Good news for fight fans, as Senator Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, boxing's only eight-division world champion, will end his two-year hiatus from a U.S. boxing ring when he returns to Las Vegas to defend his World Boxing Association welterweight world title against Adrien "The Problem" Broner. The bout will take place Saturday, January 19, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Pacquaio is coming off a vintage performance in July where he stopped Argentine slugger Lucas Matthysse inside seven rounds. Now, Pacquiao returns to the U.S. in his remarkable fourth reign as welterweight world champion. Broner is aiming for his second stint as 147-pound champion.
"I have missed fighting in Las Vegas. It has been a second home to me," said Pacquiao. "Returning to the MGM Grand Garden Arena to defend my world title against Adrien Broner is an exciting way to stage my homecoming. Adrien is a tough opponent with an accomplished record. But if I have learned one thing while serving in the Philippine Congress and Senate, it is problem solving."
The fight presents several opportunities for Pacquiao. First, the matchup is favorable, as the volume-punching Pacquiao will be sure to bag rounds against the low-output counterpunching style of Broner. Second, a strong showing by Pacquiao could generate interest for a Floyd Mayweather rematch, as Broner's defensive style at least tries to mimic that of Mayweather, although it obviously is not nearly as effective.
A three-time Fighter of the Year and the Boxing Writers Association of America’s reigning Fighter of the Decade, Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KOs), who hails from Sarangani Province in the Philippines, is the only sitting Congressman and Senator to win a world title. After serving two terms as Congressman, Pacquiao was elected to a Philippine Senate seat in May 2016, capturing over 16 million votes nationally.
Pacquiao’s boxing resume features victories over at least seven current and future Hall of Famers, including Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Pacquiao recently had the high honor of speaking to the Oxford Union and the Cambridge Union on the campuses of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, respectively, on consecutive days, another historic first in a career of historic firsts for the international sports icon. Pacquiao's speeches about his life attracted standing room only crowds and huge ovations.
Cincinnati’s Broner (33-3-1, 24 KOs) is a former four-division world title holder and one of boxing’s most popular and colorful personalities. Although he is athletic and has fast hands, his dedication to training has been inconsistent.
Broner said, “I have paid my dues in this sport, and now it's time for me to get mines. I get more views than everybody when I fight. A lot of people are going to see me pack off Pacquiao into retirement, and without his belt.”
The brash and outspoken 29-year-old has faced some of boxing’s best en route to winning titles at 130, 135, 140 and 147 pounds, including Mikey Garcia, Paulie Malignaggi and Shawn Porter. Broner, who will face his 10th world champion in Pacquiao, scored a draw in his last fight in April on SHOWTIME against former two-division world champion Jessie Vargas.
By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services
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