Pacquiao vs Broner: Manny Pacquiao aiming for KO in Jan. 19 fight

Manny Pacquiao is finishing up training camp as he prepares for his Jan. 19 Showtime pay-per-view main event against Adrien Broner in Las Vegas, and the 40-year-old Filipino superstar, who will be defending his WBA “world” welterweight title, says he’s looking for another KO:

“I am not making a prediction, but my goal is to knock out Broner. I am looking for a knockout against Broner. I have to maximize the opportunity. I forgot how much fun winning a fight by knockout was until I stopped Lucas Matthysse last summer. ... It felt great to win that way and the fans loved it too, so why not try for it again? I have nothing personal against Adrien Broner. This fight is strictly business. He is fun. He makes me laugh. He knows how to sell himself and to sell a fight.”

Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KO) hadn’t scored a stoppage win since 2009 when he put away Lucas Matthysse this past July in Kuala Lumpur, looking sharp and aggressive against the Argentine slugger.

Broner, 29, does have three losses on his record (33-3-1, 24 KO), but none of them have come before the scheduled distance. Whatever else you can say about AB, he can take a shot and doesn’t go down easy.

Pacquiao stopping Broner would be a legitimate accomplishment in this matchup, but it’s a lot easier hoped for than done.