Preview: Manny Pacquiao vs. Adrian Broner

Preview: Manny Pacquiao vs. Adrian Broner--January 19, 2019

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.