Unlike before when boxing fans queued in movie theatres to take in a Manny Pacquiao fight, the venues for the Adrien Broner fight were mostly restaurants and clubs. This was of course aside from pay-per-view buys by families or “barkadas” in homes and the traditional way of staying through the commercials on free TV.
I watched the fight at a popular pizza parlor along Katipunan Avenue. It slowly filled up by 10 a.m. and by fight time, the place was already loaded. Huge groups of family members or friends patiently waited through three rather boring undercard fights and perked up only when Pacquiao entered the ring.
It was not a splendid time for all. It wasn’t because Pacquiao didn’t floor Broner, although he did stagger him solidly in the ninth round. We have to stop demanding that Pacquiao knock out his opponent every time. He has spoiled us no doubt because of those spectacular KOs against Miguel Cotto and Ricky Hatton as well as the submission of Oscar De La Hoya.
Broner failed to bring out more from Pacquiao because he refused to mix it up with the eight-division world champ. He hardly threw anything at Pacquiao, save for a few shots that didn’t seem to matter. Punch stats showed Broner connected on only 50 of 295 punches.
And yet more than the punch stats, there was an absence of aggressiveness by Broner to seize the moment. As the challenger, he had to do something very special to dazzle Pacquiao and convince the judges of his skill and mettle.
It was mind-boggling to hear in the postfight interview that Broner believed he had beaten Pacquiao. As he was still in the vortex of the fight hoopla, Broner was probably misled to believe in his assessment of the fight.
So what’s next for the fighting senator? Talks of his stamina and skill at 40 years of age have already been stretched out. Pacquiao simply relishes the training and preparation for a fight. With proper nutrition and training techniques, 40 has been redefined not just by Pacquiao but many other health and fitness advocates.
What’s left is Floyd Mayweather Jr. Will there be enough money for Mayweather to suit up again and risk his untarnished fight record of 50 wins? Pacquiao wants the fight for all the money that could be earned and the chance to redeem himself for his unanimous decision loss in 2015. Maybe Pacquiao probably wants that fight as well before he ends his own run.