​Both fighters have officially made weight and both appear in great shape and ready to go!!  The last hurdle for non-heavyweight fighters to clear is to make the contracted weight limit.  In this case it is 147 pounds.  

​Both came in slightly below!  Now for the fighters, the anticipation becomes nervous reality of what is on the line.  Physically they are ready.  Mentally the execution must begin.  This is a very intriguing fight to me because it appears that both fighters mentally have a clear understanding of what is on the line and believe they have what it takes to get the victory.  

Pacquiao:
Manny Pacquiao understands in order to go on with his career he must win this fight.  He has struggled in the past with adjusting his aging body and training regimen.  Throughout his career he always been known as a gym rat.  However, as fighters age they are prone to leaving the best work in the gym and look dull on fight night.  Pacquiao has spoken about mentally accepting this fact and scaling training activities back in order to rest his body more.  This method proved to be successful in the last fight scoring a 7th round KO.  As usual Pacquiao’s dedication to his country is always a great sense of motivation for the Filipino legend.  Certainly at this point in his career he has nothing to prove as far as his status as an all-time great.  Let’s see if that plays a factor in the fight if it gets to be grueling battle.  Will he have that mental toughness to want the victory like he did when he was a young unproven fighter?

Broner:
Adrian Broner’s mentality coming into this fight is exciting and I believe will prove to be the determining factor in the fight.  From a boxing legacy standpoint, Broner’s script is still in question.  He has been a fighter that without question has shown flashes of greatness.  At times has also shown signs of not fighting up to his full potential due to an apparent lack of focus.  He certainly has the qualities of being a top star in boxing.  However he, himself will admit he has not obtained that status.  If he can live up to his potential and claim his spot of being a top star in boxing it will also surely secure his financial future for generations to come.  A victory over Pacquiao will set up very lucrative fights right away in which Broner will be in a position to call the shots!  The exciting thing about this fight is I believe Broner fully understands everything just mentioned and is ready to fight for it.  At times in his previous fights you got the feeling that he really didn’t realize the gravity of what it meant to win and look good winning.  It appears to me that is not the case for this fight.  He looks mentally and physically ready.  This is what brings BOXING FIREWORKS!  

Written By: Elliot Allen

​As we turn the calendar page to a new year its always exciting to anticipate the upcoming fights.  We have so many story lines which include unfinished business fights, new rivalries, rematches, and exciting new talent!  We touch on as much of it as possible here at Mental Conditioning Sports.  Here we go! ...............

​First up will be Manny Pacquiao vs Adrian Broner.  This is an interesting fight on so many levels.  For boxing fans the anticipation of a big fight accounts for a great deal of the excitement of the event.  For a fight to be considered major, it has to have major anticipation and expectations.  What puts this fight in this category?  Both fighters have a lot at stake.  Interestingly enough the stakes are not necessarily the normal stimulating factors.  Usually to bring anticipation to a major fight, there are two fighters who are somewhat in their prime fighting the title as the main caveat. In this case, we have two fighters who are clearly past their prime and at this point in their career the title is probably not a main driving force for their career.  Both fighters have held major world titles.  So what is on the line for these fighters?

Manny Pacquiao:
Manny Pacquiao is without question one of the top boxers of all-time.  He really needs no introduction the world over to claim his accolades.  Pacquiao at this point in his career is in that precarious situation of trying to figure out what he has left in the tank.  I believe everyone agrees a prime Pacquiao would beat Broner in a fairly easy, but brutal fight.  However an aging fighter is tough to figure out.  He is coming off his most impressive performance in many years in beating Lucas Matthysse by KO in the 7th round.  Broner will be a step up from Matthysse.  The pressure is on because this is it for Pacquiao.  There will be no get back in line opportunities to return to the top of the sport if he loses to Broner.  This is a man who clearly believes he has more to do in the sport.  It’s always a very powerful narrative when we know a legacy could possibly end, and could end in a brutal way.  Will we be having that conversation immediately following the fight of “he stayed on too long”?  I’m sure these are things that mentally Pacquiao must prepare and train for.  Throughout his career he has always shown propensity to be in outstanding shape physically and mentally so this will be exciting to see the outcome!

Adrian Broner:
Adrian Broner is being presented with an opportunity to really elevate his career to a point that has eluded him so far.  The interesting part is that he is seemingly past his prime as well.  What’s on the line for Broner is putting his name in the pot of being the face of boxing for the moment.  Boxing is a sport but it’s also a business.  The business of boxing involves being a known commodity.  When you have a highly known fighter with high level skill it’s a formula that some immortal fighters go to the hall of fame for.  Whether Broner’s skills are hall of fame or not is open for discussion, but his familiarity to the public is not a question.  Are there fighters out there right now who appear to have better talent than Broner? Errol Spence, Terrence Crawford, and Keith Thurman are clear front-runners as far as talent.  However, Broner is the front-runner as far as familiarity to the public.  A convincing win over a guaranteed hall of famer in Pacquiao would give Broner a piece of what is missing, which is in the ring credibility.  Throughout his career he has shown signs at times of not be focused which has cost him in some fights. However, when he is focused Broner has proven to be enough to make this a very interesting and exciting fight.

Written By: Elliot Allen

​Devin Haney is a young athlete who is in the middle of a journey that thousands of other athletes have ventured on in the past.  Of those thousands, the number who have successfully traveled the journey all the way to the end is significantly reduced.  Devin Haney is a professional boxer with all the skills and promise that anyone can hope for at the tender age of 20 years old.  He is already a top contender in his weight class of 135 pounds!  At MentalConditioningSports.com, we believe in recognizing talent, progress, and growth in individuals while staying on the course to reach their goals.  Devin Haney has potential as a future star, not only in the sport of boxing, but also in his Mental Conditioning!  We look forward to following his growth very closely over the next 10 years as we believe in his future success.  So let’s take a look at our future front-runner who combines great physical talent and strong mental ambition by what he has displayed thus far.

​Devin Haney, nicknamed “The Dream”, was born November 17th, 1998.  He started boxing at 7 years old and was trained by his dad William Haney.  He embarked on an outstanding amateur boxing career.  While amassing an outstanding record of 130 wins with only 8 losses, he captured 7 national junior championships as an amateur.  Haney turned professional in December of 2015.  He has since gone on an impressive winning streak and rising through the ranks with a 21-0 record.  All the while earning a reputation as being a gym rat who is always ready and willing to learn.  He has been working in the gym alongside his father William and with notable legends like Floyd Mayweather Sr. (legendary trainer), Floyd Mayweather Jr. (all-time great boxer), and Roy Jones Jr (all-time great boxer) to name a few.  

Stay with MentalConditioningSports.com as we chart Devin Haney’s rise in the future editions of what we’ve termed---“The Devin Haney Project”.

Written By: Elliot Allen

     My Love for the sport of boxing has spanned over 3 decades!  From an early age, the more I learned about the sport the more addictive it became to me. The older I get the more I respect, understand, and appreciate where my fascination for boxing comes from. There are multiple angles to look at it.
     I can very vividly remember watching the first fight that would trigger the passion I have for the sport of boxing.  The year was 1985 and the fight was Marvelous Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas “Hitman” Hearns!!  While Muhammed Ali was (and still is) my favorite fighter of all time and I had watched many of his fights (as well as others), Hagler vs Hearns was the first time I really began to understand the magnitude of a BOXING EVENT as a whole!  At that time cable television was not common place in homes so fights were not as easily accessible to watch as they are today.  My family did not have cable in the home so I did not watch the fight live.  However this was the first time understanding the promotion, the training, the pressure of what was being put on the line, and of course the ability to be able to perform on fight night for these warriors!  Later in life I realized my fascination comes the understanding that the entire BOXING EVENT is really a metaphor for Life!!!!

​THE BOXING EVENT:  Hagler Vs. Hearns
          While I was only 11 years old at the time, I can recall the anticipation of getting the fight made and I can remember the tremendous excitement once the fight was made.  April 15th was the date on the tip of every boxing fans tongue in 1985.  I was an all-sports junkie (even at that early of an age), with basketball probably being my number one favorite sport.  However, this was my first realization that this BOXING EVENT wasn’t like anything else in sports. During the build-up of the fight, I recall the shows hyping the fight.  The interviews of the two fighters would show up on shows like ABC’s Wide World of Sports (which was really popular at that time).  The intensity of both fighters as they talked about their intentions in the fight was enormous.  That Tommy Hearns stare and Marvin Hagler reckless determination toward winning by any means necessary was evident during the interviews.  The training footage showed both boxing superstars putting in tremendous hard work and dedication was very impactful on me.  I do recall seeing the fight several weeks after the live event in my school auditorium.  I already knew the outcome of the fight and so did all the other kids.  As we watched the fight, most of the kids watched loosely, but my eyes were intensely glued to every moment from the opening round.  Of course that wasn’t too tough of a task being that the first round was one of the greatest in the history of the sport.  Just two rounds later Hagler was the winner by a devastating KO in the 3rd Round!

THE METAPHOR!
          Our everyday lives mirror a prize fight in so many ways.  The obvious main difference is the speed in which a prize fight happens.  Hagler and Hearns had to train extremely hard to go to war in that ring.  In life we must do the same thing to our minds in order to handle the opponent called LIFE.  Those that don’t take the time to train their minds are ill prepared for the opponent called life.  The possibility of getting knocked out quickly is very possible.  The knockout in life is failed goals, failed aspirations, failed relationships and no desire to get better.  While Hagler/Hearns ended early in the 3rd round, please understand they would not have made it out of the 1st round if BOTH guys were not in superior shape.  In those eight and half minutes of fighting many mental decisions had to be made.  According to the late great Emmanuel Steward, Hearns broke his hand in the first round.  He had to make a decision to not only keep fighting, but to actually really go for it in the torrid pace both that fighters set. Hearns probably could have moved and slowed the pace of the fight and get through it with a broken hand and make the excuse that the broken effected his performance. He was mentally determined to win!! So he kept the pace which ultimately lead to his brutal KO.  Hagler was badly cut on the forehead and was bleeding profusely.  The referee was taking a close look at the terrible cut and even called the ringside physician to look at the cut!  Hagler also knew he had to go for it or risk them stopping the fight because of the cut.  I also believe he could have backed off and maybe allowed the heavy flow of blood to subside.  Both guys made that decision to go for it.  All of this is predicated on the hard dedicated training allowing them to be confident they were ready to endure whatever storm was coming.  Even in defeat the fight Hearns put up made him a winner and furthered his legend.  This BOXING EVENT was my introduction to seeing sports as a metaphor to the challenges, triumphs, storms, adversity, and falling back on the hard work put in to prepare for life’s success!!!