By Keith Idec

LAS VEGAS – Manny Pacquiao promised repeatedly throughout this promotion that he isn’t overlooking Adrien Broner.

Broner doesn’t believe the Filipino legend. Broner suspects Pacquiao and his trainer, Freddie Roach, think they’ve found a perfect opponent for Saturday night – someone well known, who can help them sell a pay-per-view fight, yet not all that threatening.

“I think they’re underestimating a lot – a lot,” Broner told a group of reporters Tuesday at MGM Grand. “They’re underestimating a lot what Adrien Broner can and can’t do. But, you know, this is a fight where I can show the world all of the things that I’ve been gifted with, that God gave me. And a lot of people will look at me different after this fight.”

Many fans and reporters consider Broner an underachiever, a talented but flawed fighter who hasn’t succeeded consistently against top opposition.

Broner has lost unanimous decisions to current or former champions Marcos Maidana, Shawn Porter and Mikey Garcia. The Cincinnati native also settled for a 12-round draw with Jessie Vargas in his last fight, April 21 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The 40-year-old Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KOs) beat Las Vegas’ Vargas (28-2-2, 10 KOs) soundly in their 12-rounder in November 2016 at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Broner couldn’t care less about what has happened in the past. The 29-year-old contender is focused on capitalizing on an opportunity that he knows can completely change his career.

“This starts another chapter in my book, and you know, it’s only up from here,” Broner said. “After this win, it puts me back to where I was supposed to be and where my name should’ve already been. It all start January 19th.”

Broner also dismissed the prevailing feeling that if he engages Pacquiao and trades with him that it’ll be beneficial for the powerful southpaw.

“All that sh*t sound good,” Broner said, “until you get hit by Adrien Broner.”

Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KOs) is commonly listed as approximately a 3-1 favorite over Broner (33-3-1, 24 KOs, 1 NC).

Their 12-round fight for Pacquiao’s WBA world welterweight title will headline Showtime’s four-fight, pay-per-view broadcast from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The telecast is set to start at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will cost $74.99 to watch through most cable and satellite services.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.