MANNY PACQUIAO v ADRIEN BRONER
IF this contest had happened in 2012, it could have been one of the biggest in the history of boxing. Back when Manny Pacquiao was at the top of his game and Adrien Broner was exhibiting so much potential it seemed almost certain he was going to take over the sport.
But in 2019 there are just too many miles on both of their clocks for this to be anything other than an intriguing contest between two of the most enduring attractions in the fight game.
Pacquiao is now 40 years old, with world titles in seven divisions and a Hall of Fame career behind him. Since 2012 he’s lost four times with each defeat stealing a layer from his formidable reputation. But Pacquiao, even in middle age, remains something of a phenomenon, simply for continuing to operate at such a high level at an age when most fighters are on the scrap heap.
In his most recent outing, he stopped rugged and feared Argentinian, Lucas Matthysse, to pick up the lightly regarded WBA ‘regular’ welterweight title in July last year.
The championship should not be regarded as a bona fide world belt but the victory certainly reminded everyone that Pacquiao, 60-7-2 with 39 KOs, is still a force to be reckoned with.
