Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao was back in the ring Saturday night dethroning WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Pacquiao did not make the post fight press conference as he received 16 stitches from a cut he suffered in the final round.
His trainer Freddie Roach talked briefly. ?I thought Manny fought a good fight and Vargas showed good heart,? Roach said. ?I was a little disappointed because Manny couldn?t get the knockout.?
?He is not done fighting yet,? Roach added.
Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum was pleased. ?It was a great show and that?s what we should do in boxing. Every fight was significant and every fight was for a world title. I thought Manny performed well and Vargas did not take a back seat,? Arum commented.
?Floyd was very polite. He asked Todd if he can attend the fight and we got him credentialed. It?s not like he just barged in,? Arum stated regarding Floyd Mayweather attending. ?As far as I know Floyd is retired,? Arum said regarding a possible Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch.
?Without exploring all options I would say Terance Crawford, Vasyl Lomachenko, both have tough fights or maybe Danny Garcia or Keith Thurman can be a possibility. All of those guys would be in the mix,? Arum said.
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?We came up short, I?m not going to argue. I do think it was an entertaining fight, it was a chess match. I got caught in the second round,? Jessie Vargas said. ?Overall hope you enjoyed it.
?We were trying to time him coming in, he was quick on his fee. I was trying to catch him, we were both thinking in there. He?s a very experienced fighter, he?s a legend.?
Vargas trainer Dewey Cooper stated, ?I just want to give it up for Jessie. He fought his ass off. Congratulations to Team Pacquiao, Team Legend also.?
?I plan to come back stronger,? Vargas vowed. ?I?m still young and I plan on using this as a learning experience and capture another world title. Now we go back to the drawing board. I feel good at the welterweight division. This is where I belong.?
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WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez scored a seventh round stoppage over number one contender and mandatory challenger Hiroshige Osawa.
?I want to thank God for this victory, Bob Arum, and Top Rank. Thanks Manny, Edgar Hasso, Frank Espinoza, Frankie, and my father,? Valdez said. ?I?m happy, its my first step in defending my title. Hopefully 2017 is better. There are a lot of good names out there. I want to dominate this division but I?ll fight whoever.?
