|
Philippines, 15 Jun 2025 |
Home >> News |  |
|
||||
|
|
|
|
The Dwyre Chronicles: Weighing In On Pacquiao v. Vargas PhilBoxing.com Sat, 05 Nov 2016  WEIGHING IN ON PACQUIO VS. VARGAS By: Bill Dwyre * LAS VEGAS ? It is Friday of fight week, and a female friend has it labeled perfectly: Boys in Underwear Day. Weigh-in day for boxing matches represents the single most-consistent and predictable no-news day in sports journalism. The fighters know what they have to weigh, what the consequences are if they are too heavy -- loss of a portion of their purse and sometimes, even a fight cancellation -- and so the parade to the scale is about as dramatic as a soccer injury. Player falls, player grimaces and writhes in pain, stretcher carts player off, player returns to game in 30 seconds. Boys in Underwear Day, then, is a good chance to catch up on the facts, figures and nuances of Saturday night?s major boxing card at the Thomas & Mack Center here. The main event is the comeback of the Philippine hero, senator and boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. He had left us there for a few months, saying he was retired. In essence, it was a boxing retirement, as opposed to an actual retirement. Think of it like you would one of those end-of-the-world-coming-tomorrow predictions. In other words, it ain?t gonna happen. For further perspective, Google Floyd Mayweather Jr., and await the next announcement. Pacquiao?s opponent for this 147-pound feature, on a card that also features three other title fights, is Las Vegas? own Jessie Vargas, who is 27 and ten years younger than Pacquiao, is about four inches taller, is undefeated and has, perhaps, a puncher?s chance, as we say in boxing. He is also a 7-1 underdog. Some bits and pieces as we welcome back the lore of Manny and the buzz he invariably brings with him: ? Pacquiao?s record is 58-6-2, with 38 knockouts. His trainer, Freddie Roach, is betting (literally) that that will read 59-6-2 (39) after Saturday night. On Boys-In-Underwear Day, Roach was carrying around a $100 win-by-knockout ticket from the sports book. If Pacquiao wins by KO, add $300 to Roach?s always-substantial training fee. ? Vargas is 27-1 (10 KOs). He is the actual champ in this fight, currently owning the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown. Pacquiao has held that title two times previously and has also held a record eight-division titles. ? The Nov. 5 date for the fight was problematic. That?s why promoting group Top Rank is handling the pay-per-view telecast on its own, rather than having it on a cable network such as HBO or Showtime. Pacquiao?s Philippine senate left only the Nov. 5 date workable because it is not in session now. HBO had contracted to carry a major fight two weeks later in Las Vegas and balked at doing two major fights that close together. Top Rank?s Bob Arum, who is not altogether unhappy at being in total control of his own show, said, ?In this one, I had no choice. The Philippine senate schedule dictated.? ? In the Philippines, where Pacquiao served two terms as a Congressman, the senate setup is different from that of the United States. There are 24 senators, 12 elected every six years, and they serve the entire country, not just a district, state or province. ? Among Arum?s themes for this fight is that the sport of boxing is perhaps the most global sport of all. To demonstrate, he has a boxing card that will not only include three undercard title fights, but also boxers from a total of ten separate countries: U.S., Philippines, Japan, Mexico, Thailand, China, Brazil, Russia, Panama and Las Vegas. ? The three lead-in title fights match Zou Shiming of China against Prasitak Phaprom of Thailand for the WBO flyweight title; Nonito Donaire of the Philippines against Jessie Magdaleno of Las Vegas for the WBO junior featherweight title, and ?scar Valdez of Mexico against Hiroshige Osawa of Japan for the WBO featherweight crown. ? Pacquiao said the moment he decided to come back occurred when he was at home in the Philippines, watching a Triple-G (Gennady Golovkin) match on TV. ?I wasn?t part of boxing anymore,? he said. ?I felt lonely.? That would somewhat contradict what Roach said earlier this week: ?Before the April (Tim) Bradley fight, Manny looked at me and said, ?We aren?t done yet.? I said, ?I know.? ? ? Arum, as invested in the country?s politics as anybody around and a longtime Hillary Clinton backer, has been mostly restrained in his political commentary this fight week, as the election nears. But last week, during a radio interview at Roach?s Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles, Arum couldn?t hold back. ?God forbid Donald Trump gets elected,? he said. ?It would be the end of this country, as we know it.? ? Both Vargas and his trainer, Dewey Cooper, have added nice color to this promotion. Vargas pretty well keynoted his approach to this fight when he said, ?Everybody knows who Manny Pacquiao is. When I beat him, everybody will know who I am.? Cooper, 41, a former UNLV football player and champion kick-boxer, characterized Pacquiao?s boxing style as ?kind of a basketball point guard and a Tasmanian Devil.? ? Pacquiao, under frequent questioning about his charitable works, said that he has probably given away 50% of his boxing winnings to charitable causes in the Philippines. Research shows that Pacquiao has earned about $500 million boxing, meaning the poor and needy of the Philippines have received a $250 million infusion of funds from him. ? At 6 p.m. every day during fight week, in a room just down the hall in the Wynn Las Vegas resort and casino from the fight media headquarters, a short and stocky man steps to a podium and conducts Bible studies for 30 or so people. His name is Manny Pacquiao. ? Tim Bradley will be part of the Top Rank pay-per-view telecast team for the fight. He has often said, in his trilogy with Pacquiao, that the Pacman?s punches were so heavy that they really hurt -- an unusual admission from any boxer about an opponent. He said here Friday that, while he thinks Pacquiao will win, that Vargas has one secret weapon, the one he used against Bradley and nearly knocked him out in the 12th round of their June, 2015, match won by Bradley. That is Vargas? only loss. ?He has this overhand right that is dangerous,? Bradley said. ?If he lands that, he has a chance.? That?s all for now. Time to go watch boys in underwear. ********************** * This column was not subject to the approval of Top Rank. Any editorial usage of all or part of this column is welcome but must include credit to Bill Dwyre. 
Bill Dwyre will be writing a series of fight week columns on the Pacquiao vs. Vargas world championship pay-per-view event. Bill was sports editor of The Los Angeles Times for 25 years, ending in 2006. He was a sports columnist for 9 1/2 years at The Times, ending Nov. 25 with his retirement. Boxing was among his most frequent column topics. Bill can be contacted at BillPatDwyre@gmail.com or via Twitter at @BillDwyre. ********************** In just one day, boxing's only eight division world champion and the reigning Fighter of the Decade Senator MANNY ?Pacman? PACQUIAO (58-6-2, 38 KOs), from General Santos City, Philippines, will collide with World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight world champion JESSIE VARGAS (27-1, 10 KOs), of Las Vegas. Pacquiao and Vargas will go mano a mano and toe-to-toe in a high-stakes welterweight showdown. While Pacquiao will be looking to become a three-time WBO welterweight champion as well as the first senator to win a world title, Vargas will be resolute in enforcing a term limit on the future Hall of Famer's boxing career. Pacquiao vs. Vargas takes place Tomorrow! Saturday, November 5 at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Pacquiao vs. Vargas and its three co-main event world title fights will be produced and distributed live by Top Rank? Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT, and will be available on all conventional platforms, including all major cable and satellite systems, as well as Top Rank's digital distribution via www.TopRank.tv and mobile devices. The three additional world championship fights on the pay-per-view telecast include: four-division world champion NONITO ?The Filipino Flash? DONAIRE (37-3, 24 KOs), from General Santos City, Philippines, defending his WBO junior featherweight title against undefeated No. 1 contender JESSIE MAGDALENO (23-0, 17 KOs), from Las Vegas; and newly-minted WBO featherweight champion and two-time Mexican Olympian ?SCAR VALDEZ (21-0, 18 KOs), from Nogales, Mexico, making his first title defense, against No. 1 contender HIROSHIGE OSAWA (30-3-4, 19 KOs), from Osaka, Japan. The pay-per-view telecast will open with the rematch between top-rated contenders Chinese Olympic icon ZOU SHIMING (8-1, 2 KOs), from Guizhou, China, and PRASITAK PAPOEM (39-1-2, 24 KOs), of Buriram, Thailand, battling for the vacant WBO flyweight world title. Zou a two-time Olympic gold medalist trained by Freddie Roach, will have his hands full against Prasitak, who enters this fight riding a two-year, 12-bout winning streak, with all of his victories coming by way of knockout. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with MP Promotions, Wynn Las Vegas and Tecate, remaining tickets to the Pacquiao vs. Vargas world championship event are priced at $1,000, $700, $500, $300, $100 and $50, not including applicable service fees. Tickets may be purchased at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office (except on Wednesday, October 19 because of the Clinton - Trump presidential debate), online at http://www.unlvtickets.com/, at UNLVtickets Outlet Town Square Las Vegas and La Bonita Supermarkets. To charge by phone call 702-739-FANS (3267) or 866-388-FANS (3267). For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing or facebook.com/trboxeo, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing or twitter.com/trboxeo. Use the Hashtag #PacVargas to join the conversation on Twitter.  |
|
|
PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general. Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com |
PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
developed and maintained by dong secuya © 2025 philboxing.com. |
