Weigh-in: Pacquiao 146 lbs/Broner 146.5 lbs

Written By: Elliot Allen

​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!