Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao looked great on his return to the US arenas as he defeated Adrien “The Problem” Broner by unanimous decision to retain his World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. .
The scorecards favored Pacquiao 117-111, 116-112, 116-112 to give him a win that allows him to improve his record to 61-7-2 while Adrien Broner now totals 33-4-1.
“I felt very good in this camp, we prepared thoroughly and that’s why we delivered. I am not a boxing stranger and I will understand when the body asks me to stop, “said Pacquiao when talking about his preparation and his future.
The anticipation before the fight arose around the physical level of the famous Pac Man, who had not fought in Las Vegas since November 2016 and who saw Floyd Mayweather Jr. witness his victory in the front row.
Rumors of a second fight between the two remain in the air, mainly after Manny’s triumph this Saturday.
If Floyd wants, because I already told him I want to face him again. If he accepts, there will be a fight, “added Pac Man.
As expected, the Filipino took the initiative against an opponent who defended himself in the first rounds with a good header and trying to tie up the rival.
Broner turned the jab into a disguised left straight that surprised Pacquiao at times. However, after the third round, the fight belonged to a Pac Man who, as he teased during the week, looked as fast as in his best days. For Broner, the counterattack was the bet but he could not enter comfortably.
At the end of the fourth round, Broner finally managed to connect the face of Pacquiao powerfully with a right-wing crusader that shook the face of the Philippine “senator”, who saw how the bell did not save him but did give him oxygen.
Already in the middle of the fight, the exchange became more even, with a Broner who began to gain in confidence and who located the gaps left in defense by an insistent Pacquiao. But the fight changed rhythm at the same speed as the blows.
– Turn of the tables –
In the seventh, Manny managed to turn on the machine of his fists to subject a tremendous punishment to a Broner who appealed to entangle the fight and held his rival three times to prevent the referee from stopping the fight.
That was the prelude to the rounds that would give him victory on the cards. Broner could no longer recover from that barrage of blows and only saw his rival take him to the ropes and threaten to take the victory by technical knockout.
Finishing on his feet was the greatest merit of “The Problem,” which true to form claimed to have won the fight and felt robbed by the judges.
I have to put this behind me even though it hurts a lot. There is no doubt that I was a better boxer than Manny, I don’t know what I should do to get a victory in Las Vegas, “the American explained angrily.
In the co-main event, Marcus Browne (23-0) remained undefeated by defeating Badou Jack (22-2-3) by unanimous decision and became the interim light heavyweight champion of the World Boxing Council (WBC).
As a result of an accidental head butt, Jack ended the fight with a very large cut on his forehead that required a doctor’s review several times due to recurrent bleeding.
In the first fight of the main card, Mexican Hugo Ruiz also defeated his compatriot Alberto Guevara by unanimous decision after ten rounds. AFP