MANILA, Philippines – A super lightweight contender who happens to be a longtime protégé of Floyd Mayweather Jr. claimed getting contacted by Manny Pacquiao’s camp for a fight.
Adrien Broner said Pacquiao’s adviser, Michael Koncz, called him to express their interest in a bout.
“I hear they want me to fight Pacquiao next... Michael Koncz actually called me... We waiting to hear from him,” Broner (31-2, with 23 KOs) said in a video posted by Fighthype.com.
Broner, a four-division champion (super featherweight, lightweight, super lightweight and welterweight champion), has been fighting for a long time under the guidance of Mayweather, whom he had actually been compared with.
But Broner is known to have struggled in the past, losing to Pacquiao’s former sparring partner Shawn Porter last June. He rebounded a few months later by stopping Khabib Allakhverdiev to win the vacant WBA super lightweight title.
Pacquiao is scheduled to fight for the last time on April 9 next year, and as of now has yet to announce his opponent. It could be against fellow Top Rank Inc. fighters Timothy Bradley and Terence Crawford.
Is Broner now in the shortlist?
“I love fighting southpaws, man. Just check my record,” Broner continued in the video.
He stressed he’s open to a showdown with Pacquiao.
“He's a great guy...it'll be a hell of a fight,” said Broner. “I’ve got a name, too, and if you ask me, our names are at damned near the same level.”
Again, everything depends on Pacquiao.
“If Pacquiao wants me to be his last fight, then of course I will do it,” Broner added.
Like his mentor Mayweather, Broner is also a talker. And this early, he has fired the opening jab at Pacquiao.
“He (Pacquiao)’s an elite Hall of Famer on his way out. I can’t wait to send him home to the Philippines. Go be governor,” he said.
Pacquiao is actually a congressman eyeing to be a senator, but Broner likely doesn’t care.