The first major boxing event of 2019 kicks off on Jan. 19 when Manny Pacquiao, fresh off his seventh-round knockout over Lucas Matthysse in April, returns to the ring on January 19 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to defend his WBA "regular" welterweight title against Adrien Broner.
The victory for Pacquiao was his first knockout win since November 14, 2009, when he stopped Miguel Cotto in the 12th round to win the WBO 147-pound title, which marked his 50th win as a professional, and his seventh world title in as many divisions. Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KO's), 40, is boxing's only eight-division world champion.
Broner (33-2-1, 24 KO's) has a record of 3-2-1 in his last six fights, including a one-sided decision defeat to Mikey Garcia in July 2018, and a controversial draw against Jessie Vargas in April. The 29-year-old did pick up stoppage victories against Khabib Allakhverdiev and Ashley Theophane, but has struggled against the more elite competition.
The main card of Pacquiao-Broner is expected to commence at 9 p.m, and both fighters are slated to begin their ring walks at approximately 11:30 p.m. The main card starts at 9 p.m. Pacquiao and Broner are expected to make the walk to the ring for the main event at around 11:30 p.m. The bout will be televised on Showtime pay-per-view for $74.99.
This will mark the first time that Pacquiao has fought in the United States since 2016.