CALIFORNIA, USA ?Most prize fighters one month shy of being a quadragenarian are largely a shell of their former selves. But Manny Pacquiao, who turns 40 years old on December 17, seemingly has found a fountain of youth as he embarks on a new, unknown road in his career in fighting off father time.
Boxing?s only eight-division world champion will return to the ring and take on his toughest test in nearly 3 years when he battles Adrien Broner on January 19, a brash, battle-tested boxer who is 11 years his junior.
It will be Pacquiao?s first fight since a resounding TKO victory over Lucas Matthysse in July. That match marked the first time the Filipino senator faced the realities of his increasing age because he slightly toned down the dial during his training. Although, one wouldn?t be able to tell that night when he beat the beleaguered Argentinian with punishing power in a dazzling performance.
?We adjust, because we?re not young anymore,? Pacquiao told Rappler.
Pacquiao, along with trainers Buboy Fernandez and Justin Fortune, are now calendaring more days for rest and recovery to stave off the pitfalls of a body that could be bordering on the lines of breaking down. After 24 years of top-level fighting, Pacquiao?s team is now more deliberate in his training, diet and sleeping, going as far as calling it ?scientific.?
That meant for the first time, training only once a week prior to his fight against Matthysse. The plan for Broner is to repeat that training regimen, only this time, with the addition of his former trainer Freddie Roach back in his corner as a ?supervisor.?
?I felt stronger,? Pacquiao admitted in hindsight before moving on to the next opponents he has his sights set on. ?This fight is going to be a good fight. I have to pass through [Broner] before fighting Floyd Mayweather. I want to prove to the boxing fans that Manny Pacquiao is still in the pack.?
The clock that is ticking down on Pacquiao?s bona fide Hall of Fame career is not the only change in his life. In October he signed a contract that now has him fighting on a new cable network, Showtime, and a new promotional company, Al Haymon?s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC).
Top Rank, Pacquiao?s previous promoter, didn?t offer a new deal to the fighter when company head Bob Arum visited his former fighter in the Philippines in October. Pacquiao said that he has ?no hard feelings? against Arum because of all the help he has offered him throughout this career.
The newly formed relationships present a plethora of potential scenarios that could have Pacquiao fighting anyone he chooses down the line?including opponents like Mikey Garcia, Errol Spence Jr., Keith Thurman and all of the other welterweights Showtime and PBC have access too. Even boxing matches against the likes of UFC star Conor McGregor have been discussed, according to Pacquiao. That?s if the Filipino should still be long for the sport.
The allure of younger boxers needing a dancing partner like Pacquiao to make international names for themselves was a pivotal bargaining chip for the Filipino to further chase paydays with PBC.
?Manny is still one of the biggest names in the sport. Part of the conversation in doing business with him was the future, and not just this one fight,? Showtime Sports vice president Stephen Espinoza told Rappler. ?It depends on how his fight with Broner goes. Manny hasn?t faced a fighter who poses the risk that Broner does in quite a while. This will be a challenge for him.?
