LAS VEGAS – One thing that can’t be said is that Adrien Broner isn’t consistent. 

For the second straight fight, Broner was a “problem” at the press conference, not for his opponent, but for someone else up on the dais. After calling Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe a “bitch ass n——“ and declaring he was conspiring against him before the Jessie Vargas fight, Broner turned the same line of attack on Showtime commentator Al Bernstein at Wednesday’s press conference. 

“I ain’t gonna lie to you bro, I don’t fuck with you,” Broner said as Bernstein led a question and answer session. “You be talking too much shit about me on Twitter.”

Bernstein then tried to ask trainer Kevin Cunningham a question, but Broner interrupted and said they were “gang gang”. Cunningham gestured that he wouldn’t be answering any questions either.

Bernstein took it all in stride before closing the press conference.

“I’ve had a 37 year career and body of work that of course I’m not infallible and I make mistakes and maybe on occasion haven’t followed his story perfectly,” said Bernstein. “But I can’t imagine that if you lined up 100 fighters that you’d get very many if any to say that I’m against them.”

After the staredown, Broner, 29, directed racial stereotypes to Filipino supporters of Pacquiao near the stage, making references to eating cats and dogs.

The actual press conference was otherwise devoid of animosity, other than Cunningham’s “guarantee” that Broner would “send Manny back to the Senate beltless.” When Broner’s original trainer Mike Stafford tried to thank Pacquiao’s team at the podium, Broner shouted out “don’t thank them.”

Team Pacquiao also showed that they were “gang gang”, with trainer Buboy Fernandez calling up Freddie Roach and Justin Fortune to stand with him at the podium to show they outnumbered Broner’s corner.

“I cannot fly without wings, but I’m gonna bring the belt back to the Philippines,” said Fernandez.

Pacquiao, fighting for the first time since his 40th birthday last month, has selected age, and how people had reacted following his shock loss to Jeff Horn in 2017, as motivation for him to continue his career, which he himself admits he doesn’t have to do, as he’s a sitting senator in the Philippines and the sport’s only eight division world champion with nothing left to accomplish.

“The knockout in my last fight felt good. It felt like my younger days against Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto and others. That fight was a big challenge for me to recover from the fight against Jeff Horn. People said that my career was done. But I never got discouraged, I just worked hard and made the knockout against Lucas Matthysse happen,” said Pacquiao.

Pacquiao says he has no hostility for his opponents, and can be friends with any of his opponents outside the ring. It’s a sentiment that Broner seemed to agree with.

“Manny Pacquiao has done a lot for the sport. I’m going to beat him up and have a drink with him afterward,” said Broner, who is 0-1-1 in his last two fights.

“It’s a business, but don’t get it twisted, I’m going to dominate and win.”