This Saturday night, the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada hosts unquestionably the biggest fight of the year so far, as Manny Pacquiao defends the WBA secondary welterweight championship against Adrien Broner live on Showtime pay-per-view stateside and ITV4 in the UK.
Following a destructive seventh-round dismantling of Lucas Matthyse last July in Kuala Lumpur, the ‘Fighting Senator’ is generally favoured to inflict Broner with his fourth career defeat. Correspondingly, Broner, nicknamed the Problem, is a loquacious and colourful character who has obviously accomplished much in the sport, but often falters under adversity and generally flatters to deceive at the top level, as exemplified by his three losses to Marcos Maidana, Shawn Porter and Mikey Garcia.
The Cincinnati native’s most recent outing in April against former Pacquiao opponent Jesse Vargas was an entertaining contest that sharply divided opinion as the two fighters scrapped their way to a draw on the scorecards. Broner’s venomous volley of punches in the ninth that hurt Vargas and seemingly turned the tide of the contest, was certainly a reminder to fans of his fistic potential, and trainer Kevin Cunningham will undoubtedly be encouraging his charge to adopt a similarly assertive approach against the ageing but seasoned ‘Pacman’.
However, despite collecting world titles in three different weight divisions, the self-styled ‘Can-Man’ is perceived as an archetypal case of wasted potential; someone whose professional life is frequently disrupted by unwelcome distractions and controversies in his personal life. This fight is seemingly no exception, even though it is one of the most – if not the most – significant of his career.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao’s legendary in-ring exploits across six weight-divisions – tearing through seasoned champions like a hot knife through butter – have only been surpassed by his God-like popularity in his homeland, where he is currently enjoys superstar status as a Senator, not to mention a future Presidential hopeful.
Ultimately, the 40 year-old Pacquiao’s athleticism and sharpness has visibly deteriorated throughout recent years; albeit not to the point where he is no longer regarded as a formidable force at welterweight. Expect Broner to start in positive fashion, but quickly revert to type in the face of Pacquiao’s fast and furious combinations, as the American’s defensive approach and durability enable him to withstand twelve rounds of largely one-sided action.
Article by: Navi Singh
Follow Navi on Twitter at: @DarkMan________