LAS VEGAS ? The 40-year-old boxing champion sits comfortably in his ultra-luxury suite at the SkyLofts of the MGM Grand overlooking the vast desert expanse and ponders a crucial fight five days away.
Manny Pacquiao, a veteran of nearly 70 fights, wants to prove against Adrien Broner and the rest of the world that reaching 40 is not past the peak even for an elite fighter like himself.
?I want to show that I can still do it even at 40 years old. I feel good and I feel great,? said Pacquiao, who is making the first defense of his World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight crown at the 16,000-capacity Grand Garden Arena down below this Saturday night.
What thrills Pacquiao is that this will be his first fight on American soil in over two years.
RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS ? Manny Pacquiao cools off under an umbrella as he and his training team jog amid a drizzle along Los Feliz Boulevard in Los Angeles Monday morning. Team Pacquiao is to leave for Las Vegas after a gym workout later in the afternoon. (Wendell Alinea/MP Promotions)
Last time he rocked Sin City, Pacquiao beat Jessie Vargas on points before finding himself showcasing his wares in such exotic locales such as Brisbane in Australia and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
?It?s nice to be back (in the US),? said Pacquiao, who worked out for the last time in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon before being ferried here on board a custom Mercedes Benz Sprinter.
Pacquiao?s showdown with Broner, a four-division champion from super-featherweight (130 lbs), lightweight (135), super-lightweight (140) and welter (147), will be his 28th ring appearance on American shores.
Having made his US debut in June 2001 underneath an Oscar De La Hoya headliner, Pacquiao has made the MGM Grand his second home since then, having fought there 13 times for a 9-3-1 win-loss-draw record with five KOs.
An eight-division world champion from flyweight (112 lbs) up to super-welter (160), Pacquiao was greeted by a lopsided betting line on his favor upon his arrival from Tinseltown.
The sportsbook read: Manny Pacquiao -280; Adrien Broner +230.
A -280 line means that a $280 bet on Pacquiao wins $100 while a mere $100 wager on Broner wins $230, something that has become the norm the past 12 years wherever Pacquiao fought except when he faced Floyd Mayweather in 2015.
Pacquiao arrived in the US on Dec. 22 after spending the first four weeks of the eight-week buildup in the Philippines.
Pacquiao will parade a 60-7-2 mark with 39 KOs when he meets the 29-year-old Broner, who packs a 33-3-1 slate with 24 KOs.
