Sports
Pacquiao, Broner share thoughts before January 19 match during press conference
Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao and upcoming January 19 American opponent Adrien Broner answered the media’s questions in anticipation to their match inching closer during the final press conference of the Pacquiao-Broner title duel at David Copperfield Theater-MGM Grand Las Vegas last Wednesday, January 16.
The boxer-turned-Filipino Senator charmed the media, admitting that his opponent is “the kind of fighter you cannot underestimate,” however, confidently stating, “I know he is going to counter me but we’re ready for that. What happened in the Juan Manuel Marquez fight will not happen again. It was a mistake and I learned that mistake. We’ve worked on that in this training camp. I am prepared for Broner’s style.”
Pacquiao elaborated a lot on how delighted he was to be back in his “second home,” declaring, “Being back here at MGM Grand makes me so happy. It’s an honor to be in this position. I remember my first fight here in the U.
S. was at MGM Grand. I will never forget that moment, and now I get to come back here and do it again.”
As for how he prepared for the match against Broner for the past few months, Pacquiao shared, “These days I don’t only train my body, but also my mind. I’m a Senator, so my mind is very busy. I also play chess regularly and read books to keep my mind sharp.”
During the press conference, Broner, who has four world-champion belts less than Pacquiao also declared that “this is just [his] time, this fight,” referring to his previous losses saying, he “wasn’t ready back then, but now it’s time” and he’s “100% ready.”
In Broner’s words, “I think after this fight, my shortcomings almost evaporated, everything that happened to me. This fight would definitely be a big statement in my career.
It will erase everything that happened. He added, “This will start another chapter in my book, and you know it’s only up from here after this win. It gives me the way where my name’s up to where it should have been in.”
If ever he succeeds, Broner joked that he will “be the first person to turn Vegas into one big block party.” Broner was noticeably talkative during the press conference, directing at reporters that he hopes they “write something different about [him],” saying, “I just want to see something different about me. I see everything, man. All you [expletive], I read a lot.”
As for word on the Pacquiao-Broner match-up being a warm-up to a potential Mayweather rematch, Broner chipped in saying, “People are talking a lot about Pacquiao fighting Floyd Mayweather again, but I’m pretty sure Floyd is retired. I feel like people are trying to throw me to the wolves and overlook me.”
Boxing fans worldwide will get to see if Broner can commit to his word in defeating Pacquiao during the much-anticipated match-up at the MGM Grand on Sunday, January 19 in Las Vegas.