MANNY Pacquiao (left) and Adrien Broner grace the final news conference for their World Boxing Association welterweight title fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP PACQUIAO RETURNS

Memories came rushing back the moment eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao stepped into the news conference at the David Copperfield Theater inside the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Wednesday night.

I fought in other countries because they wanted to see me there. Now, I’m back in the United States

His World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight match against American Adrien Broner on Saturday (Sunday morning in Manila) would be the first time for him to compete in the United States after his last two battles against Jeff Horn and Lucas Matthysse were held in Australia and Malaysia, respectively.

He knows that Las Vegas is where the stars are made.

He was just 23 when he knocked out Lehlo Ledwaba to win the junior featherweight crown before facing the biggest names in boxing like Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton and Erik Morales.

And only a rousing victory over the loudmouth Broner will serve as a perfect welcome party for him.

“I fought in other countries because they wanted to see me there. Now, I’m back in the United States,” said Pacquiao, who emerged from being a boxer to a preacher, singer, actor, businessman and politician following his massive fights in the US.

“America is my second home. My second daughter, Queen Elizabeth, was born here in the United States.

This is a defining moment in my career and it’s going to be one of the biggest nights of my life.

“Being back here at the MGM Grand makes me so happy. It’s an honor to be in this position. I remember my first fight here in the US was at MGM Grand. I will never forget that moment, and now I get to come back here and do it again.”

Reports have it that one of the reasons why Pacquiao opted to fight outside the US in the past years was due to his problem with the Internal Revenue Service.

The 40-year-old Pacquiao, who is coming to the fight with 60 wins, seven losses and two draws with 39 knockouts, strongly denied that, saying that his team is already handling the matter.

“I’m not avoiding that problem. We’re already fixing that,” said Pacquiao, adding that he will step into the ring with a lot of excitement after he rediscovered his winning touch after knocking down Matthysse – his first knockout win in nine years.

“I feel so blessed and happy because of the excitement around this fight. It’s coming from the fans here in the US and media all over the world. I want to go out there and make all the people happy.”

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

On the contrary, Broner’s demeanor was grim.

Acting like a neighborhood thug, Broner has the reputation of fading whenever stacked against more prominent opponents. He lost to Mikey Garcia, Shawn Porter and Marcos Maidana via decisions and is facing some legal battles, including two court cases that are still pending.

Still, the 29-year-old puncher from Ohio remains defiant, saying that he’s ready to shock the world by sending Pacquiao back to the Philippines without his belt.

“I’m not up here to talk a lot of trash. I’ve put in the work. It’s fight time. After I win, everything is going to be different,” Broner said.

“People are talking a lot about Pacquiao fighting Floyd Mayweather again, but I’m pretty sure Floyd is retired. I feel like people are trying to throw me to the wolves and overlook me.”

Broner also acknowledged how important winning this fight is for his career.

“I’m not in awe of any fighter, especially Manny Pacquiao. I hope he’s in awe of me,” said Broner, adding that he will turn Las Vegas into a massive “block party” that would change his career forever.

“I’m a one-of-a-kind fighter, too. I’ve made history in this sport. I just have to go out and win this fight; then everything is going to start going my way. Saturday night, I will be victorious. This is a defining moment in my career, and it’s going to be one of the biggest nights of my life.”