Manny Pacquiao has perhaps become a little Westernized over the years having fought in America so much and the Filipino boxing legend was even cracking jokes this week.
Pacquiao will still humble as ever for the most part but he understands American and fight business culture as much as anyone does.
Trash talk and saying things to sell a fight have become a fixed part of the fight game in recent years particularly and in keeping with this — at one point Pacquiao turned to Broner at their press conference asking him:
“Are you going to wish me happy birthday in advance?”
It drew considerable laughs not for the content of what was said but more so the context from who it came from.
A usually quiet and reserved guy now cracking jokes with his brash American counterpart.
Speaking on Freddie Roach being back in his team, Pacquiao also joked to Broner:
“You scared?”
A sign of the times perhaps.
But when all is said and done Pacquiao knows come January 19th in Las Vegas it will be all business when he steps into the ring with who is at the end of the day still a four-weight world champion in Broner.
