When Badou Jack vs. Marcus Browne was confirmed to be the co-main event fight for the January 19 pay-per-view from Las Vegas, expectations on the fight being the best one on the show were set and Leonard Ellerbe agrees.
Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, recently spoke at a media workout featuring Jack and spoke on the light heavyweight fight for the interim WBA title. Looking at the fight on paper, Ellerbe said the fight has a "very good chance of stealing the show" which is high praise considering that there are four title fights scheduled for the fight, including Manny Pacquiao's welterweight title defense set to main event the show.
"I think that this is going to be a very competitive fight. You have two guys in this fight that are very hungry. There are a lot of options in the light heavyweight division, and it's all about timing. This fight gives both guys a chance to prove that they want to be the best and make a great statement," Ellerbe said. "This fight has a very good chance of stealing the show. I like the fact that Marcus is very confident. If you're in a big fight, you have to be. Badou is even-keeled, and he comes with his workman-like approach to every fight."
This will be Browne's first title fight, but a win for either man would almost surely guarantee a fight against any of the other 175-pound champions sometime in 2019. Jack, a former super middleweight and light heavyweight champion, is making his pay-per-view debut after headlining several boxing cards televised on Showtime. Fightful spoke to both Jack and Browne in a recent media call which can be seen at the top of the page.
The main event of the January 19 show will feature Pacquiao defending his WBA "Regular" welterweight title against former world champion Adrien Broner.
