friend Ed Brown and what lies ahead for him on fight night.
A tough Mexican-American from Chicago, Granados enters this fight on a five-bout winning streak, including his impressive stoppage over then unbeaten top contender Amir Imam in November 2015. Most recently, the 27-year-old dominated Ariel Vasquez over eight rounds in July. With a win over Broner, Granados can position himself for his first career world title shot.
Below are excerpts from the interview:
MARK KRIEGEL: “What does this fight represent to you?”
ADRIAN GRANADOS: “Cubs just won. This is my own World Series, you know. It took me this long to finally get a big fight, but I got it. This is going to be my coming out. I know a lot of people don’t know who I am. Those who do know me, they know I come to fight.”
KRIEGEL: “One of the guys who does know you is Adrien Broner. You were in his camp for Marcos Maidana. What stands out to [you] about him?”
GRANADOS: “He’s a great fighter. I mean, it’s no fluke that he is a four-division world champion.”
KRIEGEL: “Did he ever hurt you?”
GRANADOS: “Definitely, we are humans. He can crack. He just had that explosive power. He had 16-ounce gloves and it felt like he was hitting me with his bare fist. He just hits hard.”
KRIEGEL: “Did you ever hurt him?”
GRANADOS: “Definitely. I know I did. He may not admit it. Yeah, I know I had him bloodied a couple times. I know I had him backing up a couple of times. You just know as a fighter when you crack somebody.”
On the passing of top prospect and friend Ed Brown…
GRANADOS: “I believe it was a Sunday. I was in a barbershop…They were like, ‘I heard about your boy.’ And I’m … trying to keep it together. I just called George, our coach. He told me, ’Yeah man, Ed has died. Ed is dead.’ And right there I broke down and cried and screamed to coach, ‘I’m going to win this fight. I’m going to win this fight for him.’”
