You've seen the story before, you've read that chapter and seen it repeated again and again. Adrien Broner when he gets off, when he gets busy, when he isn't waiting for the perfect time to land the optimal shot, he wins rounds. When he doesn't, he doesn't.
Adrien Broner fought for too many minutes of too many rounds like he had before, against top level foes, and thus, the same outcome occured that he'd dealt with before–on Saturday night at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and on Showtime PPV.
Manny Pacquiao was the busier boxer, had the volume edge in a bout between two guys with average power against a fellow top tier boxer.
After 12 rounds, the Senator took a bow, and got the judge love, by scores of 117-111, 166-112, 116-112. Broner, who declared he'd be robbed as the cards were tallied, turned away in disgust.
The scorn should be reserved for no one but him, his output was anemic.
But he kept on “entertaining” us; he declared he'd be robbed as the cards were tallied, and after Manny talked to Jim Gray, Broner draped more anti-glory on himself. He used a profanity on Gray and then said that everyone knew he won, and that he was robbed because Pacman is connected. “I beat him, everybody out there know I beat him,” Broner said, as the boos raining down told he he was wrong. “I controlled the fight, he was missing,” he said, and you wondered if this was a wrasslin' style put on.
“It already sounds like you was against me,” he said, after Gray said he didn't land more than 8 punches in a round. “You are 3-3-1 in your last seven fights, what's next,” Gray noted and Broner countered that he'd be 7-0 against the interrogator.
“That wouldn't mean much, that's the end of this interview,” said Gray.
By the way, that ludicrous exhibition of delusion and (mock?) shock might have made spending the $75. on the PPV worth it in the mind of a good 25% more watchers than those some folks had felt two minutes before. This was a good old fashioned train wreck gawk session…
Broner coming in had declared he'd shock the world…that he'd seen the light, that this would be his masterpiece and he'd paint the Filipino into a corner. How would he do that, though? By finding the spots where Manny was off balance, or wreckless or out of position? Or, by waiting too much, for that perfectly opportune angle.
AB was apparently in superb condition, but his in the ring choices, on how much and when to be the aggressor, that didn't sway the judges. Pacman looked just fine, in shape, pretty quick, reflexes still decent, at age 40; he didn't act like the gray beard, look sluggish as the younger lion stalked and chewed him up.
Floyd Mayweather saw Pacman up 4-1 or maybe 3-2, he said, noting that this was a chess match and MP was edging the rounds.
In round six, Broner pawed the jab, and when Manny was in waiting mode, Broner was too. AB wanted to clang MP with the left hook, over and around the jab, or shoot the lead right, but without punching through the target. Did the Ohio boxer steal the round with sharp lands late? Manny's left to the bread basket was the sharpest punch of the round.
Manny heard from lead trainer Buboy Fernandez, who told him keep doing what your are doing. In the seventh, Broner tried to land counters, but Manny still has the reflexes and he was slippery. And throwing heat; the lefts, two of them, unloaded on AB. Broner held on in the corner, looked at the clock, and the masses on site roared. This was Manny's best round, if you judge by the decibel level of the assembled. The left hand slid around the outside of Broner's right hand guard, while AB was back to the ropes, backed to the wall, his legs stationary.
To round 8–Broner waved his lead hand, stared at MP, looked to sweep with counter left hooks. He didn't step in, punch through. He felt speed would be his power but he was being flashy and not effective. In the ninth, Manny's dart-in attacks jazzed the Pac-maniacs in the stands. Broner's hesitance to punch through, his unwillingness to fully commit to offense, made his stabs fast but not furious. A Manny left popped Broner, sent him stumbling.
In round ten, we saw the same from both. Manny was the effective aggressor, his forays at AB told the judges he wanted to do damage. Broner's answers, the sweeping hook, told judges he wanted to be sneaky and quicky. AB then took the lead but fell back into old habits, and was passive and looking to crack with counters. Broner slid and moved in the 11th, and the crowd started jeering him. Where was the urgency? “Not fighting to win” is how Mauro Ranallo out it. Trainer Kevin Cunningham told AB he won the round after Broner asked if he snagged it. “The opportunities are there but you're not taking em,” he said, same as has been said before, and before that and again and again. To the 12th–they battled and AB didn't look to score a KO, knowing he was down. Did he not know…or not care? Neither is really too acceptable…
The fight went as most experts expected it would.
HERE IS THE SUMMATION FROM COMPUBOX:
In his first fight as a 40-year-old, Manny Pacquiao looked much like the
Pacquiao of old and not an old Pacquiao as he controlled range with his
jab (30.9 attempts per round and a 30-11 lead in connects) and scored
far more heavily to the body than had been the case in his last five
bouts (47 of 112 total connects, which translates to 42% of his total
connects, more than twice the percentage than was the case in his last
five fights, 20%). Pacquiao also maintained a strong pace throughout
(47.3 punches per round) while Broner could not pull the trigger from
start to finish as he averaged 24.6 punches per round. Broner was
limited to single-digit total connects in every round (eight in round
four was his best) while Pacquiao exceeded double-digits five times
(with 19 in round seven being his best). Scoring: 116-112 (twice),
117-111 Pacquiao.
