Marcus Browne shrugged off the first defeat of his career against Jean Pascal. Although he was disappointed in the overall outcome, the New York native wasn’t tripping over the end result. With a nasty gash over his left eye, things between them ended prematurely, leading to Pascal picking up the win. But while it was easy to put that one behind him, his loss to Artur Beterbiev was a wake-up call.

On December 17th, 2021, Browne (25-2, 16 KOs) did everything that he could to strip the Russian monster of his WBC and IBF world titles. After a strong three minutes in the opening frame, the now 32-year-old felt that things were on the verge of going wrong. Round after round, Browne fought listlessly - flicking out a tenuous jab while attempting to cover up against the ropes.

As referee Michael Griffin stepped in during the ninth frame, Browne, as he sauntered back to his locker room, knew that his time at 175 pounds had formally come to an end.

Overall, Browne won’t make any excuses. While he accepted his defeat, he does believe that the weight played a bit of a role in his lackluster performance. So, after taking nearly two years to build his body up, a more muscular Browne made his cruiserweight debut.

It was an easy night at the pugilistic office as Adrian Taylor was thoroughly dominated over the course of 10 rounds. Now, having tested the waters a bit, Browne is hoping to face much stiffer competition. In terms of who he wants next, he recently revealed that anyone who’s holding a belt can get it.

“Any of the champions to be honest,” said Browne to krikya360.com during a recent interview.

Although he doesn't have any particular targets on his hitlist, Browne wouldn’t mind facing a familiar name in his new weight class.

In early 2019, Browne fought in one of the bloodiest fights in recent memory against Badou Jack. Game plans were thrown out the window as both men left it all in the ring. Despite hitting the deck in the fifth round, Browne somewhat cruised to a unanimous decision victory. Jack, since then, has made the cruiserweight division his home, winning the WBC title against Ilunga Makabu.

With neither man having an immediate dance partner, if Jack is in the mood for some get-back, Browne would welcome a sequel.

“If Badou Jack wants to do it again, I would love to do it again at cruiserweight.”