Manny Pacquiao “MY GOAL IS TO KNOCK OUT BRONER.”
HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. (January 2, 2019) – Senator Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KOs), boxer laureate and the sweet science’s only eight-division world champion, has a goal. That goal is to knock out his next opponent, Cincinnati’s Adrien "The Problem" Broner (33-3-1, 24 KOs), when they collide on Saturday, January 19, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Presented by Premier Boxing Champions, the Pacquiao vs. Broner WBA welterweight world championship event will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV® beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
“I am not making a prediction but my goal is to knock out Broner,” said Manny on Monday as he was wrapping his hands before starting a rigorous workout, which included 12 rounds of hitting the mitts with world-famous Freddie Roach, at Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club. “I am looking for a knockout against Broner. I have to maximize the opportunity. I forgot how much fun winning a fight by knockout was until I stopped Lucas Matthyssee last summer to win the WBA welterweight title. It felt great to win that way and the fans loved it too, so why not try for it again? I have nothing personal against Adrien Broner. This fight is strictly business. He is fun. He makes me laugh. He knows how to sell himself and to sell a fight.”
It’s been strictly business tor Manny at Wild Card since beginning his U.S. training camp on Christmas Eve. No shutdowns or holidays have kept him away. After celebrating New Year’s Eve with a five-mile run up the hills to the Hollywood sign and 12-rounds of mitt work with Roach, Manny began 2019 the same way he ended 2018, only this time he sparred 12 rounds with three younger sparring partners in addition to a full session of bag work capped off with 1,000 situps.
“He runs like a deer,” said Justin Fortune, who oversees Manny’s strength and conditioning. “No one can keep up with him. That’s the secret to his success -- his work ethic and his stamina. He has the strongest foundation of any fighter with whom I’ve worked. His legs and calves still generate more power and speed than younger fighters.”
“I am very pleased with the training camp Manny has had. His footwork, distance and angles are all coming together nicely,” said trainer Buboy Fernandez. “When he hits the mitts it sounds like an explosion. I have never felt such raw power.”
“I think experience has made Manny a better fighter,” added Roach. “He still trains harder than anyone. I like Broner as a fighter. I think he has excellent boxing skills. But Broner has never faced anyone like Manny. Broner will be mentally exhausted within four rounds and physically spent within six. It will be impossible for Broner to keep pace with the Manny Pacquiao of this training camp.”
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The BWAA's reigning Fighter of the Decade and three-time Fighter of the Year, Pacquiao, considered a national treasure, hails from Sarangani Province in the Philippines. He 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. In his last fight, with Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in attendance (the first time two heads of state attended a championship boxing event), Pacquaio regained the welterweight title for a fourth time with a vintage performance on July 15 at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, by knocking out defending WBA champion Lucas Matthyssee in the seventh round.
Promoted by MP Promotions, Mayweather Promotions and TGB Promotions in association with About Billions Promotions, remaining tickets to the Pacquiao vs. Broner welterweight world championship event are priced from at $100, not including applicable service charges, and can be purchased online through AXS.com, charge by phone at 866-740-7711 or in person at any MGM Resorts International box office.