Manny Pacquiao said Thursday that he will return to the United States next year to defend his WBA (Regular) welterweight title against Adrien Broner. The fight will be Pacquiao's first in the U.S. in more than two years.
Sources told ESPN.com the bout is likely to take place Jan. 19 in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KOs) made his announcement in Manila, Philippines, during a meeting of the International Sports Promotion Society, which named him an ambassador.
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The 39-year-old Pacquiao has not fought in the States since he defeated Jessie Vargas in 2016 at Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas to capture the WBO welterweight belt. He reportedly owes tens of millions of dollars in federal income taxes even though he made in excess of $150 million for his 2015 bout vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
His last fight took place in Malaysia, where scored a seventh-round knockout of Lucas Matthysse in July for his first KO victory in more than eight years.
The fight doesn't make much sense on paper, but it makes the most sense for Pacquiao and Broner.
It will be Pacquiao's first bout since signing with adviser Al Haymon, whose roster includes IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., WBC titlist Shawn Porter and WBA (Super) champ Keith Thurman. Those enticing matchups are unlikely to occur, however, because Spence, Porter and Thurman are in their athletic primes and Pacquiao will be 40 by the time he faces Broner.
Instead, the pot of gold for Pacquiao is another battle with Haymon's highest-profile client, Mayweather.
Their May 2015 fight, which Mayweather won by unanimous decision, broke the pay-per-view and live-gate records for a combat sports event. Talk of a rematch surfaced when the two men wound up at the same nightclub in September. Mayweather released a video saying a fight would happen in December.
A Mayweather-Pacquiao 2 won't come close to those historic numbers because of how dull the first meeting was.
As for Broner, this is his last shot at glory.
His resume seems to scream "Hall of Fame": He's one of only 16 boxers to win four world championships in four different divisions. The others? Mayweather, "Sugar" Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya and Roberto Duran.
In boxing, though, you have to look at the whole picture and consider the competition Broner (33-3-1, one no contest) has defeated. Even though he has captured world titles at super featherweight, lightweight, super lightweight and welterweight, Broner has never been the best fighter in those weight classes.
Worse, Broner hasn't shown up when the pressure has been the highest and the lights the brightest. He was dominated by former welterweight titleholders Marcos Maidana in 2013 and Porter in 2015, and then by Garcia at a catchweight bout at 140 pounds. Broner's last fight was a draw with Vargas in one of the more exciting fights of 2018.
Maybe the fact he's fighting a legend in the sport will be the kick in the pants Broner needs. If he wins, he'll be recognized more for his fighting prowess than his mouth.
