Problem with his logic? Broner believes he, er, beat Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines—It's safe to say that Adrien Broner had a problem with the decision of the judges in his fight against Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao.

The Filipino star won their welterweight bout handily, with judges scoring the fight 117-111, 116-112, 116-112 to hand Pacquiao a unanimous decision. The "Pacman" retained his WBA welterweight strap with the result.

Broner, who was booed by the crowd at the MGM Grand in the 11th round, was in disbelief at the scores.

"I beat him," he immediately declared to Showtime's Jim Gray during their post-fight interview.

"Everybody out there know I beat him. I controlled the fight. He was missing, I hit him clean more times. I beat him," Broner said emphatically.

When informed by Gray that he had landed an average of eight punches per round, Broner only grew more irate.

"It already sounds like you're against me," he accused Gray.

Broner leapt up the turnbuckle once the final bell rung, and celebrated only to be booed by the crowd. Afterward, he said he "did this for the hood."

"Y'all know I beat that boy," Broner said. "They're trying to get that money again, with Pacquiao and Floyd."

Broner was referring to a possible rematch between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., who watched closely at ringside as the fight unfolded. 

Gray then asked what was next for Broner, who is now 3-3-1 in his last seven fights.

"I'm 3-3-1 in my last seven, but I'll be 7-0 against you," Broner told Gray.

"Well, that wouldn't mean much," Gray responded, before wrapping up the profanity-laced interview.

According to statistics compiled by ShoStats, Broner landed a total of 50 punches in the 12-round affair, after throwing just 295 shots.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

40 is the new 20: Pacquiao outpoints Adrien Broner to remain world champ

Filipino ring legend Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao added another chapter to his legendary professional boxing career. 

The fighting senator from the Philippines retained his World Boxing Association world welterweight belt by outpointing American challenger Adrien Broner in their showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

Judges scored the bout 117-111, 116-112, and 116-112, giving the 40-year-old Pacquiao the victory via unanimous decision.

Broner, nicknamed "The Problem," provided little trouble for Pacquiao as the Filipino champion landed a steady stream of left hands that repeatedly rocked the American and pushed him against the ropes. The challenger, in contrast, barely landed punches and was loudly booed by the Las Vegas crowd in the 11th round as he danced away from the "Pacman."

"I feel so happy, because I did my best in the fight and also in training," said Pacquiao after the bout. "We did a lot in training camp, so thank God for this victory."

After a slow first round, Pacquiao found his rhythm in the second round and kept the pressure on Broner all throughout. The Filipino star landed a huge left hand that stunned Broner in the seventh, forcing the American to the ropes where he could only cover up as Pacquiao teed off. Broner was forced to clinch several times in that round, even as Pacquiao landed a flurry of shots.

Both fighters were fairly inactive in the eighth round before Pacquiao again got Broner in trouble in the ninth, landing a massive left straight that had the challenger staggering backwards. Forced once again to the ropes, Broner absorbed punishment from Pacquiao before managing to circle out of trouble.

Pacquiao, displaying tremendous savvy, kept pressing the action in the final three rounds but Broner only repeatedly danced out of danger, much to the dismay of the sold-out crowd at MGM Grand.

"I wanted to push more," Pacquiao said when asked if he was trying for a knockout. "But my trainer Buboy (Fernandez) said that do not be careless, just take your time."

This was Pacquiao's first defense of the regular WBA title that he won last July 2018 after stopping Argentina's Lucas Matthysse in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

With the triumph, the Filipino ring legend improved his professional boxing record to 61 wins, 7 losses, and 2 draws.

Broner, 11 years younger than Pacquiao, dropped to 33-4-1, 1 NC.

Pacquiao has now won back-to-back bouts since a controversial loss to Australia's Jeff Horn in July 2017, and the only 8-division world champion in boxing history maintained that his career was far from over.

"I really don't believe that my career is over. I proved it in my last fight, and now I proved it again at the age of 40. Manny Pacquiao's journey still continues," he said.

Whether that journey includes another big-money showdown with American superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. remains to be seen, however. Mayweather was among the 13,000-strong crowd at the venue on fight night, and Pacquiao expressed his gratitude to Mayweather Promotions for helping in organizing the Broner match.

When asked about a Mayweather rematch, Pacquiao just said: "Tell him to come back to the ring, and we will fight."

Mayweather has not fought a sanctioned match since stopping Conor McGregor in August 2017; his bout against Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa on New Year's Eve was billed as an exhibition.

Broner, meanwhile, was irate at the result and insisted he was the rightful winner.

"I beat him. Everybody out there knows I beat him. I controlled the fight. He was missing. I hit him clean more times. I beat him," he declared in a profanity-laced interview.

According to CompuBox, Broner landed less than ten punches in each of the first 11 rounds of the fight.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Pacquiao lighter for Las Vegas return

LAS VEGAS, United States - Filipino star Manny Pacquiao tipped the scales half a pound lighter here Friday for his WBA welterweight title bout against Adrien Broner.

A trim-looking Pacquiao, who faces Broner at Las Vegas's MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, weighed in at exactly 146 pounds.

Broner, who is determined to wreck what will be Pacquiao's first fight on US soil since 2016, came in at 146.5 pounds.

Pacquiao smiled broadly as he faced off with Broner for the cameras following the weigh-in.

The eight-division world champion later said he wants to prove that he still has the ability to be a force in the welterweight division despite turning 40 last month.

"I'm happy to be back here and happy to fight tomorrow night," Pacquiao said.

"Forty is just a number, it doesn't matter that I'm 40 years old -- I feel young," he added. "Tomorrow I have something to prove: that at 40 I can still be at my best ... I want to prove that Manny Pacquiao is still there."

Pacquiao (60-4-2, 39 knockouts) last fought in July last year, when he scored his first knockout in six years with a seventh-round stoppage of Argentina's Lucas Matthysse in Kuala Lumpur. 

Pacquiao, who holds the lesser version of the WBA's two welterweight belts, is widely believed to be angling for a rematch with retired welterweight king Floyd Mayweather.

Mayweather won their money-spinning first bout in 2015 in a contest that failed to live up to its "Fight of the Century" hype.

Broner, 29, said Friday he is determined to seize his opportunity.

"I feel good. It's a helluva opportunity," he said. "After I win tomorrow night I'll be a legend overnight."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Pacquiao on Mayweather rematch: Let's talk about that after Broner fight

MANILA - For now, Manny Pacquiao would rather focus on the task at hand instead of thinking about his possible rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The 8-division champion is set to slug it out with American fighter Adrien Broner in a bout seen as a "prelude" to a second encounter with Mayweather.

In an interview on DZMM's "Tandem: Lima at Logan," Pacquiao admitted that he has been hounded by the press about the rematch.

"Maraming nagtanong sa akin niyan (Many [reporters] asked me that), 99 percent of the media asked me that question. But I told them let's keep the question hanging until after the fight," he said.

"My plan is one fight at a time, tapusin muna natin 'yung bukas saka na natin pag-usapan 'yung susunod na laban (Let's finish the fight tomorrow first, and then talk about the next fight). 'Yung rematch nandiyan lang 'yan, marami namang fighters diyan (The rematch is just there, there are many other fighters), so it's no problem."

The two first fought in 2015 with Pacquiao losing by decision.

It netted Mayweather a reported $240 million and Pacquiao upwards of $100 million.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao said he was happy he was already done with the hardest part of training.

He made the 147-pound weight limit for the bout, tipping the scales at 146 pounds at the weigh-in Friday night (Saturday morning in Manila).

"Happy ako natapos na ang preparation namin, 'yun yung the hardest part ng training namin 'yung preparation. The weigh-in day, nung nakuha namin, happy kami," he said.

(I am happy we are done with the preparations, that was the hardest part of our training. The weigh-in day, when we made weight, we're happy.)

The 40-year-old added that he remains youthful despite his age. Age is just a number, he said.

"I can still move fast, ginagawa ko ngayon 'yung ginagawa ko noong bata pa ako (I still can do now what I was doing when I was younger). Kumpiyansa tayo sa laban na ito na mananalo tayo (I am confident that we will win this fight), God is good. We did our best in training camp," said the fighting senator.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Passionate Pacquiao says age won't be a factor in Broner fight

Manny Pacquiao vows to continue defying his age when he takes on a younger challenger in former 4-division champion Adrien Broner this Saturday in Las Vegas (Sunday, Manila time).

The world's only 8-division champion, who will be defending his WBA welterweight strap, said he feels youthful thanks to his love for the sport.

"I'm so thankful to God at the age of 40 I'm still here, I keep fighting. That's the evidence of being passionate in this sport," said the fighting senator from the Philippines.

The bout, which will take place at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, is supposed to be a prelude to a lucrative rematch against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pacquiao wanted to get back at Mayweather after succumbing to a unanimous decision loss to the American back in 2015.

But Broner, who is widely regarded as a Mayweather copycat, wants none of that.

"You all keep on saying he's going to fight Floyd again... but it's cool. I don't duck no fight," he said.

Nicknamed "The Problem," Broner promised to give Pacquiao problems in the ring.

"I just want you all to know that I play a lot. But when that bell rings, I ain't going there to lose, I ain't going to lay down. I'm coming in to get this victory," said Broner.

His coach, Kevin Cunningham, agreed.

"AB (Broner) will put on a spectacular performance on Saturday night. And I guarantee that he will send Manny back beltless," he said. 

Like most pundits, boxing analyst-promoter Sampson Lewkowicz believes Pacquiao will come out victorious against Broner.

But he does not think that the Filipino will be able to duplicate his knockout win on Lucas Matthysse when he takes on the granite-chinned American.

"I have no doubt that Manny flew all the way through and he'll win the fight by decision," he said. "I don't believe he will [win by knockout]. He will have a great warrior [in front of him] that will not give up and will go all the way."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Adrien Broner arrested in Miami

MANILA, Philippines – Undefeated American boxer Adrien Broner was arrested by the Miami Dade police last March 18 on battery charges before being released on $1,500 bond.

Broner posted a photo of the arrest report and mug shot on his Instagram account, although the picture has since been deleted.

Boxing Scene cited news reports from Cincinnati saying Broner was "arrested over an altercation at a nightclub called LIV... in Miami Beach.”

The lightweight champion “allegedly bit someone on the forearm as they tried to pull him away from the incident.”

In an interview with RingTV, Broner made light of the incident, even jokingly accusing future opponent Paulie Malignaggi of having him arrested.

“He’s so scared to fight me that he sent some police to arrest me for nothing,” said Broner of Malignaggi, whom he will fight on June 22.

“That’s what happened. Paulie’s so scared to fight me that he sent somebody to arrest me and to put some fake charges on me,” he said. “But it’s all right. I’m out, and I’m counting some money as we speak.”

Meanwhile, Malignaggi told RingTV that Broner showed his immaturity when he publicized his arrest through his social media accounts.

“He’s 23-years-old and he thinks that being the bad (guy) is the cool thing to do,” Malignaggi said, adding that he was also arrested as a 22-year-old but did not make a big deal out of it.

“I hit a cop. I didn’t have no fake(d) battery charge. You can check my record. I got arrested for assaulting an officer, but I didn’t go and broadcast it,” he said.
 

source: abs-cbnnews.com