In this video interview with Fight Hub TV, Adrien Broner took some time to chat it up with Marcos Villegas about his Jan. 19 bout against Manny Pacquiao.
In all honesty though, the interview gets a little awkward with Broner acting almost like he doesn’t even want to answer questions before he abruptly abandons the interview at one point. So, just for fun, I’ll provide some excerpts from the Q & A session along with some quick commentary by yours truly...
Broner on how motivated he is now that he’s headlining the first PPV of his career:
“Ummm, I’m enthusias-as-enthusiastic about it. You know, um, I’m just ready to take what’s mine. You know, uh, I got a chance of a lifetime and I’m ready.”
[My thoughts: Maybe he’s ready to get ready, but he’s not ready. He’s ‘a little fat’]
On what he plans to do differently, if anything, to get ready for this fight against Pacquiao:
“Uh, just be myself. As long as I get myself in the best shape I can be in, I’ll be ready for whatever Manny Pacquiao brings.”
[My thoughts: ...whatever...]
On what he will do to improve his work rate for this fight:
“It’s really not about my work rate for this fight. You know, it’s about picking out the right shots and, you know, staying focused and staying poised.”
[My thoughts: This sentiment about sums it up for me — and not in a good way. If Broner won’t even pretend like he’ll throw more punches, this fight is over before it begins. Broner has averaged a paltry 437 punches thrown in his last three fights (all of which have gone the distance), and the only fighter who has ever decisioned Pacquiao with less than 500 punches is some guy named Floyd Mayweather. Broner is not Mayweather. Broner will need a KO.]
On what particular punches he thinks Pacquiao is open for:
“A lot. A lot. A lot of shots...he always got hit.”
On if he sees himself stopping Pacquiao:
“I can. He’s very stoppable...You’ll see January 19th.”
[My thoughts: Broner has never stopped an opponent at welterweight.]
On why he thinks Pacquiao decided to fight him for this outing:
“Because other than Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, I’m the biggest name in boxing. And he needs someone that can sell that PPV so that he can make his money too. So, of course it’s me.”
[My thoughts: This is actually pretty spot on. I don’t know about being the third biggest name in boxing, but Broner is certainly the biggest attraction Pacquiao could face around 147 (not named Mayweather).]
On previously holding out for a $10M purse to fight Pacquiao, and if he’s satisfied with what he’ll be making now:
“[Grins].”
On how he sees himself beating Pacquiao:
“I can beat him a bunch of ways. There’s plenty ways. It’s 7 or 8 ways to beat him.”
On hanging out with Anthony Joshua and what Joshua told him about this fight:
“He congratulated me. You know, he’s a good guy.”
On if Joshua mentioned anything about fighting Deontay Wilder:
“We talked about it a little bit...He thinks Deontay Wilder is gonna beat Tyson Fury and they should fight after that.”
On people believing this Pacquiao fight could be his last big opportunity if he doesn’t win:
“[Yawns]. Excuse me, I don’t listen to it. No more critics, I don’t listen to ‘em.”
[My thoughts: I guess I won’t be getting any clicks from Broner :( ]
On what lessons he’s learned from his previous fights that he can apply to this outing:
“Umm, I could’ve done a lot of different things in any of my fights — that’s anybody who had a fight, you know? But, you know, every fight is different.”