The rumors surrounding this showdown have been bubbling for months, and yesterday it was finally confirmed: on January 19,  Manny Pacquiao, the cemented boxing legend, will defend his WBA world welterweight title against Adrien Broner, who is hoping to bounce back from consecutive underwhelming performances. 

The pair sat down for a Showtime press conference to talk about the upcoming bout, which will take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. 

Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KOs), who had his pick of opponents, chose Broner because, “I believe we can have a good fight and entertain the fans. He’s a good boxer. We cannot underestimate him. Everyone knows Adrien Broner is a good, experienced boxer.”

Fight Week Conditioning with Manny Pacquiao

Fight Week Conditioning with Manny Pacquiao

The eight-division champ returns to the ring this weekend for a redemption bout against undefeated T...

Read article

Broner (33-3-1, 24 KOs), when focused and ready to fight, is an extremely skilled and entertaining competitor. According to his comments, he’s fighting with a chip on his shoulder and should give the fans the best version of himself. “I win, I turn legend overnight,” he said. He also added, “I talk s**t and play, but I know come Jan. 19 I got to be on top of my s**t, though. I’m here to f— him up.”

Lastly, it wouldn’t be a true Broner press conference without a couple of verbal jabs at his opponent. “He been knocked out three times,” Broner said. “We know he can go to sleep. He don’t need no Nyquil for that. We know he can go to sleep. 

During the press conference, Pacquiao also alluded to a possible rematch with Floyd Mayweather that may be on the table, depending on the outcome of this fight and Mayweather’s exhibition match against kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa on New Year’s Eve. 

Check out the entire press conference below. The match will be strictly available on Showtime PPV.