Former pound for pound number one Andre Ward has weighed in and given his take on the upcoming Manny Pacquiao vs Adrien Broner fight.

The bout is expected to be formally announced next week at some point and is expected to take place on January 19th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Speaking to Fight Hub, Ward said of the fight:

“Broner better come ready. Pacquiao’s got the skills to beat anybody man, he’s just got to put it all together. Pacquiao can’t afford another loss so it’s going to be a good fight. It’s crazy. Pacquiao has had something like 70 odd fights. It doesn’t look like he’s slowing down either. Man, it’s crazy.”

He added:

“Number one, Broner’s got to be in tip-top shape. Lifestyle shape (too). Just execute man. Let his hands go. He’s economical in his output.”

Broner has had an up and down time of it in recent years outside the ring between various challenges with the law and motivation in his career.

If he trains hard for the fight there is no doubt it will be competitive but it’s all about what kind of Broner turns up really.

Pacquiao comes into the fight in great form on the other hand via a TKO win over Lucas Matthysse in Malaysia earlier this year.