AnEson Gib came off the canvas in the first round to storm back, drop Austin McBroom four times, and score a fourth round stoppage in their Social Gloves main event tonight from Banc of California Stadium.
“Influencer boxing” may not be for everyone, but a good fight is a good fight, and I can’t pretend this wasn’t an entertaining fight with two guys showing heart and determination, and giving the best effort they could.
Gib (1-1, 1 KO) hadn’t fought professionally since an early 2020 loss to Jake Paul when both turned pro, and the level to which he’s improved since then is very clear, very quickly when you compare the performances. He’s obviously put in real work to try and learn boxing, and though he got dropped in the opening round, that’s some credit to McBroom, who looked like the guy with more natural talent.
But it was also partially Gib’s own aggression that got him put down, and that aggression is what brought him back. He probably lost the second round, too, but he put McBroom (0-1) down two times in the third and two more in the fourth before referee Jack Reiss stopped the contest.
Give McBroom credit, too; he kept getting up and trying to get back into the fight, but by then, the tide had turned, and Gib was locked in.
“I flew all the way from England to KO the CEO. All respect to Austin McBroom, I appreciate him inviting me. Without that, I wouldn’t have my redemption story, so all thanks to him,” Gib said, adding that he plans to “keep going” and that he looks forward to fighting again in the future.
“Right now, whatever makes money, makes sense. We’ll see what opponent comes my way, we’ll see what the future holds,” he said when asked if he would fight KSI next.
McBroom vs Gib highlights
Nick Young vs Malcom Minikon
The official ruling was that this was stopped in the fourth round on “safety first” due to a “clash of heads,” which sent old “Swaggy P” tumbling through the ropes to the ring apron. There was no clash of heads.
“I don’t feel like I headbutted him, but it’s whatever,” Minikon said. “I hit him in the back of the head one time, and I apologize for that.”
Young, a former NBA player who clearly wasn’t in great condition, said, “I felt good. I felt like I hit him a lot. He hit me with a cheapshot, and that’s what you do when you’re losing. How can you think you won on a headbutt? But I’m glad in the ring for the first time, got my jitters out.”
In the end, it was nothing. Young said he would fight again. “I’m 1-0,” he erroneously stated.