ADRIEN Broner doesn't want be a dummy on his boxing return - despite being mocked by a puppet.
The 34 year-old - known as The Problem - has fought just three times since losing on points to future Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas all the way back in 2019.
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Broner has been in more hot water more than world class battles in the ring.
There have been misdemeanor battery charges in Las Vegas, eerie posts on social media hinting at suicide, violent altercations with fans and failures to appear at court hearings.
He told The U.S. Sun ahead of his comeback in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday against Philadelphia's Blair "The Flair" Cobbs his bad-boy days are over.
But Cobbs, desperate to latch onto the four weight world champion's short fuse, creatively taunted him by creating a Sesame Street type muppet version of the Ohio fighter - resplendent with sunglasses and a personalized neck chain.
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It may have made legendary promoter Don King chuckle, yet Broner wasn't laughing.
"There were some antics going on, and that's cool," he told The U.S. Sun.
"But June 7 we have a fight. It comes with the game, I am just focused on getting the win. I want to stay active after this. It's nice to be back involved and have someone like Don King also being part of my own legacy.
"I am focused and here to perform."
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Broner called his opponent "a clown in a circus" during the press conference earlier this month.
Outsider Cobbs was looking to really get under Broner's skin - and thanked his kids for inspiring his comical attempt to gain a crucial psychological advantage ahead of the top-of-the-bill clash at the Hard Rock Guitar hotel on Friday.
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Cobbs, inspired by wrestling legend Ric Flair, kept barking and taunting Broner, while pretending to let his puppet do all the trash talking.
"This was a concoction I created," he admitted to The U.S. Sun.
"There have been questions whether Broner would show up , so we made sure by creating my own trashcan man Adrien Broner. AB? About bitches? He's lost the A, so he's just a bitch."
Golden oldie promoter King, 92, who was involved in Muhammad Ali's legendary Rumble in the Jungle with George Foreman and was by Mike Tyson's side as the self-proclaimed baddest man on the planet wreaked havoc, has seen it all.
Witnessing a fighter mock an opponent which a fully-functioning muppet is probably a first, though.
I want to stay active after this. It's nice to be back involved and have someone like Don King also being part of my own legacy.
Adrien Broner
"I just woke up one morning and felt it was time to do some different," continued the super energetic Cobbs, who boasts a record of 16 wins from 18, albeit against modest opposition.
"I can't rap, I have already come out wearing fur coats, Blair the Flair is the most exciting man in boxing and every time I step into the ring I want to do something different.
"I was watching Sesame Street with my kids and I was like 'these characters are interesting, I need to make a Broner character. It's Elmo's boyfriend."
Cobbs was desperate to mock Broner and talked the puppet makers through every step to make sure the finished product was just what he wanted,
"I needed to make sure his belly was showing, his teeth were nice and big," he laughed.
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"Will it get under his skin? I don't know but when he gets in the ring, he's gonna feel the pressure and the pain. There will be a lot going on in his mind - that I am too fast, too strong and too unpredictable. He's too God damn smart. Eventually he will realize I am just too good. That is going to happen.
"That's what I do - I entertain. I might give him the puppet when I am done. It's too scary for my kids."
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