By Rich Mancuso/ Sports Editor
Manny Pacquiao will not underestimate Adrien Broner the former four-division world champion. Pacquiao, the boxing record eight-division champion was the Philippine Congressman and Senator again Monday morning at the Gotham Ballroom in Manhattan.
Broner, as usual was the showman. He fights for Pacquiao’s WBA welterweight title at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday January 19th on Showtime Pay-Per-View. No there is no underestimating Broner and his skills.
And don’t underestimate Manny Pacquiao and his business skills. This two-fight or more deal with Premier Boxing Champions can only mean moving on again to meet Floyd Mayweather Jr. at some point.
Business sense for Pacquiao, and not underestimating Adrien Broner, because the eventual Hall of Famer signed with the PBC for a reason and it had more to do with the money. Bob Arum, his once and longtime promoter at Top Rank, would not endorse another fight with Mayweather.
The 41-year old Mayweather and the PBC have that alliance of making fights and staging them on that soon to be extinct pay-per-view boxing industry. Though Mayweather, 50-0, is in this supposed retirement with that undefeated record and is also unpredictable.
Manny Pacquiao, he keeps fighting. All along the agenda, denied or not, is to get that rematch of the first fight with Mayweather that did not go his way. Those behind the scenes say a second fight will sell or be a bust and you have to convince boxing fans who don’t want to see them fight again.
Credit: Amanda Westcott/ Showtime
Besides all of that, a second fight will not generate revenue records like the first one three years ago that Mayweather dominated and won with a unanimous decision. Manny Pacquiao to this day still believes he is the better fighter which adds to that mystique about a second encounter with Mayweather.
So what do they do on the podium Monday? This was known that Pacquiao and his MP Promotion has the proper things in place. Mayweather and his promotion also work hand-in-hand with the PBC. The problem is Adrien “The Problem” Broner. Again, Manny Pacquiao is not underestimating what is ahead and Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be an interesting observer.
But Manny Pacquiao, who works the floor as good as his right, had this to say about his title defense and return to a ring in the United States after two years.
“Want to prove Manny Pacquiao is still in boxing,” he said. “My journey in boxing will continue. I can fight anybody. I learn how to develop this power with hard work in training.” He had to show cause at being able to handle fighters at 147 or at 140.”
And there was that sell to establish himself again as one of the all-time leading fighters in the pay-per-view industry. It was almost a plea to watch his fight with Broner. Let’s face the facts that Pacquiao and Mayweather have made a ton of money from the astute boxing fans and those who are not.
And Manny Pacquiao needs to sell himself again if that only big fight remaining is another clash with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
By far this is not going to be “ One of the Biggest Fight of 2019” as Leonard Elerbe of Mayweather Promotions said. Though it will be a major win if Adrien Broner gets it and of course that would derail any talk of another Pacquiao-Mayweather fight.
There are superior fighters and champions in this division. Major fights are planned in the new year for Terence Crawford, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, and Errol Spence Jr. They are the elite names and boxing fans want to see this superior division with a unified champion.
But unification and Manny Pacquiao is as difficult as the politics he knows something about. Oh. don’t underestimate Adrien Broner and his foul mouth. He is not looking at this as a showcase because a win gets him the bigger opportunity.
Broner said, ” He (Pacquiao) has to get past me first. I got the power to do it. Forget about Floyd.”
But they are not forgetting about Floyd Mayweather Jr. And by all means, not Manny Pacquiao.
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