By Keith Idec
Adrien Broner indicated early Sunday morning that he has spoken recently with promoter Bob Arum about making a bout between him and Manny Pacquiao.
Representatives for both boxers talked last year, but negotiations didn’t progress because Broner wanted a higher guarantee than Arum was willing to pay him. Broner says Arum now appears more willing to pay him the undisclosed figure he believes he is worth and is encouraged about the possibility of that pay-per-fight taking place later this year.
Broner (33-2, 24 KOs) also said during the post-fight press conference following his hard-fought, split-decision victory over Adrian Granados (18-5-2, 12 KOs) on Saturday night in Cincinnati that he wants to make the most money possible for his upcoming fights to properly support his kids. A fight against Pacquiao would meet that objective, even if Broner doesn’t get his exact asking price.
“What’s up, Bob?,” Broner said, referring to Arum. “We just got off the phone not too long ago. Everybody don’t know, but you know, everybody thought I was stupid. But, you know, I’m one of the smartest 27-year-olds out here.
“Now they’re talking right. OK? That’s why I left them [last year]. They weren’t talking right. You see what I’m saying? So they had to come back and stumble on their words. So like I told them, as long as the numbers are right, we’re gonna have a hell of a fight.”
While Broner seemingly needs Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs) to maximize his earning potential, Broner would provide Pacquiao with a polarizing opponent who’d help generate significant interest in a pay-per-view fight.
The 38-year-old Pacquiao is expected to defend his WBO welterweight title against unknown Australian Jeff Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs) in his next fight. Pacquiao-Horn is tentatively scheduled for April 22 either in the United Arab Emirates or Australia.
Wherever it is held, it’ll be the third straight Pacquiao pay-per-view event since his lucrative, long-awaited showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May 2015 that hasn’t captivated consumers. The Filipino superstar’s first two fights after Mayweather – an unnecessary rubber match with Timothy Bradley and a WBO welterweight title fight against Jessie Vargas – each produced disappointing pay-per-view numbers.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.