Tag Archives: adrien

Posted on 12/18/2019

By: Sean Crose

“Boxing star Adrien Broner has been ordered to pay more than $700k to a woman who claims AB sexually assaulted her at a nightclub back in 2018, court records show.” 
The above quote, from TMZ (the site has changed the amount owed in an update), indicates that Broner has once again gotten himself into a world of trouble. The incident that led to the heavy fine reportedly occurred on June 8^th of 2018. According to TMZ, the accuser, who goes by the alias “Katherine Larson” reported Broner “smothered her” on a couch, “and shoved his tongue down her throat at a Cleveland nightclub.” Larson also claimed “Broner continued the assault until his friend pulled him off her.” 

After Larson went to the police, Broner reportedly pleaded guilty to assault and unlawful restraint charges. On Tuesday, the judge in the civil case ordered Broner to pay more than $830,000 to Larson.In it’s article, TMZ quotes the judge as saying there was “clear and convincing evidence that (the fighter) acted maliciously and that a substantial punitive award is necessary to punish and deter him from engaging in similar conduct in the future.” Larson claimed she suffered from PTSD due to Broner’s actions, and subsequently required a considerable amount of therapy. 

“In issuing the award,” TMZ states, “the judge noted that Broner had not shown up to defend himself against the woman’s claims.” 
Broner is known for getting in trouble. Once known as one of the top stars in the sport, perhaps even heir to Floyd Mayweather’s throne, he went through money and people’s patience with outlandish behavior. After losing to Marcos Madiana in a 2013 war, Broner fell from on high. Still, the antics continued, and the man found himself in some form of trouble with the law over and over again. Although still popular, the Cincinnati native hasn’t won a major fight in years. His most recent outing, against the iconic Manny Pacquiao, resulted in a one sided decision loss last January. 

In the video of the police report TMZ provided, a friend/associate of Larson’s claims neither she nor Larson even knew Broner. “That’s all I know,” Larson herself says, “that he’s a boxer.” In the video, Larson tells the officer on duty that she was out having a good time when “all of the sudden I’m laying flat on my back and he’s on top of me.” Larson states that she tried to get out of the situation but that “he kept like telling me to shut up and telling me to kiss him.” Both Larson and her associate are clearly upset in the video. “It was all these dudes in here,” Larson recalls of the incident, “and nobody did anything.”

Posted on 03/26/2019

By: Sean Crose

It’s been a difficult few months for Adrien Broner. Although he was part of a successful Pay Per View broadcast with iconic fighter Manny Pacquiao last January, Broner lost that fight in one sided fashion – then argued it was clear that he had actually won. The Cincinnati native did so by making a scene of it before Showtime’s Jim Grey and countless others shortly after the widely accepted decision was read. The public has long accepted the fact that Broner’s brashness crosses over into obnoxiousness (it may actually be part of why he remains popular). Still, the headlines keep piling up for the fighter known as “The Problem.”

This past Saturday, Broner reportedly found himself in handcuffs after jaywalking in Miami while hanging out with fellow fighter Gervonta Davis. According to TMZ, “Adrien got angry and smacked the hood of the car and began yelling at the driver.” Nearby policemen reportedly asked Broner to tone it down, only to get yelled at by the boisterous fighter. Hence, the handcuffs. Needless to say, Broner was let go without being arrested, and made his way a nightclub called “Exchange Miami.” TMZ also reports that, on Friday evening, Broner was denied entrance to a club called Voodoo – though the reason why remains unclear.

Earlier in the week, Broner was accused by a social media figure named Andrew C. Caldwell of what TMZ calls “flirting with him.” Rather than strongly denying the accusation in a way one might expect, Broner responded in a rant that indicated he would physically harm any homosexual who touched him. This, of course, led to a backlash, and to Caldwell getting a restraining order against the fighter. Coupled with an arrest warrant that was handed down shortly after the Pacquiao fight for neglecting to show up in court, and this latest batch of Broner news is far from good.

With that in mind, it’s worth noting that Broner is now almost as famous for his antics as he is for his ring acumen. Once considered one of the rising stars in the sport Broner has leveled out as a gritty opponent with a big mouth who can most likely best all but the best names in the game. His engaging ring style, coupled with his notorious reputation, allows Broner to still get lucrative fights, but it has now been some time since he’s been considered a fighter of particular note.

Posted on 01/22/2019

By: Rahat Haque

Manny Pacquiao won easily versus Adrien Broner on Saturday night without breaking a sweat. It was as everyone expected it to be. Broner should have never been matched against a volume puncher like Pacquiao at the risk of being outworked, which is what precisely happened over the course of 12 rounds. With an active legend like Pacquiao, anything less than an elite opponent does not make for an interesting fight, and unfortunately, Broner is not a top name at welterweight. Despite the expected outcome, there are things we can take away from the match and the post-fight conference about each fighter.

First, let us evaluate the senator from the Philippines. It is abundantly clear after this fight that Pacquiao is still active and will fight whomever they put in front of him. He said so himself several times in the post-match presser. One may question what still drives the 40 year old Filipino slugger. It is definitely not solely money, as he has plenty of it from boxing, and he can generate more of it anytime he wants from his business endeavors in the Philippines. Also, for mega celebrities like Pacquiao, there are always ways to monetize his fame in any location. It is not solely glory either, or else he would proactively clamor for the biggest fights out there and not be happy with lesser opponents such as Horn, Matthysse and Broner. But he expressed no such interest, instead he was quite content at the matchmaking skills of Al Haymon. What drives Manny Pacquiao at this age is that he still loves fighting!

Whereas many fighters grow weary of the sport at some time, or do not maintain the same level of interest as before due to injuries or increased family commitments, this is not the case with Pacquio as evident from his post fight mannerisms. Despite having a thousand and one responsibilities as a senator and public figure, Pacquiao would miss boxing too much to give it up now. These wins surely add to his legacy, but not by that much, and they do put money in his pocket, but not as much as he earned from the Mayweather fight. But he showed enough this weekend to suggest that he was still one of the best around and would continue to fight any fighter Al Haymon would give him. He did so in a style that also suggested that he is pacing himself for more fights!

This is not the same Pacquiao from a decade ago who would use constantly use his straight left from far out, and throw punches constantly from multiple angles. Doing this furiously every round burns a lot of energy, and to go back and forth with worthy opponents leaves a lot of blood, sweat and toil in the ring. It leaves you with that much more scar tissue for the next fight. One has to adopt with the times, and maintaining such a fighting style to this day would prove too much to sustain for an aging Pacquiao. So instead, he was more patient, getting inside using his right jab first, and opting for fewer combinations whenever he could. He rightly judged that it would be enough to win the fight, as he said in the presser that his trainer Buboy Fernandez suggested him to not go for the KO at the risk of getting knocked out himself. More importantly, Pacquiao obeyed his instructions.

This shows that he is already mentally prepping himself for the next fight, and indeed for the long haul. Raking up more wins in his record is more important right now. Adjusting to the match takes precedence over trying to impress anyone. Could it really be that he is doing all this because he loves boxing? Perhaps, love of boxing also falls short of being the sole reason why Manny Pacquiao is still fighting. If we are to believe his former promoter Bob Arum, it is because he was promised a rematch vs Floyd Mayweather. Perhaps Pacquiao is saving his best for that fight to avenge his loss.

Let us turn our attention to Cincinnati pugilist, Adrien Broner. He is someone that always came up short in the watershed matches of his career, and that trend continued over the weekend. In a shocking post-match interview in the ring with Jim Gray, he claimed that he won the fight and was cheated! While such a claim seems incredulous at first, one has to understand Broner’s mindset. This is a man who is used to making comebacks after his watershed defeats. After the Maidana defeat, he went on a trio of victories before losing against Porter. After the Porter defeat, he went on an even more impressive run, beating a trio of fighters better than the last trio he triumphed against. Hence, after his defeat to Garcia, he was eying another sustained comeback, which unfortunately did not happen for him as he drew against Jessie Vargas, which was a close fight. He probably felt he got the short end of the stick in that match. He carried those sentiments with him to the Pacquiao fight, and projected his insecurities by lashing out at Jim Gray in the post-match interview. However, at the post fight presser, he seemed to have gathered his thoughts and was more reasonable in saying that he would have to review the fight.

There was a transformation that took place between the time Adrien left the ring after the fight to the point when he came down and sat at the table at the post fight presser. Like Pacquiao, he too seemed to have found new wisdom regarding his new role in the world of boxing. Intrinsically, he seemed to acknowledge that his skills were not at an elite level, and that he would have to make his living in boxing by challenging fighters who are a shade below the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Mikey Garcia. Looking back at his career, he probably feels that Maidana is a fight he should have won, but Maidana is now long retired. His main weakness is a lack of productivity, so Porter was the wrong opponent for him style wise. If he is wise, he will avoid such styles in the future. Perhaps he can rematch Vargas, and look to challenge guys who do not throw as much. For e.g., boxers like Danny Garcia and Sadam Ali would be better opponents for him at 147 rather than Shawn Porter or Amir Khan. Those would be excellent and fair tests for him, and that is what AB is looking forward to.

With the Pacquiao defeat, any illusions of rising to the very top has now rightly evaporated within the 4 division world champion. He still talked up his performance, which any boxer should rightly do to stay in the conversation of the best fighters today. But Broner seems to have fully accepted his ceiling with no remorse. Like Pacquiao, he too is not going anywhere just yet, but rather he is focused on beating the type of fighters he knows he can beat in the future. A rematch with Vargas is the most obvious next step in my opinion. If he can get the decision versus Vargas, he can use that momentum to then challenge the rest of the marquee names at147 who are not voluminous punchers like Pacquiao. Broner said many times that he was in the best shape of his life for this fight, and there is no reason to doubt him. But his best was not as good enough at the elite level. Armed with this invaluable knowledge, Adrien Broner will go back to his promotions team demanding easier fights. If he remains dedicated, his best may make him look spectacular in those fights, and keep him in the limelight for a future mega fight.

Posted on 01/21/2019

By: Sean Crose

Warning: The following article presents much foul language.

“Bring your motherfucking ass over here. I’ve got a lot to say.”

And so, with those words, Adrien Broner, known as “The Problem,” began a post fight interview with Showtime’s Jim Grey at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Broner had just been handed a unanimous decision loss by the judges after battling for twelve rounds with WBA welterweight titlist Manny Pacquiao. Although most clearly thought the Filipino legend had cruised to an easy win, Cincinnati’s Broner clearly felt otherwise. For his own part, Grey immediately made it clear that he wasn’t in the mood for nonsense.

“We’re going to conduct this professionally,” he said, “or were not going to have an interview. You make the decision.” Broner then proceeded to lash out at the injustice he felt he had suffered. “I beat him,” he said of Pacquiao. “Everybody out there know I beat him. Everybody out there know I beat him. I controlled the fight. He was missing, I hit him clean more times. I beat him.” Grey then brought up the fact that Broner hadn’t landed many punches throughout the bout. “It already sounds like you was against me,” snapped Broner, “so I already ain’t got a fair shake talking to you.”

Grey tried to protest this assertion, to no avail. “Let me let y’all know,” Broner continued. “I want to thank the whole hood who came out here. I love y’all. I did this for the hood. Y’all know I beat that boy. Y’all know they beat that boy.” He then added that “what they tryin’ to do is, they trying to get that money again with Pacquiao and Floyd, but it’s cool. I ain’t worrying about it. I’m still that nigger man, I’m on top. Cincinnati, stand up. West Side, two five!”

Grey continued to play it cool.

“You’re three, three and one in your last seven fights. What will you do next?” he asked. “Hey, I’m three, three, and one in my last seven, but I’d be seven and oh, against you,” Broner responded. “Well, that wouldn’t mean much,” said Grey. “That’s the end of this interview. Good luck to you in the future.” Broner made waves earlier in the week when he called longtime fight broadcaster Al Bernstein “a bitch ass nigga,” while claiming Bernstein badmouthed him on Twitter.

Pacquiao, the victor, appeared to be gracious after Saturday’s bout. “I’m so happy because God gave me this good help, these blessing,” he said to Grey. Pacquiao also indicated that he wanted a rematch with arch rival Floyd Mayweather, who was seated ringside. “Tell him to come back to the ring, and we will fight,” he said. “I’m willing to fight again.” Mayweather, who looked relaxed in his seat, coolly refused to take the bait.

Posted on 01/20/2019

By: William Holmes

The legendary Manny Pacquiao looked to keep his name relevant amongst the top fighters in the welterweight division as he took on Adrien Broner for the WBA “Regular” Welterweight Title in the main event of tonight’s Showtime PPV offering.

Three undercard bouts took place before the main event, and the last fight didn’t end until around 12:15PM.  A video package was shown beforehand further adding to the delay before to the start of the main event.  The national anthems were sung beforehand, first the Philippine national anthem followed by the national anthem of the United States.

The fighters began their walk into the ring at 12:34; with Broner entering first and Pacquiao entering second.

The following is a round by round recap of tonight’s main event. 

Photo Credit: Showtime Boxing Twitter Account

<strong>Manny Pacquiao (60-7-2) vs. Adrien Broner (33-3-1); WBA “Regular” Welterweight Title</strong>

Round 1:

Broner looks to be the bigger fighter of the two, even though Broner has historically fought at a lower weight.  Pacquiao rushes forward and Broner ties up.  Pacquiao rushes forward with another combination and Broner ties up.  Broner lands a short left lead hook.  Pacquiao is pushing his punches a little bit. Broner lands a straight right hand.  Pacquiao lands a straight left to the body.  Pacquiao lands a short right hook followed by a straight left to the body.  Pacquiao throws out a straight left hand to the head of Broner.  Broner may have tagged Pacquiao with a right uppercut.  Pacquiao misses with a jab to the head.  Pacquiao more active than Broner this round.

10-9 Pacquiao

Round 2:

Pacquiao looks a little slower today than in previous fights.  Pacquiao pressing Broner backwards.  Broner barely misses with a sweeping left hook.  Pacquiao paws out a few jabs, and Broner lands a good straight right hand.  Pacquiao lands with a jab and rushes forward with a combination.  Pacquiao rushes forward with a three punch combination and lands the last punch.  Pacquiao lands another quick jab.  Pacquiao rushes forward with a combination and Broner backs away.   Pacquiao lands a good double jab left hand.  Broner barely misses with a sharp straight right hand.  Pacquiao is going for the body but diving in a bit.  This was a closer round.

10-9 Pacquiao; 20-18 Pacquiao

Round 3:

Pacquiao is active with his jab so far, lands a good short hook to the body.  Broner misses with a check hook.  Pacquiao lands a good straight left hand before Broner clinches with him.  Pacquiao lands another straight left hand.  Broner barely misses with a lead straight right.  Broner lands a good jab followed by a straight right hand.  Pacquiao lands a good left to the body followed by a left hook upstairs.  Pacquiao lands another combination led by a jab.  Pacquiao lands another good jab followed by a right hook to the head.  Broner lands a good straight right hand.  Pacquiao lands a good power jab on Broner.  Pacquiao is very aggressive this round.

10-9 Pacquiao; 30-27 Pacquiao

Round 4:

Pacquiao is still the aggressor, but gets tagged with a good counter right hand when Pacquiao went to the body.  Pacquiao lands a good straight left to the body but Broner counters again.  Pacquiao lands a good straight right in the middle of a combination.  Pacquiao lands a good quick jab and closes the distance on Broner.  Broner is looking for his counter. Pacquiao gets tagged with another good straight right hand.  Broner lands another good straight right hand.  Pacquiao rushes forward and gets spun around.  Pacquiao lands a short jab.  Good check right hook by Broner and then Broner counters.  Good round for Broner.

10-9 Broner; 39-37 Pacquiao

Round 5:

Broner had a strong fourth round.  Broner throws out another good straight right hand to the head of Pacquiao.  Broner lands a good jab on Pacquiao.  Broner lands another straight right hand, but Pacquiao follows that with a good jab.  Broner barely misses with a left hook.  Pacquiao is landing with his right hand off his combinations.  Pacquiao jab I slooking better this round.  Pacquiao lands a left to the body.  Pacquiao lands a good left hook on Broner, and Broner answers with a jab.  Pacquiao barely misses with a left cross, but lands a quick combination afterwards.  Broner looks like he’s close to landing a power counter.

10-9 Pacquiao; 49-46 Pacquiao.

Photo Credit: Showtime Boxing Twitter Account

Round 6:

Pacquiao is pressing the fight and looking to get in close to Broner.  Pacquiao lands a  good quick combination.  Pacquiao lands a good straight left to the body of Broner.  Pacquiao lands another good left hook to the body.  Broner misses with a counter right hand.  Pacquiao lands another good left to the body.  Broner misses with a lead straight right.  Pacquiao with another straight left to the body.  Broner barely missing with his lead right hands.  Pacquiao lands a good jab, followed by a two punch combination.  Broner lands a good straight right.  Pacquiao answers with another left to the body.  Broner ends the round with a good two punch combination. 

10-9 Pacquiao; 59-55 Pacquiao

Round 7:

Pacquiao is pawing with his jab and throws another straight left hand to the body of Broner.  Broner barely misses with a straight right hand and Pacquiao barely misses with a straight left hand.  Pacquiao is pressing forward on Broner again.  Pacquiao is the first to throw most of the time when they are in range.  Pacquiao simply outworking Broner right now.  Broner lands a good right uppercut to the body of Pacquiao.  Pacquiao connects with a left on a rushing combination.  Pacquiao lands some good combinations on Broner with his back against the ropes and Broner tries to hold on.  Pacquiao lands another good left cross on Broner.  Pacquiao jumps on Broner by the corner and Broner holds on again.  Pacquiao lands another combination on Broner by the corner.  Very good round for Pacquiao.

10-9 Pacquiao; 69-64 Pacquiao

Round 8:

Pacquiao looks like he has a bounce in his step.  The crowd is loudly chanting for Pacquiao.  Broner lands a good counter right followed by an uppercut, but Pacquiao lands a good counter left hand off of that.  Pacquiao looks to be rushing his power shots a little bit.  Broner lands another good straight right hand.  Broner has his senses back.  Pacquiao double pumps a jab.  Pacquiao lands a good counter right hook and then goes to the body.  Pacquiao lands another good jab on Broner.  Pacquiao lands a short left hook.  Broner misses with a lead right hand.  Pacquiao lands a good left to the body of Broner.  Pacquiao lands another shot to the body of Broner.  Close round.

10-9 Pacquiao; 79-73 Pacquiao.

Round 9:

Pacquiao continues to be aggressive with his jab and his shots to the body.  Broner is missing his target by inches.  Pacquiao throws another straight left to the body.  Pacquiao lands a hard left hand on Broner who then shoots in on a single leg takedown.  Broner barely misses with a straight right counter again.  Broner lands a good counter right hand on Pacquiao.  Broner keeps his hands up high and lands a good counter straight right hand.  Pacquiao throws out a lead right hook .  Pacquiao lands a hard straight left hand on Broner and has Broner back to the ropes.  Pacquiao shows off his hand speed and lands some good combinations on Broner.  Broner ties up with Pacquiao. 

10-9 Pacquiao; 89-82 Pacquiao

Round 10:

Broner flicks out and lands a good jab.  Pacquiao lands a quick jab.  Pacquiao throws out a good straight left to the body.  Pacquiao has been showing good upper body movement all night.  Broner lands a good jab on Pacquiao.  Pacquiao lands a left to the body off of a combination.  Broner lands a good up jab on Pacquiao.  Pacquiao is really attacking to the body this fight.  The crowd is chanting for Pacquiao again.  Broner lands a good straight right hand on Pacquiao.  Broner connects with another good straight right hand.  Broner flicks out another counter left jab. Better round for Broner.

10-9 Broner; 98-92 Pacquiao

Round 11:

Broner probably needs a knockout to win the fight at this point.  Pacquiao lands a short jab.  Broner lands a good jab but issues with a combination afterwards.  Pacquiao lands a good counter left.  Broner is backing away from Pacquiao despite being down on the cards.  Pacquiao misses with a wild left hook.  Pacquiao lands a combination and Broner ties up.  Broner lands a good jab.  Pacquiao with a straight left to the body of Broner.  Broner misses with another straight right hand.  Pacquiao has Broner backing away.  Broner missing with his shots.  The crowd begins to boo Broner for bicycling away from Pacquiao.  Broner lands a decent counter right hand.  Broner was backing away most of the round.

10-9 Pacquiao; 108-101 Pacquiao

Round 12:

Final round of the fight and Broner thought he won the last round.  Pacquiao pressing forward and lands a straight left to the body.  Pacquiao lands a good left hand to the chin of Broner.  Broner misses with a straight right hand.  Pacquiao lands another short left hand.  Broner is circling away and lands a body shot, the referee warns him for a low blow.  Pacquiao rushes forward and Broner ties up again.  Pacquiao lands a good jab.  Broner misses with another jab on Pacquiao.  Broner has not been very accurate.  Pacquiao lands a two punch combination on Broner.  Pacquiao is still showing good movement at the age of forty after twelve hard rounds.  Broner raises his hands after the fight, but its hard to imagine him wining.

10-9 Pacquiao; 118-110 Pacquiao.

The finals scores were 117-111, 116-112, and 116-112 for Manny Pacquiao.

Posted on 01/19/2019

By Charles Jay
Exclusive to Boxing Insider

As I engage in this competition called “Wager War,” where we bet on anything and everything (calm down – it’s for “entertainment purposes only”), naturally one of the things we have to lay some coin down on is boxing. And so the latest challenge becomes deciding which way to go on this fight between Manny Pacquiao and Adrien Broner.

Do you remember, once upon a time, when this was being discussed as one of those potential “mega-fights”? It’s still significant, but after Broner suffered a few defeats, the luster kind of went out of the whole thing.

But now there they are, at the MGM Grand on Saturday night, and we have this in front of us as a proposition of at least some intrigue, because we get to speculate what will happen with Pacquiao, win or lose. Would he retire if he lost to Broner? Would he move on to fight a grand finale with Floyd Mayweather is he emerged victorious?

These are the numbers I am working with for this scheduled 12-rounder:

Manny Pacquiao -360
Adrien Broner +280

Over 10.5 Rounds -280
Under 10.5 Rounds +220

The first thing that has to be addressed is, “Does Broner have enough talent to beat Pacquiao?” Yes, he does, in terms of the ability he has at his disposal. But having the talent and having the wherewithal to apply it can be two vastly different things. He has not shined brightly when he has faced his biggest challenges, although when he is in over his head he still manages to hang around. The losses to Marcos Maidana, Shawn Porter and Mikey Garcia were not necessarily close on the judges’ cards, although he hasn’t exactly folded the tent when he’s been hit.

But he has been out-worked in those bouts, not to mention one against Paul Malignaggi in which the decision went his way. And he lacks a certain discipline, if you want to consider these bizarre brushes with the law to be any indication. So yes, he could probably match skills with Pacquiao, but does he have that “something extra” that’s going to get him over the finish line first?

As for Pacquiao, well, they picked a pretty ideal opponent for him to come back against (Lucas Matthysse), so I don’t necessarily want to use that to determine the level of punching power he is prepared to bring. He had gone through nine wins and almost a decade since he had previously stopped anybody (Miguel Cotto in 2009), and really, he has looked like somebody who either didn’t really have a lot of power at 147 or wasn’t confident enough in going after the knockout to leave himself open to being countered.

I seriously doubt that Broner is going to knock out Pacquiao, but I’m not sure that would make the current WBA “regular” champion more brazen. He will exhibit more “will” than Broner, but if he starts to really dominate things I have a feeling Broner will go into “survival mode.”

An in-shape Pacquiao, even at 40, should be too busy for Broner to pile up enough points on the cards. But let’s turn this around and say that even if Broner were the guy emerging victorious, I don’t think he would do it any other way than on a decision. Ultimately, we’ll lay the -280 that this fight gets to the halfway mark of the eleventh round and beyond, and we also put something down on Pacquiao to win by decision – a proposition that is priced at -125.

Posted on 01/19/2019

By: Kirk Jackson

What is the boxer/politician fighting for? That’s one of the questions looming prior to the first major pay-per-view event of the year featuring one of the legends of boxing, Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao 60-7-2 (39 KO’s).

The Pac-Man hopes to have an answer for “The Problem” that is Adrien Broner 33-3-1, 1 NC (24 KO’s). While boxing’s most famous politician is fighting for the prize obviously, what exactly is the prize he is fighting for?

According to paperwork filed with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Pacquiao’s purse is $10 million, plus a percentage of the profits from the pay-per-view event.

Multiple sources confirmed to BoxingScene.com and other media outlets, Pacquiao’s total purse from fighting Broner will generate at least $20 million. The Pac-Man will earn $10 million Saturday night, from which will pay towards federal income taxes and taxes to help settle outstanding debt with the Internal Revenue Service.

Other financial particulars comprise of expenses such as sanctioning fees for defending the WBA’s Regular world welterweight title and wages towards members of his team. However, a silver lining for Pacquiao is the money he will earn from various revenue streams – including Filipino television rights, American pay-per-view revenue from Showtime and sponsorships.

The earning of multi-millions is quite the prize, but the other rewards Pacquiao is fighting for does not have a price tag.

Pacquiao is fighting for his people – as he is affectionately known as the fighting pride of the Philippines and he is fighting in a sense to represent older athletes and show he still has the juice (no pun intended).

“Life begins at 40,” exclaimed Pacquiao at his gala leading up to the fight. “Physically, I still feel like I am 25, but with the benefit of the wisdom that comes from the added years of my life experience. I still have a lot I want to accomplish as an athlete, a public servant, and a father, husband and son. I look forward to adding more chapters to my life story.”

Also now more than ever, Pacquiao is fighting with a sense of freedom. No longer bound by the invisible lasso of Top Rank Promotions, that prohibited Pacquiao from matching up against some of the best opposition at welterweight in recent years.

Pacquiao secured greater fight freedom upon signing with the perceived enemy – at least amongst many members of the media, Al Haymon.

🚨 | PACQUIAO SIGNS WITH HAYMON! ✍️

The Filipino ring legend signs with boxing power-broker Al Haymon – and has already set his sights on members of the PBC roster… 👇

READ: https://t.co/w5oS5wysyW#Boxing pic.twitter.com/LfTsOEDUrh

— Boxing Social (@boxing_social) October 22, 2018

Pacquiao now has the opportunity to fight Keith Thurman, Errol Spence, Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia or Danny Garcia. He could even fight long-time adversary Floyd Mayweather if he is tempted to return from retirement.

“That’s the thinking in my mind and my heart — that there will be another [Mayweather] fight,” Pacquiao acknowledged last week in an interview with the Times.

50-1 #NoExcuses pic.twitter.com/c5Q6khCDd9

— Manny Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao) September 15, 2018

The opinion from most boxing observers is Pacquiao will defeat Broner. Theoretically if Pacquiao wins, what is next for him?

Assuming he doesn’t suffer too much damage against Broner, Pacquiao more than likely will be well suited to fight again late spring/early summer. With all of these options, which road is Pacquiao most likely to follow?

To figure that out, we must observe history. Although Pacquiao has a great resume and will be remembered as a great fighter and one of the best fighters from his era, there are many instances where the easier path was selected. This is a part of the sport, part of the business and many fighters dating back to the Jack Johnson days operated under this pretense.

Whether Pacquiao fights his other Premier Boxing Champions compatriots remains to be seen. In recent memory for years ongoing, there was the highly anticipated, vastly discussed match-up between Pacquiao and fellow Top Rank stable mate Terence Crawford, but it never materialized.

Even recently Pacquiao mentioned how he would handle the likes of welterweight monster Errol Spence and one has to wonder if it’s just talk or a possible reality?

For Pacquiao, the last three opponents leading up to Broner were Lucas Matthysse, Jeff Horn and Jessie Vargas.

Matthyesse was past his prime, Horn and Vargas are very good fighters but probably a tier below the top welterweights.

In spite of Pacquiao and his team speaking highly of the 40-year-old’s talents and physical abilities even at this advanced age, it’s difficult to imagine Pacquiao as an elite level fighter equipped to tackle the monsters at welterweight.

At this stage, Pacquiao doesn’t have anything to prove and he’s at a stage where he can reap the benefits of his reputation in the twilight of his career. As far as we know, Pacquiao now more so than ever has the executive freedom to do so. There isn’t a mandate for Pacquiao to fight the monsters at welterweight.

This fight is an illustration of such. But it can be also viewed as a barometer as to what Pacquiao can still do.

Yes Pacquiao is fighting to prove a point about age, he’s fighting for money (as every fighter should) and he’s fighting to secure the future of his fighters under his promotional company.

“I’m working with Al Haymon and consulting him for this big opportunity for me and my boxers that I have in the Philippines,” Pacquiao said of the reach Haymon has in the boxing industry, coupled with his deals with Fox and Showtime. “You know, so it’s a big opportunity for them.”

“I’m not thinking about myself alone, but I’m thinking about my fighters. I have a lot of fighters in the Philippines, at least 50 boxers, and I want them to have a chance here, in America, to fight.”

The perfect opponent for Pacquiao to make his PBC debut is against Broner. While Broner is one of boxing’s exuberant personalities, he far removed as being regarded as one of boxing’s best fighters.

While Broner is extremely talented, his talent may have also served as his biggest hindrance. When a fighter is naturally gifted, things have a tendency to come easier; more naturally. In some cases, the talented individual may not hone the skills necessary to stay at an elite level and perform consistently to their greatest ability.

Broner displayed exploits of greatness in previous fights, but also performed poorly; underwhelming even, when the spotlight was on him. He’s the unpredictable variable.

“With Adrien, the curiosity is you never know what you’re gonna get out of him,” Showtime analyst and former Broner opponent Paulie Malignaggi told BoxingScene.com. “You can never predict him, and unpredictability is a very big key to marketing.”

“When you never can figure out the answer to somebody – he’s ‘The Problem,’ and nobody has the answer. You never know what mood he’s in or if he’s being genuine or disingenuous. You never know if he’s joking or he’s serious. But the bottom line is he can fight. If you can’t fight and you’re a boxer, none of the other intangibles will matter. People tend to forget in all this that the kid can fight.”

Just as people are writing off Broner, Pacquiao experienced the same after falling to Horn in 2017.

“People writing me off after the Jeff Horn fight was good for me. I’m not mad at anyone who thought that. It just became a challenge and a test to me of whether or not I could still show my best,” said Pacquiao.

“The knockout in my last fight felt good. It felt like my younger days against Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto and others. That fight was a big challenge for me to recover from the fight against Jeff Horn. People said that my career was done. But I never got discouraged, I just worked hard and made the knockout against Lucas Matthysse happen.

Whether Manny can capture that knock-out magic against Broner remains to be witnessed. While he’s fighting with divine purpose, a defeat does not hinder Pacquiao.

His legacy is already cemented and everything earned this upcoming bout and beyond is the cherry on top.

Posted on 01/19/2019

By: Kirk Jackson

Conventional wisdom suggests Manny “The Pac-Man” Pacquiao 60-7-2 (39 KO’s) is going to defeat Adrien “The Problem” Broner 33-3-1, 1 NC (24 KO’s) this weekend. But many variables are at play and the victor will not be pre-determined on paper. As the old adages suggest; one punch can end or change the fight and fights are not won on paper.

This is the fight both fighters need. While this fight will not necessarily establish the victor as an elite fighter in the welterweight division, the winner of this fight captures relevance and remains a large financial factor in boxing’s most competitive division.

Surveying many fighters, fans and majority members of the media, most pick Pacquiao to emerge victorious.

Given each fighter’s reputation, it’s a fair assessment however, this is not a walk in the park for either fighter.

In spite of the criticism (much of it warranted), Broner has a better record than what the media implies. He is a four division world champion and although it’s easy to suggest he has not performed to his potential, his losses were against elite competition.

Marcos Maidana was a tough, rugged, powerful-punching former world champion. Shawn Porter is a two time world champion and the current WBC welterweight champion of the world. Mikey Garcia is undefeated, four division world champion and widely considered as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

Broner has the speed, power and boxing ability to defeat Pacquiao. But if this most recent version of “The Problem” is to remain impenetrable, he must shed the reputation of “Underachiever.”

The success of Broner may depend on which version of Pacquiao we see Saturday night. Will we see the fighter who looked great against Lucas Matthyesse – who admittedly at this stage of his career was past his prime and custom made to order? Or will we see the Pacquiao who faced Jeff Horn; still explosive but sporadic fighting in spots and at times inaccurate and unfocused?

The question begs is Pacquiao still an elite fighter? Is the basis of Pacquiao’s current label of elite level distinction predicated on reputation and glorious memories of the past, rather than recent performance and reality?

There’s old boxing adage, “You’re only as good as your last fight,” but the last fight may not tell the entire tale of the fight to follow. Relying on reputation may not always be the way to go either.

Showtime boxing analyst and recent recipient of Broner’s ire Al Bernstein compared the last five fights of Pacquiao and Broner. Bernstein stated Broner oddly enough has a higher punch output compared to Pacquiao.

The comparison of fights consists of various variables that manipulate the punch output statistic, but it’s interesting to imagine when comparing the two fighters as Pacquiao is generally perceived as the busier fighter.

Broner is extremely accurate and if he is the fighter come Saturday night with the higher punch output, his odds bode well.

“Look at my last five fights. I’ve fought world champion after world champion. I don’t duck any fights. I don’t care how many weight classes he’s won titles in,” said Broner in an interview leading up to Saturday’s fight.

Broner and Pacquiao share a common opponent in Jessie Vargas and both have different results with Pacquiao defeating Vargas and Broner fighting to an even draw with Vargas.

While it’s not an indication as to how Pacquiao vs. Broner will play-out, it’s interesting to note both Pacquiao and Broner arguably trailed early and finished strong. Will each fighter display this trait in their eventual encounter?

Although Pacquiao fought a grandmaster of the ring in Mayweather back in 2015, a fighter who perfected the shoulder roll defense Broner attempts to emulate, it doesn’t mean the fight against Broner will turn out the same way for Pacquiao.

Meaning Pacquiao may be more successful due to the difference in skill level between Mayweather and Broner. “The Problem” emulates certain aspects of Mayweather’s persona and fight style, but they fight completely different.

Broner appears more explosive with his punches compared to Mayweather and there’s a difference in footwork between the two. Many critics deem Broner as flat-footed.

Although the shoulder roll defense is not recommend by many experts as the defense of choice for an orthodox fighter against a southpaw, there’s a good chance Broner will utilize that style of defense at some point during his fight against Pacquiao.

Regarding the shoulder roll and other defensive tactics there is also a vast difference between Broner and Mayweather noticed by some of boxing’s great fighters and trainers alike.

Andre Ward discussing Mayweather’s shoulder roll (credit The Ring):

“You can use that move in different ways. If you look back at Floyd Mayweather Sr.’s fights, he used it a lot. You can see him use it pretty frequently in his fight with Sugar Ray Leonard, which I think is still available on YouTube. Obviously, he wasn’t as good at it as Floyd Jr. is now, but you see where his son got it from. Roger Mayweather [Floyd Jr.’s uncle and his former trainer] used it a bit, too, but his style was slightly different. Roger was more offense-minded.”

“The point I’m trying to make is that Floyd got that move almost from birth. That’s the difference between him and guys who try to emulate him. Yeah, some fighters do well with it in spots. You can borrow bits and pieces from other fighters. That can be a good thing. But if you try to copy someone’s complete style, I’ve never seen that work. Floyd Jr. began mastering the shoulder roll from the get-go. It’s who he is; by now it comes naturally to him.”

Teddy Atlas discussing differences between Mayweather and Broner (credit The Ring):

“Mayweather knows when to use [the shoulder roll] and when not to. He doesn’t depend only on that. It’s just an element within his body of work. I think it’s the other parts that also go into the sum of who and what he is. It’s the other parts that allow him to be effective.”

“Where Broner went wrong was having a psychological attachment to a great fighter’s most notable move. But true originals find constancy in something. Imitators are only hoping to find that. They don’t have complete assurance it will bring them to that next level. Mayweather’s already at that level.”

Eddie Mustafa Muhammad on Broner and Mayweather (credit The Ring):

“The shoulder roll is basically a defensive move. If you throw a right hand at Floyd, he tucks his chin behind his left shoulder, turns to his right and is in good position to counter. A lot of fighters do that. But Floyd does it to perfection because he’s been doing it for so long, and he does it so exceptionally well. Really, it’s not the move that makes Floyd such a great fighter. It’s his talent level.”

“I mean, look at Adrien Broner’s fight against Maidana. Broner tried to imitate Floyd’s shoulder roll, and he liked to get himself killed. Why? Because Adrien Broner is not Floyd Mayweather. There’s only one Floyd Mayweather.”

Speaking of Mayweather, it’s not guaranteed he will return from retirement to fight Pacquiao, as is it’s not guaranteed Pacquiao will defeat Broner.

Although Mayweather has a well-documented history of retiring, coming out of retirement, rinse and repeat; it’s fair to suggest Mayweather will no longer compete on the high end circuit of professional boxing.

Again, Pacquiao and Broner still have to show at this stage of their respective careers if they’re still fighters, but Mayweather seems primed to fight on the exhibition circuit – only if the opportunity arises.

It’s uncertain, perhaps unlikely, Mayweather fights Pacquiao if the Filipino star emerges victorious. It’s difficult to determine if there would be enough demand to dictate a rematch.

Which brings into question, the other alternative. What if Broner wins?

“People are talking a lot about Pacquiao fighting Floyd Mayweather again, but I’m pretty sure Floyd is retired. I feel like people are trying to throw me to the wolves and overlook me,” Broner said in a press conference with Showtime.

“He doesn’t remind me of any past opponents just like I’m not going to remind him of anyone he’s fought. He’s never fought anyone like me. Every fighter has similarities, but truly every fighter is different. If I remind him of Floyd Mayweather, I hope his arm doesn’t hurt after this one.”

A victory for the Cincinnati native propels him into super-stardom. It may play out to be the case of young lion conquers older lion.

In the past, Broner was used as the perpetual stepping stone en route to Mayweather – see Marcos Maidana. But Adrien now has the chance to cast himself from that shadow.

Broner has the opportunity to take the mantle as one of boxing’s true super-stars and the Premier Boxing Champions movement headed by Al Haymon is the perfect platform for him.

What’s the effect of another defeat for Pacquiao? His legacy will not be affected. For Broner, although many cast their story upon him, there are still many chapters to add to his book.

If you ask Pacquiao, he is still adding chapters to his ever-growing book.

“Life begins at 40,” exclaimed Pacquiao at his pre-fight celebration leading up to the fight. “Physically, I still feel like I am 25, but with the benefit of the wisdom that comes from the added years of my life experience. I still have a lot I want to accomplish as an athlete, a public servant, and a father, husband and son. I look forward to adding more chapters to my life story.”

Each fighter is appears motivated and has a great opportunity Saturday night to kick-start 2019 in grand fashion. Who will claim victory and who will lay claim to the year?

Which fighter is poised to angle their self in proper position?

Posted on 01/18/2019

WBA WELTERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – 12 Rounds
Manny Pacquiao – 146 lbs.
Adrien Broner – 146 ½ lbs.
Referee: Russell Mora (Las Vegas); Judges: Tim Cheatham (Las Vegas), Dave Moretti (Las Vegas), Glenn Feldman (Connecticut)

Photo Credit: Scott Hirano /SHOWTIME

WBA INTERIM LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – 12 Rounds
Badou Jack – 175 lbs.
Marcus Browne – 175 lbs.
Referee Tony Weeks (Las Vegas); Judges: Eric Cheek (Reno), Max DeLuca (Calif.), Don Trella (Connecticut)

WBC BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – 12 Rounds
Rau’shee Warren – 116 ½ lbs.
Nordine Oubaali – 118 lbs.
Referee: Vic Drakulich (Reno); Judges: Ricardo Ocasio (Las Vegas), Julie Lederman (New York), Steven Weisfeld (New Jersey)

FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT – 10 Rounds
Hugo Ruiz – 125 lbs.
Alberto Guevara – 126 lbs.
Referee: Jay Nady (Las Vegas); Judges: Adalaide Byrd (Las Vegas), Robert Hoyle (Las Vegas), Glenn Trowbridge (Las Vegas)
Note: Alberto Guevara replaces Jhack Tepora, who failed to make weight

FLASH QUOTES
Manny Pacquiao
“Age is just a number. It doesn’t matter that I’m 40 years old. I still feel young. Tomorrow I have something to prove – that at the age of 40, I can still give my best. It’s my legacy to give a good fight and to accomplish all this and especially at the age of 40. I have to prove something that Manny Pacquiao is still there.”

“Having Freddie [Roach] back has helped a lot. I’m happy that the team is united. We’re so happy and satisfied with the results of this training camp.

Adrien Broner
“This is a hell of an opportunity. I’m not just doing this for me, I’m doing this for the hood. After I win tomorrow night, I’ll be a legend overnight. I just have to do me. You’ll see tomorrow night.”

Marcus Browne
“He’s acting like he’s tough, but he isn’t. It’s business. He knows what time it is.”

Badou Jack
“He’s a good fighter. I respect everybody that steps in the boxing ring, but I’m going to show him what level I’m on. He’s never been on this level. He’ll see tomorrow.”

Posted on 01/17/2019

By: William Holmes

On Saturday night, hall of famer Manny Pacquiao will be making his debut under Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) banner when he faces off against Adrien Broner. This bout will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and will be distributed live on PPV by Showtime.

The co-main event of the night will be between Badou Jack and Marcus Browne for the WBA Interim Light heavyweight title.

Two other title fights will also take place. The WBC Bantamweight Title will be on the line when Rau’shee Warren takes on Nordine Oubaali. The WBA Interim Featherweight Title will also be on the line when Jhack Tepora takes on Hugo Ruiz.

Other fighters on the undercard include George Kambosos Jr., Rey Perez, Jayar Inson, Jonathan Steele, Genisis Libranza, and Carlos Buitrago.

The following is a preview of the co-main event and main event of the evening.

Marcus Browne (22-0) vs. Badou Jack (22-1-3); WBA Interim Light Heavyweight Title

The co-main event of the evening has the potential to be a very competitive fight.

Both Marcus Browne and Badou Jack are very solid boxers with strong amateur backgrounds. Browne was a National Police Athletic League Champion, a US Amateur Light Heavyweight Champion, and represented the United States in the 2012 Olympics. Jack was a multi time Swedish National Champion as an amateur and represented Gambia in the 2008 Olympics.

Browne is seven years younger than Badou Jack, who at thirty five years old is nearing the end of his physical prime. Browne will also have about a half inch height advantage and a two and a half inch reach advantage over Jack.

Browne has a slight edge in activity. He fought twice in 2018 and twice in 2017. Jack only fought once in 2018 and fought twice in 2017. They both have decent power but neither is known as a true knockout artist. Browne has sixteen stoppage victories on his record while Jack has thirteen. However, Browne has stopped three of his past four opponents while Jack has only stopped one of his past four opponents.

Jack appears to have faced the better competition of the two as a professional, but fights in a lot of close matches. He has majority draws with Adonis Stevenson, James DeGale, and Marco Antonio Periban on his record. He has beaten the likes of Nathan Cleverly, Lucian Bute, George Groves, Anthony Dirrell, Farah Ennis, and Rogelio Medina. His lone loss was an upset TKO loss to Derek Edwards.

Browne has never tasted defeat as a professional. His closest fight to date was a split decision win over Radivoje Kalajdzic. He has wins over Thomas Williams Jr., Sean Monaghan, Francy Ntetu, Lenin Castillo, Gabriel Campillo, Cornelius White, and Aaron Pryor Jr.

This should be a close competitive fight, but the writer has to give a slight edge to Marcus Browne based on age, physical advantages such as reach and power, and more recent success and activity.

Manny Pacquiao (60-7-2) vs. Adrien Broner (33-3-1); WBA Welterweight Title

Manny Pacquiao is a living legend, but he’s now forty years old and his time at or near the top is coming to an end. He’ll be facing Adrien Broner, a high level boxer who was once considered to be the next Floyd Mayweather Jr., but hasn’t been able to reach that level of fame or success…yet.

Broner is still in the midst of his athletic prime at the age of twenty nine, while Pacquiao is no longer at his prime at the age of forty. Broner will only have a half an inch height advantage and about a two inch reach advantage over Pacquiao, which is actually a smaller advantage than what Pacquiao is accustomed to.

Pacquiao, as most know, turned professional as a teenager and doesn’t have the deep amateur experience of most professionals. Broner was a two time National Silver Gloves Champion as an amateur.

Pacquiao has thirty nine stoppage victories as a professional, but got his first TKO win in nine years when he beat Lucas Matthysse. Broner has twenty four stoppage victories.

Pacquiao has defeated an impressive list of well known opponents. His wins include Lucas Matthysse, Jessie Vargas, Timothy Bradley Jr., Chris Algieri, Brandon Rios, Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, Joshua Clottey, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, and Lehlo Ledwaba.

Many of his losses are either disputed, or were losses he avenged or beat the opponent earlier. His losses were to Jeff Horn (disputed), Floyd Mayweather Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez(beat twice), Timothy Bradley (disputed, avenged), Erik Morales (avenged), Rustico Torrecampo and Boonsai Sangsurat.

Broner hasn’t defeated the type of named opponents that Pacquiao. His wins include Adrian Granados. Ashley Theophane, Khabib Allakhverdiev, John Molina Jr., Carlons Molina, Paul Malignaggi, Gavin Rees, Antonio DeMarco, Jason Litzau, and Daniel Ponce De Leon. His losses were to Marcos Maidana, Shawn Porter, and Mikey Garcia.

Pacquiao’s lack of activity in the past two years is concerning. He’s only fought once in 2018 and once in 2017. However, Broner has only fought once in 2018 and doesn’t appear he’ll reach the potential many thought he once had.

This is a bout that Pacquiao should win, and if he wins convincingly his popularity and hall of fame resume will only get bigger.

Posted on 01/17/2019

By: Waqas Ali

BOXING legend Manny Pacquiao has achieved so much and fought countless number of competitive fighters in his 24-year boxing career.

The Filipino icon is the first and only boxer in history to become an eight-division world champion. He started at flyweight (108 pounds) and went all the way to light-middleweight (154 pounds).

He is currently fighting at welterweight.

As he trains ahead for his upcoming clash with Adrien Broner, Pacquiao recalls some of his greatest competitors in the ring when he spoke to the media.

He stated: “I think my top opponents are Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather, Erik Morales, and Ricky Hatton.”

In terms of being a global pay-per-view attraction, Pacquiao has generated approximately 19.2 million in pay-per-view buys and an astonishing $1.2 billion in revenue from his 23 PPV bouts.

According to Forbes, he was the second highest paid athlete in the world as of 2015.

With regards to Broner, 29, The Pacman insists that Broner is no easy fight for him.

“Broner is not a tune-up fight,” he says.

“He’s a former champion. He’s fast, he moves fast and he’s a good boxer. And that’s why I don’t want to talk about my next fight until we finish this. I finish this business against Adrien Broner on January 19.”

Broner, also known as ‘The Problem’ has stated that once he beats the 40-year-old Pacquiao, he will become “a legend overnight.”
“He slipped a few times and he didn’t get up. But he knows his boxing. I am pretty sure he is training and he’s got goals but I am here to f*** his plans up.”

According to a poll conducted by Editinking, out of 240 plus voters, 44% of them picked Pacquiao by points and 38% by knockout.

Method of victory #PacquiaoBroner #PacBroner

— EditinKing Boxing (@EditinKing) January 12, 2019

The pair will be fighting this Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for Pacquiao’s WBA ‘Regular’ belt.

But what styles, skills, and selection of punches does each fighter have? What does Broner have to do to resurrect his career and what does Pacquiao have to do to avoid retirement?

Let us take a look at from an analytical point of evidence in records, opposition, and achievements.

Broner’s record stands at 33 wins, three losses and one draw.

His height consists of five feet six inches and 69” reach.

In terms of big achievements, after he defeated Paulie Malignaggi for the welterweight title, Broner joined the likes Roberto Duran and Roy Jones Jr after capturing a world title in just their first bout after jumping two divisions.

There was a time where Broner at the age of 23, had a record of 27 wins, with 22 KOs and no defeats.

That was until he met his nemesis Marcos Maidana who completely dismantled Broner in their December 2013 bout.

‘The Problem’ had been solved courtesy of two knockdowns via unanimous decision by the Argentinian Maidana. Giving him his first ever loss.

In Broner’s last six bouts, he’s won three, lost two and one draw.

In terms of competitiveness, he’s beaten Daniel Ponce de León, Antonio DeMarco, Gavin Rees, Paul Malignaggi, Khabib Allakhverdiev. But lost to Maidana, Shawn Porter and Mikey Garcia.

Broner’s style and skill set consist of footwork, timing and counterpunching. He is able to use his right hand effectively and load up some vicious power to it. His countering is often done retaliating from the left jab of his opponent.

Majority of the time, Broner breaks the range depending on the footwork of his opponent. He can exchange on the inside with his punches but tries to avoid being hit back.

His accuracy is a plus point considering that his punch stat accuracy of power punches stands around the rate of 44%, nine connecting per round, according to Compubox stat.

In his last bout with Jesse Vargas, Broner landed 152 power punches with a connect percentage of 43%.

However his activity level is poor with an average of 38 punches thrown, whilst the average welterweight throws 57. His average landing is 13 while the rest of the welterweights land at 17.

Pacquiao has been fighting since 1995 and boasts a record of 60 victories, seven losses and two draws.

His height is five feet 6 with 67 inches of reach.

By level of competition, he’s faced 19 former, current or future world champions. Four of them he’s fought more than once.

Just to name a few: Marco Antonio Barrera (twice), Erik Morales (twice), Juan Manuel Marquez (four times), Oscar De La Hoya, and Antonio Margarito.

The Filipino Slugger is known for his exceptional speed of reckless retribution and immense immortality of footwork.

By weaponry, his left hand is the most dangerous punch. One example of this was back in 2009 when Ricky Hatton was knocked out cold in round two by the Pacman’s devastating left hook.

Horror, shock and astonishment were struck like lightning on the eyes of the audience.

It’s like the famous saying in boxing goes: “The punch you don’t see coming is the one that hurts you the most.”

In Pacquiao’s last six bouts he won four and lost two. Many would argue that the loss to Jeff Horn should have gone to Pacquiao.

In his last six bouts, Pacquiao’s activity level just like Broner is lacking the superstitious work of the average welterweight. He throws at 41 and lands about 13. His power accuracy is 39% with nine connecting per round.

Based on the numbers, it would indicate an equal level of compatibility. However, depending on the context of the bout, it could vary.

One thing must be known is that Broner has fought five times in the welterweight division and it has been a hard-hitting weight class for him. He’s won two, lost two and one draw. Even with the two victories they remain disputed by many fans today.

This bout is a make or break fight for Broner. It’s the only fight he has in order to resurrect his career and he needs to really bring the best out of him. He needs to whisper the words of revival and restoration to his fans and to Pacquiao himself. Like I mentioned in the analysis, the welterweight division hasn’t been that nice to Broner and the competitors are going to get harder for him. He hasn’t had a win since February 2017 when he controversially beat Adrian Granados. Should, he beat Pacquiao, it will put Broner back in the frame of level competition and this is something he can’t take for granted.

For Pacquiao, he insists that he has one more fighter after Broner to finish. Whether it’s Floyd Mayweather or not is irrelevant but Pacquiao has to deliver a performance that will make Broner lose his tracks. We saw the finish against Matthysse and it felt like it was the Pacquiao of old. The eruption of the crowd was so loud it felt like the turn of the century had just arrived. It had been over nine years since Pacquiao last won by KO. It felt like the Almighty had sent His words to Pacquiao and he was granted a wish. Indeed, thou shall receive what he desires. I don’t see any other alternative way for a fighter in his 40s, who’s achieved so much in his career and intends to do great things for the people of his country, should he lose to Broner.

It’s either the possibility of a resurrection for Broner if he wins or retirement for Pacquiao if he loses.

Posted on 01/15/2019

By: Ste Rowen

It’s not easy to like Adrien Broner. The Ohio-fighter seems to make it that way. Google ‘Broner charged’ and you find yourself stuck in an online quagmire of news ranging from the ridiculous to the disgusting.

Yet for all his misdemeanours, all of his ‘problems’, Broner has achieved much, sometimes in spite of himself; becoming a four-weight world champion by his seventh year as a pro when he bounced back from a decision defeat to now WBC champion, Shaun Porter at welterweight, to stop Khabib Allakhverdiev and become the WBA super-lightweight champion.

That victory came just four months on from defeat to Porter. It should’ve signalled (another) new beginning for the then WBA titlist to ‘kick on’, forget his adversities, keep hold of parts of the personality that makes him such a divisive figure but back it up with results and performances that fans can admire. He declared post-fight, ‘I’m getting wiser…This next half of my career, I’m going to be about boxing and billions.’

Too good to be true right? Right.

In his next fight, what should have been his first defence, was also an ample opportunity to prove this version of Adrien Broner was the best incarnation, capable and hungry to face the best of his division such as, fellow title holders at the time such as Terence Crawford, Viktor Postol (who did end up fighting each other later in the year), or even lower top 10 contenders such as, Lucas Matthyse or Ricky Burns.

Instead he faced Ashley Theophane, missed weight, so had already lost his title before he stepped in the ring; and then showed us what we already knew, that overweight or not, his handpicked opponent had no business being in the ring with him; stopping the US-based Brit in the 9th.

Between then and now just a few of Broner’s outside-the-ring incidents include being arrested for riding in a vehicle ‘riddled with bullets’, surrendering to police after beating up and robbing a man, threatening to take his own life via Instagram and, most recently being charged with two incidents of sexual battery.

Whenever I see Broner in the news all I can think of is Michael Scott coldly asking Toby Flenderson, ‘Why are you the way that you are?’

So much talent, so little sense. He had a rough upbringing but seemingly taking it out on innocent people isn’t the way to deal with personal demons. But it’s the world in which he presides, and why many fans on social media are telling any fighter pictured with ‘The Problem’ to ‘keep away from Broner’ in a socializing sense.

The sporting question though is, look beyond the Manny Pacquiao fight this weekend, where is the 29-year-old’s career headed? Victory over the Filipino legend on Saturday crowns him as the WBA ‘Regular’ welterweight champion with Keith Thurman the sanctioning body’s ‘super’ champion. For now, current WBC-holder and former foe Porter is occupied with Yordenis Ugas (9th March), plus, how appealing would a rematch really be between the two? And it seems cruel to even think about putting him in with Crawford or IBF titlist, Errol Spence – although the build up would be great.

A loss would all but cancel any talk of the biggest fights at 147 so where would he look?

No matter how much money Broner, 33-3-1 (24KOs) believes he brings to fights, and of course he does, appeal wains and eventually fades completely. Evident more than ever as when he took on Jessie Vargas last April in an eventual majority draw, it drew in an average viewership of 782,000; solid numbers for a regular boxer undoubtedly, but a decent decline from his bouts with Porter which peaked at 2.38 million viewers, Paulie Malignaggi (1.3 million Average), or even the one-sided whitewash over Gavin Rees (1.4 million Average) in 2013.

Broner vs. TBA isn’t gonna cut it.

There was a popular British comedy aired in 2004, Max and Paddy, whose opening jingle included the lyrics, ‘Don’t know where we’re going, got no way of knowing. Riding on a road to nowhere.’ The same could be said for Adrien, but unlike Paddy and Max, it’s unclear if Adrien’s even having fun anymore.

Win lose or draw, Broner will continue to be a problem in 2019 but most probably for law enforcement and not any of the current crop of welterweights.

Posted on 01/11/2019

By: Sean Crose

“Boxing is my passion,” WBA welterweight belt holder Manny Pacquiao said during a conference call to promote his January 19th pay per view bout against Adrien Broner. “I’m always excited while preparing for my fight.” At the age of 40, Pacquiao has made it clear that he fully plans to keep on boxing. “I’ve already accomplished what I wanted to accomplish in life,” he claimed. “What I want to do is maintain.” Being in his fifth decade, though, means that Pacquiao has had to make some changes in order to stay in the top bracket of the business.

“The routine of my training is the same,” he said, “but we have a couple of adjustments in training in recovery.” For instance, Pacquiao claimed: “If we cannot recover, I let my body rest.” One thing Pacquiao wasn’t interested in doing was discussing future fights, particularly a potential rematch against Floyd Mayweather. “My plan is now,” he said, “one (fight) at a time.” He particularly thinks Broner is worthy all of his attention. “No prediction,” Pacquiao asserted. “I will do my best.” There was little doubt that he is taking Broner seriously. “I’m very focused on this fight,” he stated clearly.

One unusual aspect of the Pacquiao call was that he came out and made it clear that he disapproved of Mayweather’s knockout of Tenshin Nasukawa in late December. Being an exhibition bout, Pacquiao felt it should have been brutality-free. “That’s what I understand about exhibitions,” he said.

After Pacquiao got off the call, Adrien Broner got on and took questions from the press. Although he’s considerably younger than his opponent, Broner appeared to show a bit more maturity than his earlier self-used to. Although still brash, the fighter conveyed a seriousness that indicated he is seeing this as the fight of a lifetime.

“I’m just ready to go out there and prove the naysayers wrong,” he said. The Cincinnati native indicated that his underdog status leading up to this fight is driving him. “It’s real motivating,” he claimed. “I just don’t let it get to me.” Broner also made it clear that a victory over Pacquiao would compensate for the times he’s come up short in the ring. “It’s definitely going to sweep a lot of things under the rug,” he claimed.

Referring to the upcoming bout, Broner didn’t mince words. “I’ve got to take it seriously,” he said. “I just really feel like it’s my time.”

Posted on 01/10/2019

By: Sean Crose

“This is a challenge for me,” Manny Pacquiao said during media day at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles on Thursday, “because this is my first fight at the age of forty.” The 60-7-2 legend will be facing Cincinnati’s Adrien “The Problem” Broner (33-3-1) on January 19th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a bout that will be aired live on Showtime pay per view. “I’m excited to be back in the United States to fight again,” said Pacquiao. “It’s been a while.” It’s also been a while since he had Freddie Roach in his corner. Pacquiao’s last fight, a destruction last year of Lucas Matthysse, was fought without the famed Wild Card Trainer playing his usual role of mastermind cornerman. This time, however, the two men are back together, along with Pacquiao’s right hand man, Buboy Fernandes. “We have no problems,” Pacquiao said of his relationship with Roach.

Pacquiao, who was long associated with promoter Bob Arum, is now aligned with rival Al Haymon’s Premiere Boxing Champions. “I’m not thinking of myself alone,” Pacquiao said Thursday, “but I’m thinking about my fighters.” Although he says he has no “problem with Bob Arum,” Pacquiao claims that “this is a big opportunity for me and for my boxers that I have in the Philippines.” The master of numerous weight divisions over the years had the good sportsmanship to add that: “ I don’t’ want to compare promoter to promoter.”

Pacquiao also didn’t want to talk much about a second go round with arch rival Floyd Mayweather. “Right now I’m thinking of my next fight,” he claimed. “Right now I’m thinking one at a time.” Pacquiao made it clear that Broner is not the kind of fighter he can just overlook. “Style-wise,” he said, “he’s fast. He can move – you cannot underestimate him.” Pacquiao’s plan, he said, is to be bold. “I have to be aggressive,” he claimed, adding later that Broner is “a former champion. He can punch.” In other words, he doesn’t feel the notorious Broner should be seen as an easy win. “I’m not thinking about Floyd Mayweather,” he claimed. “I’m focusing on Adrien Broner.”

Pacquiao did, however, indicate he’s be interested in facing the winner of March’s Mikey Garcia-Errol Spence fight (he thinks Spence will win). He also, somewhat surprisingly, indicated he was eager to have faced the likes of Terence Crawford and Vasyl Lomachenko, his former Top Rank Stablemates. As far as his reputation go, the fighter/Filipino senator came across as quite secure.

“My legacy is already there,” he said.

Posted on 01/03/2019

By: Sean Crose

“My goal is to knock out Broner” Manny Pacquiao says in the leadup to his January 19th Pay Per View throwdown with the notorious Adrien Broner. “I have to maximize the opportunity,” he adds. “I forgot how much fun winning a fight by knockout was until I stopped Lucas Matthyssee last summer to win the WBA welterweight title.” Pacquiao, 60-7-2, certainly looked impressive in his destruction of the aging Matthysse several months back. “It felt great to win that way,” he continues, “and the fans loved it too, so why not try for it again?”

Broner, 33-3-1, will be facing Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for Pacquiao’s WBA welterweight title belt. Noted as one of boxing’s true bad boys, Broner was off to a brilliant start until a loss to Marcos Maidana in 2013 began to derail his career. Although still popular, Broner is running out of chances to live up to his once stellar reputation. Legal problems, along with further losses to Shawn Porter and Mikey Garcia have only managed to diminish the Cincinnati native’s star. “I have nothing personal against Adrien Broner,” says Pacquiao. “This fight is strictly business. He is fun. He makes me laugh. He knows how to sell himself and to sell a fight.”

Broner also knows how to box and box well – something Pacquiao is sure to keep in mind. Having re-teamed with famed trainer Freddie Roach, his regimen for the Broner fight has perhaps been creating something of a buzz. “He runs like a deer,” strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune says. “No one can keep up with him. That’s the secret to his success — his work ethic and his stamina. He has the strongest foundation of any fighter with whom I’ve worked. His legs and calves still generate more power and speed than younger fighters.”

“I think experience has made Manny a better fighter,” Roach says. “He still trains harder than anyone. I like Broner as a fighter. I think he has excellent boxing skills. But Broner has never faced anyone like Manny. Broner will be mentally exhausted within four rounds and physically spent within six. It will be impossible for Broner to keep pace with the Manny Pacquiao of this training camp.”

Pacquiao’s regime is said to consist of five mile runs, 12 rounds of mitt work, 12 round of sparring, bag work and 1,000 sets of situps. Pacquiao-Broner will air live on Showtime Pay Per View.