Adrien Broner may have finally found a way to rebuild his life outside of boxing. The problem is, it might also be the worst decision he’s ever made.

Over the past few weeks, Broner has found modern life on stream alongside Deen The Great.

Some of what Broner said was truly inspiring. Some moments reminded fans why Broner became such a huge personality.

The money flowing through the broadcasts was also significant, including one $15,000 donation as viewers rallied behind the former four-weight world champion.

For the first time in a long time, Broner looked financially stable, motivated and surrounded by people who were trying to pull him up instead of dragging him down.

Deen deserves recognition because the past few years have been complex for the Cincinnati native.

World Boxing News has thoroughly documented Broner’s decline, especially since the breakdown of his relationship with Don King following the Blair Cobbs defeat.

At several points, Broner openly admitted that he was returning to street life, while publicly asking for one last chance to turn the situation around.

Now another chance has come.

The danger is that it may also feed the very thing that has repeatedly threatened to destroy it.

Adrien Broner broadcast

Despite the positive outlook on Broner’s streaming success, one detail cannot be ignored.

The drinking never stopped.

Broner appeared on the broadcast almost every night under the influence of alcohol, sometimes to the point of oblivion, while alcohol was constantly available at home, clubs and events associated with the content lifestyle.

That’s why the latest trend seems much more threatening than people want to admit.

Over the past few years, Broner has opened up several times about his struggle with alcohol addiction. But the environment around him now revolves almost entirely around nightlife, streaming chaos, viral clips, and cameras going off at all hours of the day.

The issue is no longer whether Broner can make money outside of boxing.

Clearly it can.

The problem is whether turning real life into lasting content while struggling with alcoholism will push him even further away from stability.

Worst decision

There is increasing talk that Broner will finally get his own streaming home and fully enter the same world that Deen lives in every day.

From a financial perspective, this opportunity makes sense, but from a public perspective, it could prove to be a disaster.

Because if the current pattern continues, viewers won’t just watch Adrien Broner rebuild. They will watch the same destructive cycle unfold in real time with an even larger audience.

That’s why some of the recent clips stopped being amusing and started feeling uncomfortable.

The information circulating on the Internet that Broner was being “released due to content” aroused emotions for good reason. People are starting to see the difference between helping someone and profiting from their instability.

None of this changes the fact that Deen seems to genuinely care about Broner and helped him when few others were willing.

However, caring and enabling can sometimes occur in the same room, and that’s the threatening part.

Because Broner finally has another platform, another audience, and another chance to rebuild his life.

The real danger is that it intends to replace one addiction with another – and this time the entire Internet will be watching the phenomenon live.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.