It’s just days before Manny Pacquiao takes on American boxer Adrien Broner.
The two sluggers will get on the ring on January 19 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
ABS-CBN is reporting that Pacquiao’s full attention is on Broner, even as talk of a rematch against Floyd Mayweather Jr. continues to swirl.
Pacquiao lost to Mayweather in their lucrative showdown in May 2015, the network recalled.
Pacquiao will defend WBA welterweight championship against Broner in Pacquaiao’s first fight in the U.S. since 2016.
“I’m not thinking about that,” said the 40-year-old Pacquiao, as quoted by Boxing Scene, in the ABS-CBN report, when asked about a Mayweather rematch.
“My focus is Adrien Broner,” he stressed in the ABS-CBN report. “It’s all about that. Maybe we can discuss (Mayweather) after this fight.”
Pacquiao has been training at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, where he has reunited with Freddie Roach to prepare for Broner.
Broner, himself a former welterweight champion, has had a rocky road to the bout so far, according to ABS-CBN.
The 29-year-old Broner was arrested two days before Christmas, stemming from a driving violation. He was subsequently released.
However, according to ABS-CBN, Broner is still facing charges of sexual assault in Cleveland from an incident that occurred on June 2018, and another sexual assault charge in Atlanta for a separate February 2018 incident.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Star is reporting that Broner has one strategy in mind: Timing.
Knowing full well about Pacquiao’s speed advantage, the Manila paper noted that Broner plans to focus on the quality rather than the quantity of his punches.
“I think the most important part of fighting Manny Pacquiao is throwing the right punch at the right time,” Broner told FightHype, according to the Philippine Star.
He hopes to deliver a devastating blow when he locks horns with Pacquiao on January 19 (January 20 Manila time).(By Rey Fortaleza)