Sources close to the situation have informed us that an intriguing clash between 8-division former world champion Manny Pacquiao and 4-division former world champion Adrien Broner is inching closer to reality. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, promoter Bob Arum has already reserved an October 15th date at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada for Pacquiao's comeback. Although Arum did stress that there's no guarantee that Pacquiao will be available due to his new position in the Philippine Senate, it's highly unlikely that the veteran promoter would make such a move without having some insight into his fighter's plans.
It should be noted that Arum's reservation of the October 15th date lends credence to a recent claim by Golden Boy Promotions Vice President Eric Gomez, who revealed, "I do have it under good authority that [Pacquiao] is fighting Broner in an October pay-per-view." While Arum may have downplayed Gomez's comment, he did admit that Broner was one of three opponents under consideration to face Pacquiao, the other two being undefeated WBC welterweight champion Danny Garcia and undefeated WBO jr. welterweight champion Terence Crawford. Pacquiao's advisor, Michael Koncz, has already ruled out Terence Crawford, and according to our sources, Broner is currently the frontrunner to land the assignment. In fact, we're told a deal is "extremely close to being finalized." The one sticking point, however, could be Broner's asking price, which is rumored to be upwards of $10 million, but we're told the money won't be an issue since Broner will ultimately be receiving his highest purse to date.
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