Pacquiao said he would be fighting Broner next, either on Jan. 12 or Jan. 19. The fight, which Pacquiao termed "90 percent" done, would likely take place in Las Vegas. However, a source with knowledge of the deal told ESPN the fight would be Jan. 19, not Jan. 12, though a fight likely wouldn't be formalized until he settled his tax issues with the U.S. government.
Pacquiao signed about two weeks ago with adviser Al Haymon, the Premier Boxing Champions founder who controls several name welterweights, including Broner as well as world titleholders Errol Spence Jr., Shawn Porter and Keith Thurman.
Floyd Mayweather says a rematch of his much-hyped 2015 fight with Manny Pacquiao is in the works for this year, posting a video of him jawing with Pacquiao and saying he is eyeing a December fight.
Haymon also works with Floyd Mayweather and should Pacquiao defeat Broner, it would set him up for a potential spring rematch with Mayweather.
Pacquiao and Haymon were on opposite sides when Pacquiao lost a decision to Mayweather in their 2015 welterweight title unification megafight that shattered every combat sports revenue record, including for pay-per-views sold (4.6 million), overall revenue (about $600 million) and live gate ($72 million).
Top Rank agreed to pay Pacquiao $1.7 million for the fight's U.S. rights as well as the right of a first negotiation and last look on the U.S. rights for his next fight.
After the Matthysse fight, Pacquiao claimed that Top Rank owed him the $1.7 million but he had declined to sign the agreement granting Top Rank the broadcast rights for his next bout. They ultimately settled, with Top Rank paying Pacquiao $300,000 on the Matthysse fight and Pacquiao no longer having any obligation to the company for his U.S. broadcast rights.
That allowed him to go with Haymon, who has a deal for PBC fights with Showtime and one with Fox, which will kick off on Dec. 22.
Broner (33-3-1, 24 KOs), 29, of Cincinnati, who has won world titles in four weight classes, is 0-1-1 in his past two fights, having lost a clear decision to Mikey Garcia in July 2017 followed by a draw with Vargas in April. ESPN