We are less than a month away from the first big pay per views of 2019, as Cincinnati’s own Adrien Broner will be facing off with eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao on January 19th. The fight between Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KO’s) and Broner (33-3-1, 24 KO’s) is set to take place inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will be distributed on SHOWTIME pay per view, as was this month’s Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury heavyweight title showdown.
There are a lot of dynamics heading into this fight. Some question how much both fighters have left. At 40 years old , Pacquiao insists he still feels as good as ever and he is coming off of a dominant display vs. Former champion Lucas Matthysse this past July in which he stopped the Argentinean fighter in the 7th round.
Broner has been criticized by some in recent years for a lack of focus, yet he appears to be fully locked and loaded, as he trains with this trainer Kevin Cunningham down in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“This fight is real important,” Broner recently told the press. “This is a hell of a fight not only for me but for the sport. This is a fight that needed to happen for the sport and we are going to put on a hell of a show.”
The Pacquiao fight is likely the biggest of his career yet Broner knows a moment like this was always waiting for him.
“I always knew that one day I would be having fights like this,” said Broner, who has won titles in four weight divisions himself. “Honestly I thought he [Pacquiao] would be done with boxing by now but I always knew I would have a fight of this magnitude on this platform, pay-per-view and all and now I’m here.”
How does this matchup play out and what could be in store for each man with a victory?
For one, you can expect an exciting fight for sure. Pacquiao will likely be somewhat of the aggressor, as he showed himself to still be able to carry a heavy work rate vs. Matthysse, while Broner has played the role of a counter puncher in recent bouts. If anything, it has been Broner’s unwillingness to let his hands go that has seemed to hinder him in certain bouts.
Each man has shown themselves to have a great chin yet the edge in power seems to lie with Pacquiao. This fight very well could come down to who had the better training camp and who will come in better shape physically for a long, grueling fight.
One of the interesting subplots is that Pacquiao is still hungry for a rematch with his longtime rival Floyd Mayweather, who defeated him in May of 2015. Pacquiao wants to avenge that loss and now that he is aligned with adviser Al Haymon and the Premier Boxing Champions brand, that very well could be in store if he is to defeat Broner.
But would a victory over Broner be enough to lure Mayweather his way? It may come down to financial numbers. Mayweather is slated for a December 31st exhibition vs. MMA and kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa, but that’s simply going to be somewhat of a sparring match with the result not affected his professional record.
We will have to wait as see how Pacquiaio vs. Broner plays out first, and then wait for a response from Mayweather afterwards to see if he is interested.
