By Keith Idec
Adrien Broner is extremely confident he will pull off an upset against Manny Pacquiao.
Motivated by the odds on their fight, as well as various other factors, Broner believes everything will come together for him when they fight for Pacquiao’s WBA world welterweight title Saturday night in Las Vegas. Broner said during the second episode of Showtime’s “ALL ACCESS: Pacquiao Vs. Broner” that he can’t wait to see how fans and media react when he tops the Philippines’ Pacquiao.
“I don’t see him beating me January 19th,” Broner said during an “ALL ACCESS” episode that premiered Friday night. “It’s over with – I’m telling you. When I win this fight, I just wanna hear what they gonna say then. I just wanna hear what they gonna say then. I don’t wanna hear nothing else. I just wanna listen. I’m gonna just listen. I’m ain’t gonna say nothing. I’m gonna just listen. I’m winning this fight. What they gonna say then?”
Yes, you’ve heard this from Broner before – and not all that long ago. An incredulous Broner expressed the same sentiments before boxing Mikey Garcia in July 2017.
A heavily favored Garcia, one of the best boxers in the sport, beat Broner decisively in their 12-round, 140-pound bout at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. This time, Broner promises, it will be different.
The four-division champion from Cincinnati intends to expose Pacquiao’s weaknesses by countering the fast, strong southpaw when Pacquiao inevitably jumps in to land some of his own hard shots. Whether he does it by boxing or brawling, Broner is certain he will win what, despite Pacquiao’s advanced age, is the biggest fight of his 10-year pro career.
The 40-year-old Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KOs) is consistently listed as a 3-1 favorite over Cincinnati’s Broner (33-3-1, 24 KOs, 1 NC), who, at 29, remains in his physical prime. That’s among the advantages Broner feels will help him win their Showtime Pay-Per-View main event at MGM Grand Garden Arena (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT; $74.99 in HD).
Garcia (39-0, 30 KOs) opened as more than a 7-1 favorite over Broner. Those odds went down before their bout began, but Garcia ultimately proved that handicappers had it correct from the beginning by beating Broner comfortably on all three scorecards (117-111, 116-112, 116-112).
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
