Manny Pacquiao hammers Lucas Matthysse with vicious punches during their fight for the WBA welterweight belt on July 15 at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. PHOTO BY WENDELL ALINEA EIGHT-division world champion Manny Pacquiao announced that he was “90 percent sure” that he would be facing American welterweight Adrien Broner on January 12 or 19 in the United States, most likely in Las Vegas.Speaking to the media in a news conference presented by the ISPS Handa and Emmanuel & Jinkee Heart Foundation Inc. on Wednesday night at the Makati Shangri-la Hotel in Makati City, the reigning World Boxing Association welterweight (WBA) champion also said he would return to training next week.“It’s 90 percent (Adrien) Broner. It’s almost final but we still have no agreement yet. The chance is big. It will be on January 12 or 19, but I want it on January 12 because we will be back to work,” said Pacquiao in Filipino, referring to his Senate duties.The 39-year-old fighting senator said that he was not yet thinking about the possible rematch against undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. (50-0 win-loss record with 27 knockouts) since he was focusing on his January bout.“Not yet. I still have a fight in January,” said Pacquiao (60-7-2 record with 39 knockouts). “Basta laban lang tayo (We are just going to fight). Floyd Mayweather is coming back, handa lang tayo (we will be ready) so we’ll discuss it after the fight in January.”“Kung matuloy man yun focus muna ako sa fight ko sa January (if it will push through, I want to focus on my fight in January). But if that fight (Mayweather) happens, gusto ko sa Cinco De Mayo or sa July (I want it on may 5 or in July).”Speculation swirled that Pacquiao’s bout with Broner would serve as his tune-up fight for the rematch with Mayweather also in 2019 since the MP Promotion of Pacquiao forged partnership with Mayweather adviser Al Haymon.“Partnership, MP Promotion, partner sa trabaho. Purely MP Promotion,” said Pacquiao of Haymon whom he hasn’t met.Pacquiao is coming off a seventh round technical knockout win against Lucas Matthysse last July 15 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to snare the WBA belt.That knockout win was Pacquiao’s first since knocking out Miguel Cotto in the 12th round in 2009.Asked if he could repeat the same performance against Broner, Pacquiao said: “I will try my best. If we can get earlier than that, why not?”Mayweather, 41, said in September he would come out of retirement to face Pacquiao later this year in a rematch of their 2015 superfight that earned both men millions.However, no concrete plans have emerged for that contest and Mayweather subsequently said he would be back “for a huge boxing event” in Tokyo before fighting Pacquiao.Asked at the event Wednesday about another bout with Mayweather is in the offing, Pacquiao said “it is not yet finalized.”Ahead of the fight against big-punching Matthysse, Pacquiao said he considered himself the “underdog”, but he rolled back the years in the July bout.It was a dominant display as Pacquiao registered the 60th win of a fabled 23-year career that is now nearly sure to extend beyond his 40th birthday in December.Pacquiao, lost his World Boxing Organization welterweight title to unfancied Australian Jeff Horn in Brisbane last year. WITH AFP
