Pacquiao, Broner to unveil fight details next week

Manny Pacquiao poses with the welterweight championship belt on July 15, 2018. AFP

NEW YORK, United States – Filipino boxing star Manny Pacquiao and former world welterweight champion Adrien Broner will announce details Monday in New York about their upcoming bout, expected in January at Las Vegas.

Pacquaio owns the World Boxing Association’s regular welterweight crown, a step below US unbeaten WBA ‘super champion’ Keith Thurman, after stopping Argentina’s Lucas Matthysse in July at Kuala Lumpur — his first knockout win since 2009.

The southpaw, 60-7 with two drawn and 39 knockouts in a career that began in 1995, turns 40 next month while American Broner is 33-3 with one drawn and 24 knockouts.

Broner and Pacquiao are set to talk Monday at New York’s Gotham Hall and Tuesday at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills to promote the bout, which is expected to be staged January 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao, the only fighter to win world titles in eight different weight divisions, said last month he was 90 percent certain he would next fight Broner, a former four-division world champion.

Pacquiao, also a senator in the Philippines, lost his World Boxing Organization welterweight title to Australian Jeff Horn last year in Brisbane.

Last month, Pacquiao signed with adviser Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions group after being promoted by Top Rank’s Bob Arum, Haymon’s main rival, for the past 14 years.

The move ensures Pacquiao will have chances to fight the best in the welterweight division as Haymon’s fighters include Americans Thurman, 28-0 with 22 knockouts; World Boxing Council champion Shawn Porter 29-2 with one drawn and 17 knockouts and International Boxing Federation champion Errol Spence Jr., 24-0 with 21 knockouts.

Haymon has also handled past matters for retired unbeaten former champion Floyd Mayweather, who beat Pacquiao by unanimous decision in 2015 for three world titles in a megafight showdown at Las Vegas with a Pacquiao rematch possible if he desires a ring return.

Before thoughts of any of those fighters, Pacquiao must first prepare for Broner, who drew with former world welterweight champion Jesse Vargas in April after losing last year to undefeated American Mikey Garcia, the reigning WBC lightweight champion.

Thurman returns from an injury layoff January 26 to defend his crown in New York against American Josesito Lopez. Porter and Spence defend their crowns in March on back-to-back weekends, Spence facing Garcia on March 16 a week after Porter makes his first title defense against Cuban mandatory challenger Yordenis Ugas. /cbb

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