LAS VEGAS – Filipino champion Manny Pacquiao resumes his seemingly never-ending quest to prove to everyone that he remains an elite fighter even at age 40 when he faces the trash-talking Adrien Broner on Saturday at the MGM Grand.
With his World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight crown on the line, Pacquiao returns to US soil after an absence of over two years attempting to be in the running for another shot at Floyd Mayweather.
While Pacquiao doesn’t admit it, a victory over Broner should catapult him to a big-money rematch with the unbeaten Mayweather, who dealt him a points defeat in May 2015.
That’s the reason why Pacquiao, who turned 40 last December, decided to hook up with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions, a promotional outfit that Mayweather taps to stage his fights.
But after stepping in at 146 lbs, a full lb below the division limit, it was the issue of age that mattered in the post – weightin chat and not what’s down the road assuming he gets past Broner.
“Age is just a number. It doesn’t bother me that I am 40 years old because I still feel young,” said Pacquiao during Friday’s weight rituals held before a large crowd.
“Tomorrow I have something to prove – that at the age of 40, I can still give my still there,” said Pacquiao, who enters the ring with a 69-7-2 win-loss-draw record with 39 KOs.
Moments after getting cleared to fight, Pacquiao retreated to a holding room where he consumed a meal made up of rice, beef, fish, and boiled eggs, his staple fare every time he clears the pre-fight hurdle.
Joining him on the table were former Ilocos Gov. Chavit Singson and Bureau of Jail chief Ronald Dela Rosa, who hoisted the WBA belt during the weighin while joining Pacquao on the stage.
The 29-year-old Broner, who has a 33-3-1 mark with 23 KOs, likewise had no trouble making weight, coming in at 146.5, with his full beard on and sounding supremely upbeat.
By the time he enters the ring Saturday, Broner’s beard will be gone as per orders from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, an issue that Pacquiao’s trainers had raised earlier with the NSAC.
“This is a hell of an opportunity. I’m not just doing this for me. I’m doing this for the hood. After I win tomorrow night, I’ll be a legend overnight. I just have to do me. You’ll see tomorrow night,” said the Cincinnati pride.
Pacquiao spent four weeks in the Philippines, shuttling between Manila and General Santos City, before heading to Los Angeles for the final stage of the eight-week buildup.
