Manny Pacquiao turns back the clock, dominates Adrien Broner to retain Welterweight Title

It really is true what they say: age is just a number.

At 40, there were those who thought that Manny Pacquiao would be in trouble against the younger Adrien Broner. Whether his legs would slow him down or he wouldn’t be able to keep up, there was a feeling of worry for the multiple-time champion. It turned out to be the opposite, as Pacquiao schooled Broner through twelve rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory (117-111, 116-112, 116-112) this past Saturday. As a result, he retained his WBA Welterweight Title inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Up next for Pacquiao? Another dance with Floyd Mayweather it appears. While Floyd is over 40 and considered retired, this rematch has been talked about for years. Manny doesn’t appear to want to let it go, and maybe, neither does Floyd.

“Tell him to come back in the ring and we will fight,” said Pacquiao in regards to Mayweather. “I’m willing to fight Floyd Mayweather again if he’s willing to come back.”

Throughout the entire bout, Pacquiao (61-7-2) found his speed and worked all over the ring. He used effective jabs to the body and face of Broner (33-4-1, 1 NC), who did not have an answer for the legend. Pacquaio threw over 47 punches per round, half of what Broner threw. In the end, Pacquaio landed 112 punches while Broner only landed 50.

via ESPN

Pacquaio eagerly met Broner in the middle of the ring, at various points unleashing a fury of wild shots that reminded the over 13,000 in attendance of the Pacquaio that dominated the boxing scene not too long ago. Round seven was the one that truly invested people into the fight, as Pacquaio was punching through the soul of his opponent. Broner appeared to have won two rounds, but could not maintain any momentum. While Pacquaio could not find his power punch, he did everything he could to take Broner off of his game.

“I wanted to push more but my trainer said don’t be careless,” said Pacquiao. “Wait for him, counter, and that’s what I did.”

At the end of the fight, Broner raised his hands up in the air, thinking he won the bout. Leading up to the fight, Broner was considered the main villain. He would try to agitate Manny and those around the boxing world. It is unsure what fight he saw, as he felt like he did enough to win the whole thing. At certain points, he was running away from Pacquiao, where the comparisons to Mayweather were starting to show. In an interview with Jim Gray, Broner was trying to prove a point.

“I beat him,” Broner stated. “Everybody out there knows I beat him. I controlled the fight, he was missing. I hit him clean more times. I beat him.”

Gray, on the other hand, was having none of it. The Hall of Famer held his ground and proceeded to provide facts for Broner, who is now 1-2-1 in his last four fights.

Hall of Famer Jim Gray conducting a powerful post-fight interview. #PacBroner pic.twitter.com/y1P7jACXwY

— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) January 20, 2019

MMA fans heard something similar to this last night when Henry Cejudo beat T.J. Dillashaw in 32 seconds at UFC Brooklyn.

The pro-Manny crowd got to see the Senator of the Phillapines return to form in a night that many will never forget. In regards to a Mayweather rematch, anything is possible. Floyd, who was sitting ringside, didn’t say anything and only appeared to be an observer. One thing is for sure: a rematch could provide a huge payday after a performance like Pacquiao’s last night. Is this something that entices the boxing world, however?

Whatever the future holds for Manny Pacquiao, for one night he showed that he will not go away easily.