Pacquaio vs Broner: May 2, 2015

“The same mother******* that kicked his ass, [Juan Manual] Marquez, you saw what I did to him. One thing we know about Pac is he ain't gonna go in survival mode like other guys I faced. If Marquez was able to stop him in six, I'll stop him in five.”

—Floyd Mayweather, a paraphrased April 2015 convo with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith

Long sigh. One thing we knew about Floyd is, he sure knew how to sell ice in the winter or fire in hell. Always a hustler, Floyd gave anyone the distinct impression that he could board a TMT yacht and sell water to an unsuspecting whale. And boy did we buy it, hook line and stinker. May 2, 2015 had all the promise and excitement of a few hundred dollars and a hooker in Las Vegas, until she proved to be a hot mess like something out of “I'm Gonna Git You Sucker”.

Nearly four hard to believe years later, comes an unlikely return of anticipation so many of us felt nearly four years ago, as Filipino icon and eight division world champion Senator Manny Pacquiao defends his regular WBA welterweight title against four division world champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner on January 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. You usually get what you pay for, which is why the world was so insulted by the cheap Mayweather V Pacquiao, mainly due to a craven brand of “Money”. But unlike Floyd, Broner will actually fight Pacquiao like a man, and with this fight, I'm fairly certain we'll get to see what we thought we'd see on May 2, 2015, while feeling as if boxing finally did us a favor.

“I'M ABOUT TO BEAT YOUR ASS, DON'T WORRY ABOUT FLOYD.” 

Oh yes, that was AB telling Pac to fallback on all this talk of a rematch with Floyd that Mayweather really doesn't want– and he might have a point. Say what you will of Broner, for in many instances throughout what will ultimately be a Hall of Fame career he has indeed been “The Problem” and a total fuck up; he comes to fight and doesn't have an understanding of boring or pretension. In every bout where he's come up short, he's merely lost with character as opposed to beaten without it. And because “Pac-Man” is now playing a game at a level where the ghosts of different shades and colors will chase with more violent intent, 1/19/19 is no gimme. In fact, an obsessed Broner can win this fight, which isn't lost on the Sarangani province product from General Santos City.

“MANNY KNOWS FREDDIE” 

It can be said that people who keep their opinions to themselves will seldom be wrong, and it wasn't right of a vindictive Pacquiao to abandon Freddie Roach around the time he went about hacking Bob Arum and damn near anyone else he blamed for being honked by Jeff Horn in summer 2017. Quietly, Pac was concerned about Freddie's continued fitness to lead as chief second, and has now opined that Roach would be better served in a supervisory capacity to oversee long time ace and cornerman Buboy Fernandez. With that, get ready for what will feel like a return to the Jimmy Kimmel Live days in the Nike swoosh for Team Pacquiao just before Christmas, as Pacquiao (complete with the world's greatest Pac-Turd in the form of little energetic Jack Russell terrier Pac-Man the dog), will once again bring a Hollywood vibe to the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles in preparation for Broner. Time to dust off Notorious B.I.G and “Going Back to Cali”.