Big Fight Preview: Manny Pacquiao vs Adrien Broner

Big Fight Preview: Manny Pacquiao vs Adrien Broner

The fabulous career of Manny Pacquiao has another chapter this weekend in Las Vegas when he takes on Adrien Broner with Pacquiao’s WBA welterweight title on the line.

Pacquiao (60-7-2) still hopes to tempt long-time rival Floyd Mayweather into yet another ‘comeback’ but he must concentrate on the job in hand and beat Broner, once talked about as the heir apparent to Mayweather.

Broner (33-3-1 1NC) seems to be one of those fighters who has that over-inflated view of their abilities. The arrogance he brings to the table turns many people off, and you sensed the jubilation in the boxing world when Marcos Maidana took his unbeaten record in 2013.

Despite being a multiple weight world champion there is that feeling that Broner hasn’t achieved what he should have done, his own persona weighing heavily against him in that perception.

Once labelled the next big thing, but now Broner just seems to be someone who just won’t go away, a fighter that seemingly very few still want around. Talented but flawed in many ways, and maybe just as much as the older Pacquiao, a prime lost in another time.

The outside problems of Broner are as much tiresome as they are predictable. But in Vegas on Saturday Broner gets a golden ticket to get his career going again against a true superstar of the sport.

Now in his 40′, Pacquiao looks to keep his show on the road, one more defeat and surely even he knows he’s done.

The loss to Jeff Horn in 2017 was more worrying than a surprise and did his win over Lucas Matthysse in the fight after just flatter to deceive.

Is Pacquiao in his 70th fight living on borrowed time, is Broner catching him at the right time. Pacquiao seems to lack something of late, the fighter who destroyed Ricky Hatton is long gone. The killer instinct is no more, yes he stopped Matthysse, but in truth, Pacquiao beat very little that night.

But the important thing to me is the opponent he is fighting on Saturday night. Even a faded version of Pacquiao looks to be far too much for Broner.

Broner has found his level of late, and despite facing a lesser version of Pacquiao, I just can’t make a case for a Broner win.

The obvious pick with Pacquiao largely lacking the finishing edge of late and Broner never having previously been stopped, is a Pacquiao victory on points.

But I have a hunch Pacquiao will stop his man. Broner doesn’t seem to have the power to hurt Pacquiao, and that I think will make Pacquiao go looking for the stoppage. Broner might have some initial success, but I can see Broner eventually being slowly worn down before being stopped around the 10th.

The win will keep Pacquiao’s hopes of the rematch with Mayweather alive. How he looks in that victory you sense will determine if Mayweather sees enough of a slide in Pacquiao to tempt him back one more time.