Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a fight televised live on Showtime PPV, WBA World welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs), the sensational southpaw from General Santos City, Cotabato del Sur, Philippines, successfully defended his title by decisioning lackluster Adrien Broner (33-4-1, 1 NC (24 KOs), the underachieving former champion from Cincinnati, Ohio.
The final scores after 12 lopsided rounds were 117-111 (Dave Moretti) and 116-112 twice (Glenn Feldman and Tim Cheatham).
This was one of those pay-per-views where much was promised.
More such promises will follow.
Fighting out of the blue corner in black trunks with gold and white trim, Pacquiao performed admirably for a 40-year-old man. He didn?t look like the Pacquiao of old, the skinny Asian kid from nowhere who was knocking guys out cold in the gyms. But this is the old master. His hands are still fast. He still has spring in his legs. His reflexes and instincts are superb. He threw more. He landed more. He dominated the action in every category. In layman?s terms, Manny wanted it more than the man opposite him and got what he wanted with little resistance.
Broner, fighting out of the red corner in white trunks with gold and purple, had a fantastic ring walk. One part Blue Man Group, one part black light acid trip gone awry, it was the hippest hip hop possible from a guy who talks a good game. Broner?s performance was unacceptable, but it was familiar. Like many of his performances, he does just enough not to embarrass himself before limping across the finish line while claiming victory. Broner did it again Saturday night by taking no chances, by not caring whether he won or lost, and bitching about the result afterwards. Broner learned a lot from Floyd Mayweather over the years, in and out of the ring, but that indifference is all his own.
?I beat him,? said Broner after the fight. ?Everybody out there knows I beat him. I controlled the fight, he was missing. I hit him clean more times. I beat him?I did this for the hood. Y?all know I beat that boy. They are trying to get that money with Pacquiao and Floyd.?
Speaking of Floyd, he was omnipresent during the telecast. Seemingly interviewed many times, he had a hand in the promotion. He looks like a million bucks and was wearing a bespoke glistening jacket that Liberace would die for, had he not of course died already. The fight with Broner was Pacquiao?s first under the Premier Boxing Champions banner, so it should take as long as the last time getting these titans in the ring again. Mayweather was asked during the fight about getting it on with Manny in a rematch. He feigned indifference. Manny was asked after the bout if he?d be willing to fight Floyd next. He meandered a bit before saying, ?I?m willing to fight Floyd Mayweather again if he?s willing to come back in boxing.?
Cut to Mayweather. Staring off in the distance, he is silent, inscrutable; pondering fate and the hundred million dollar payday that awaits him.
