There’ll be a big fight in Las Vegas on Sunday: Manny Pacquiao, 40, defends his WBA regular welterweight crown against Adrien Broner, 29, resurgent former four-division world champion.
There’s only one way the fight can go, it will be both explosive and colorful.
No way, declares trainer Freddie Roach, it will be one-sided, Pacquiao all the way; he’s at least two prizefight levels way above Broner.
Can’t Broner at least try and counter?
No way, swears fitness and conditioning coach Justin Fortune; quickly adding three ways the fight will end: Broner quitting on his stool, the referees stopping the bout, or Broner turning his back.
Roach says Pacquiao is totally focused on destroying Broner: “At 29, Broner is too old, he lacks discipline, it’s obvious he has no confidence in his conditioning, no way he’s going to go for it against Manny, he’s gonna run out of gas too early.”
OK but, for the record, Roach had issued a warning about a Broner “poison punch’ in an earlier interview with BoxingScene.com.
Here: “Broner does have a good counter right hand, he has power with it and he throws it off the back foot. He leans back a little bit and he’ll suck you in a little bit and he’ll drop that hand. That’s the biggest issue that we have to be careful with: not to be suckered into that spot.”
Not anymore. Forget it, Roach said yesterday: “Broner may fight to survive and try to lay traps but we’re prepared for that. Manny says his killer instinct is back. Look for a vintage heroic performance.”
Surprisingly, Broner has not been talking much: He said all he wants to do is take Pacquiao out in great fashion.
“We’re boxers, we eat the same, we walk the same, I might laugh, I might play, there’s nothing to be afraid of, he’s great, but I’m going to knock this guy out, it’s going to be a hell of a fight.”
Broner did not say it, but he has obviously prepared something special for Pacquiao.
Broner could also turn toxic and spew poison in going for his seventh victory over southpaws.
Roach better have an anti-dote. Broner, swearing it will be a hell, is very capable of brawling, going for a suicide.