WHAT are the chances of Manny Pacquiao defeating Adrien Broner tomorrow (Jan. 20, PHL time) in Las Vegas? Enormous.
How about Pacquiao’s chances of a knockout win? Enormous.
And Broner’s chances of losing badly that he may yet retire after the fight? Enormous, too.
Broner was in bad shape before the fight contract with Pacquiao was inked.
He was more than 30 pounds overweight for the 147-pound bout that stakes Pacquiao’s WBA world welterweight crown.
You just can’t shed off that much poundage in so short a time and hope to be in tip-top shape come fight time.
And wasn’t Broner embroiled in brushes with the law in the run-up to the fight, from traffic violations to assault?
If he is nicknamed “The Problem,” that’s an understatement.
Did you see his sordid stunt during the presscon on Thursday, where his expletive-laden rants on racism and several digs on supposed social media comments by Pacquiao’s fans became his main fare?
Him being called “The Nut Case” would have been more apt.
Wait. After his racial slurs against Filipinos in the presscon, the label “The Idiot” would fit him to a T.
Listen to him: “I got a cat for you for dinner,” he said, directing it the Filipinos in the crowd.
He was not done. He followed that up with: “I got some sauteed German shepherd for you in the back.”
Had that happened here, and Recah Trinidad was in the audience, all hell could have broken loose.
He was definitely a poor mimic for the late Muhammad Ali and why Pacquiao got him for a foe has suddenly become questionable.
Which makes me wonder why Broner earned a reported $50 million for a five-fight contract with Premier Boxing Champions, the same outfit that snared Pacquiao after Pacquiao’s contract with Bob Arum’s Top Rank expired.
Is that because Broner (33-3-1, 24 KOs) is only 29, and is a former four-time world champion?
Maybe. But what about this?
At 40, can Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KOs) rewrite history by inflicting on Broner his first knockout loss on his 38th fight?
If yes, what are the chances of Pacquiao scoring an early knockout win?
Enormous.