Tertius Pickard / AP
Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines reacts after his loss to Jeff Horn of Australia, during their WBO World Welterweight title fight in Brisbane, Australia, Sunday, July 2, 2017.
Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2018 | 9:17 a.m.
The Manny Pacquiao vs. Adrien Broner WBA welterweight title bout is official.
The long-rumored fight will take place in Las Vegas on Jan. 19 and be shown on SHOWTIME PPV.
It's a must win for each fighter. Pacquiao, 40, remains a name in boxing, but a loss to Broner will drop him even further from the elite boxers in his weight division.
Broner really can't afford a loss if he wants to remain relevant in boxing, no matter how loud or outrageous he is outside of the ring.
Broner has a loss against Mikey Garcia and a controversial draw against Jessie Vargas in his last two fights.
His last impressive victory was in a TKO victory over the mediocre Ashley Theophane in 2016.
Broner knows what a victory over Pacquiao could mean.
"This fight means a lot to me," said Broner, at Monday's press conference. "A win and I turn legend overnight. It's going to be a hell of a fight. I'm not coming to just pick up a check. I know when I win this fight, there's more money to come. "
Clearly the favorite, Pacquiao will not underestimate Broner.
"I know my opponent is fast and a top caliber fighter, he's good and we have to work hard and train hard for this fight so the people will be happy.," said Pacquiao, during the press conference. "We will give a good fight for the fans."
