Water and cornflakes

Like Sen. Manny Pacquiao, former WBO superfeatherweight, WBC lightweight, WBA superlightweight and WBC welterweight champion Adrien Broner said he came from nothing. His way out of poverty was through boxing and now after several $1 Million or more paychecks, Broner is line for his biggest purse against Pacquiao in Las Vegas on Jan. 19.

Broner recently signed a five-fight $50 Million deal with Al Haymon who advises a slew of marquee fighters, including Floyd Mayweather Jr. Broner, 29, was paid a career-high $1.5 Million to tangle with Paul Malignaggi in 2013, $1.35 Million to face Shawn Porter in 2015, $1.25 Million to battle John Molina in 2014 and $1 Million each to take on Mikey Garcia last year and Jessie Vargas last April. It’s not stipulated in his contract with Haymon how much he’ll receive for every fight but the average should be $10 Million, a hefty sum. The rumor is Pacquiao will be paid $25 Million to stake his WBA welterweight title against Broner in a prelude to a rematch with Mayweather. Pacquiao is now aligned with Haymon of Primer Boxing Champions but will take the lead role in promoting his fights.

Life has been problematic for Broner and it’s appropriate that his nickname is “The Problem.” He’s been charged with robbery, assault, illegal possession of a lethal weapon, witness intimidation, domestic violence and showing up late and drunk for a court hearing. If Mayweather is Broner’s role model, he’s living up to following in his footsteps. 

“I’m from the streets,” once said Broner. “I’m talking about water and cornflakes. I’ve been going through a lot and to do what I did, I want to give myself a pat on the back.” Boxing News writer Kenneth Bouhairie said Broner is “a pretty good boxer but an even better publicist, still one of boxing’s biggest draws … maybe, he surprises a big name or two if he continues to remain focused under (trainer Kevin) Cunningham but that’s unlikely … many will continue to tune in regardless.”

Broner is a crowd magnet, not as a fan favorite but as a villain. Fans will pay good money to watch Broner take a beating in the ring. The Pacquiao fight will be on pay-per-view and a test of Broner’s marketability. When he fought Marcos Maidana in 2013, Showtime registered 1.3 views. Against Porter, NBC had 2.4 million views and against Garcia, the viewership was 1.24 million. Translating the free-to-air views to significant pay-per-view numbers is a challenge but both Pacquiao and Broner will conspire to make it happen.

The word is Pacquiao and Broner will start a press tour in New York City to promote their clash then end up in Los Angeles. Pacquiao is slated to leave Manila for Oxford on Nov. 3 and he’ll deliver a speech before the university debating society on Nov. 5. Then, Pacquiao will fly to New York City and Los Angeles for the drumbeating tour. He’s expected to be back in Manila to open training camp on Nov. 9, a hectic schedule but something the Senator is used to.

Broner has been floored by only one man, Maidana who went the distance twice with Mayweather. A 5-1 favorite, Broner went down from a left hook in the second round and once more, in the eighth, from a right-to-the-body and left-to-the-head combination. He lost to Maidana on points in San Antonio. Right after the decision was announced, Broner left the ring in a huff and was booed by fans all the way back to his dressing room. Drinks were also thrown at Broner as he made an ungraceful exit.

Malignaggi, who lost a split decision to Broner, said Pacquiao should be able to beat the Cincinnati fighter but wondered how his 39-year-old legs are. Malignaggi said to win, Pacquiao must show his vintage footwork and stay clear from the onrushing Broner. He said Broner has the ability to connect “creative combinations” from close range so Pacquiao should keep a safe distance away.

Pacquiao’s long-time trainer Freddie Roach predicted the Filipino to win because of his “incredible work ethic.” Broner isn’t known for his training discipline and has failed to make weight twice in world title fights. “Broner, despite all his flash and talent, just doesn’t do enough over 12 rounds to win the big ones,” wrote Boxing News’ Matt Christie.

Broner’s last win by knockout came in Washington, D. C., in 2016 when he paid a $50,000 penalty for failing to make the 140-pound limit and was stripped of the WBA superlightweight title. Fighting in spurts, Broner turned on the heat in the ninth round and rocked London’s Ashley Theophane with a right uppercut. A right to the head badly staggered Theophane and referee Luis Pabon came to his rescue at the 1:10 mark. 

Over his last three outings, Broner has been far from impressive. He scored a split 10-round decision over Adrian Granados, lost a unanimous 12-round verdict to Garcia and fought Vargas to a majority 12-round draw. His record is 33-3-1, with 24 KOs compared to Pacquiao’s 60-7-2, with 39 KOs.