Iconic boxer Manny Pacquiao will take to the ring for his 70th professional bout on Saturday, when he defends his WBA welterweight crown against Adrien Broner.
Now 40 years old, there’s no doubt the peak years of Pacquiao’s career are behind him. Still, he was impressive in his previous outing in July, stopping Lucas Matthysse in the seventh round. The Filipino did well to bounce back after losing to Jeff Horn in surprise circumstances in 2017.
Broner has never quite delivered on the potential he showed from an early age, and now aged 29, he would benefit from a win over a high-profile name such as Pacquiao.
Read on for the odds for this Las Vegas showdown, the prize money on offer for the winner and a preview of what to expect from the fight.
Odds
Pacquiao win (1-3)
Broner win (9-4)
Figures courtesy of OddsShark
Purse: According to Brian Mazique of Forbes, Pacquiao earned in the region of $20 million when he beat Timothy Bradley in May 2016 and can expect to make at least the same amount for this contest.
The same report said Broner will make an eight-figure amount, with his previous biggest payday in the region of $1 million.
Preview
Mohd Samsul Mohd Said/Getty Images Interest in Pacquiao may have faded somewhat since his loss to Floyd Mayweather in 2015, but he remains a legend of the sport.
As such, these fights should be cherished despite the fact Pacman is no longer the force of nature he once was. After all, Pacquiao fighting in Las Vegas has been one of the most thrilling spectacles in sport over the last 10 years.
Yet there were still some flashes of the old Pacquiao in the win over Matthysse. The veteran put his opponent down in the third and fifth rounds when they met, before eventually finishing off the contest in the seventh; prior to that fight, the Argentinian had never been floored in his career.
During the showdown, the Filipino peppered the head of his rival and wrapped things up with a devastating uppercut:
View image on Twitter
ESPN Stats & Info ✔ @ESPNStatsInfo 79% of Pacquiao’s landed punches were to the head of Matthysse. 43 of those 75 landed head punches were with Pacquiao’s left hand, including the final uppercut to put Matthysse down in the 7th round.
464 12:23 PM – Jul 15, 2018 153 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Pacquiao posted the following clip of some of his late preparations for Saturday’s encounter on Twitter:
Manny Pacquiao ✔ @mannypacquiao Rehearsing for the big show which opens in 9 days. #PacBroner
3,558 8:24 AM – Jan 11, 2019 785 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy
For Broner, this is the biggest night of his career. The man known as “The Problem” has never been part of the main event on a pay-per-view card previously, and whenever he’s had a chance to come up against an elite opponent he has faltered.
The 29-year-old suffered a heavy loss to Marcos Maidana in 2013, as well as defeats to Shawn Porter in 2015 and Mikey Garcia in 2017. His previous outing in April was ruled as a majority draw against Jessie Vargas.
Broner is also a controversial character, and he launched a scathing attack at broadcaster Al Bernstein in a pre-fight press conference on Wednesday, per Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Legendary announcer Michael Buffer was critical of his behaviour:
Michael Buffer ✔ @Michael_Buffer Just heard about the Broner profanity laced comments to @AlBernstein and it is disgraceful behavior toward one of the finest & most respected HOF members of the boxing community! When will commissions include licensing language forbidding & punishing this kind of vulgar behavior?
708 10:05 AM – Jan 17, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 205 people are talking about this According to Daniel Matthews of MailOnline, Mayweather will be ringside for the fight. His presence will only serve to fuel rumours over a rematch between himself and Pacquiao, with the previous showdown still the richest fight in boxing history.
Regarding the fight itself, Pacquiao should have enough to get the better of Broner. The 40-year-old is still durable, still possesses bursts of power and is much more experienced on this sort of stage than his opponent.
Prediction: Pacquiao to win via unanimous decision
