The Philippines will likely bag its fifth world boxing championship title if Filipino boxing star and neophyte senator Manny Pacquiao wins against reigning WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas on Nov.5 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
The Philippines holds four current world championship belts in the flyweight and bantamweight divisions represented by reigning titlists Nonito Donaire, who is the WBO super bantamweight champion, Johnriel Casimero, the current IBF flyweight champion, Jerwin Ancajas, IBF super flyweight champion and Marlon Tapales, WBO bantamweight champion. A win by Pacquiao over Jessie Vargas will give the Philippines five current world titles on Nov. 5. Pacquiao is reported to be a 10-1 favorite to win the fight. Donaire will be defending his title against Jassie Magdaleno in the undercard of the Pacquaio-Vargas fight while Tapales will put his new title on the line against Takuma Inoue of Japan on Dec. 30. Ancajas and Casimero are yet name their next opponents. Donaire, who is coming off a TKO win against Zsolt Bedak of Hungary last April, wanted to face a reigning world titlist in his division but he needs to give Magdaleno a shot because the unbeaten young Mexican is the mandatory challenger. Meanwhile, longest-reigning Filipino world champion Donnie Nietes, who gave up his light flyweight title to move up to the 112 pounds flyweight limit, is set to face Edgar Sosa of Mexico on Sept. 24. Nietes is one of the three Filipino boxers who make up the Pinoy Pride 38 weekend event at the StubHub Center in Carson, California which include Mark Magsayo and King Arthur Villanueva.
