MANILA – WBA welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao announced that he will defend his title against the American Adrien Broner in January 2019 in the United States.
Their bout was already “90-percent sure” as both camps iron out the contract details to make it happen on Jan. 12 or 19, the Filipino ring icon said.
“I will face Broner in January,” Pacquaio said Wednesday night as he was launched as the new ambassador of the International Sports Promotion Society Handa.
The Pacquiao-Broner world title clash was believed to be the Filipino boxer’s tune-up match before a possible rematch with the undefeated American fighter Floyd Mayweather Jr. later next year.
If it happens Pacquiao will return to the United States for the first time since his WBO welterweight championship match against American Jessie Vargas on Nov. 5, 2016 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
The soon-to-be 40-year-old Pacquiao will parade a 60-7-2 win-loss-draw record, including 39 stoppage wins. He was coming off a strong technical knockout win over Lucas Matthysse on July 15 to claim the WBA belt.
The 29-year-old Broner, on the other hand, has a 33-3-1 win-loss-draw slate, with 24 stoppage wins. In his last two matches he lost to Mikey Garcia and drew with Vargas.
The match will be co-promoted by Pacquiao’s MP Promotions and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Promotions after the Filipino fighter recently signed a deal with Mayweather’s adviser Al Haymon./PN
