First Blows: Fuentes opens Pacquiao-Vargas card with a decision over Chinese featherweight

Follow all the action as Manny Pacquiao tries to regain the WBO Welterweight title from Jessie Vargas.  The action kicks off at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT / 9 AM Sunday in General Santos City, Philippines.  The action kicks off with 3 more world title bouts as Nonito Dnaire takes on Jessie Magdaleno for the WBO Super Bantamweight title; Oscar Valdez battles Hiroshige Osawa for the WBO Featherweight title and Zou Shiming battles Pratisak Phaprom in a rematch for the WBO Flyweight title

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Round 1 Jab, right and jab from Vargas..right…Left from Pacquiao …Short uppercut

Round 2 Straight left from Pacquiao ..Combination..Left from Vargas…HARD STRAIGHT LEFT AND DOWN GOES VARGAS…

Round 3 Body and head from Vargas..Staright left from Pacquiao and and another..Hard jab..straight left..Right from Vargas,,

Round 4 Stleft…raight left..lead left..Counter left..

Round 5 Pacquiao lands to a straight left

Round 6 Staright right from Vargas…Vargas right eye swelling..lead left from Pacquiao…Right

Round 7 Jab from Pacquiao …Nice right from Vargas…Jab from Pacquiao..

Round 8 Jab from Pacquiao..Hard right from Vragas…left hook..Vargas bleeding above his nose..right from Vragas..Jabs from Pacquiao..left…left..

Round 9 Good right from Vargas..Left from Pacquiao

Round 10 Combination from Pacquiao…left…good right hook…Jab..right from Vargas..

Round 11 Pacquiao lands a jab..Straight right from Vargas..Left hook…

Round 12 lead left from Pacquiao..Body shot from Vargas..counter left from Pacquiao..

Vargas landed 147 of 662   Pacquiao landed  147 of 409

114-113; 118-109; 118-109 for MANNY PACQUIAO 

Round 1 Jab from Magdaleno..

Round 2 Body shot from Magdaleno..Left hook from Donaire…Staright left from Magdaleno..Good right from Donaire..

Round 3 Right from Magdaleno..Body shot…head shot..Body shot..Left to body from Donaire..

Round 4 Left from Donaire..Right hook from Magdaleno…Magdaleno bleeding over the left eye…Straight right from Donaire..

Round 5 Left from Donaire…Right..doube jab..Body shot from Magdaleno..

Round 6: 3 jabs and right hook from Mgdaleno..Body shot

Round 7 Hook from Donaire..right from Magdaleno..Good right to body from Donaire..

Round 8 2 lefts to body from Magdaleno..Counter jab from Donaire..Good right hook from Magdaleno..Body shot..Right from Dinaire..right hook from Magdaleno..Body shoot..Uppercut from Donaire..

Round 9 Blood over right eye of Donaire..Big left from Magdaleno…ripping shots on the ropes..

Round 10 Right rocks Magdaleno..Swelling under left eye of Donaire..right from Magdaleno..Good right from Donaire..Left from Magdaleno

Round 11  Counter right from Donaire..Counter right from Magdaleno..Right from Donaire..Hook from Magdaleno..Good body shot..

Round 12 Good body shot and hook from Magdaleno..Good right from Donaire..Right hook from Magdaleno…Hard right from Donaire..right..Left hook from Magdaleno

Magdaleno 154-500  Donaire  132-404–Punches

116-112 twice and 118-110 FOR NEW CHAMPION..JESSIE MAGDALENO

Round 1 Valdez lands a left hook to the body..Good left hook..Jab..

Round 2 Hard right from Valdez

Round 3 Big right and left hook from Valdez..left hook and right..Hard jab

Round 4 BIG LEFT AND DOWN GOES OSAWA…Huge right hands from Valdez…Jab from Osawa…Uppercut from Valdez..Right from Osawa…Hook from Valdez

Round 5 Hook and right from Valdez

Round 6 2 right hooks from Valdez from the southpaw stance

Round 7 HUGE FLURRY ON THE ROPES..VALDEZ RIPPING SHOTS TO THE HEAD AND THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

Round 1 Combination from Shiming..Hard combination…Right from Phaprom…Body from Shiming..

ROUND 2 HARD RIGHT AND DOWN GOES PHAPROM

Round 3 Good right from Shiming..Nice right and left hook..

Round 4:  Right from Phaprom..Hard right…Right..Body shot from Shiming…Jab..

Round 5: 3 punch combo from Shiming…Uppercut..Body from Phapron..Left hook from Shiming….Left hook

Round 6 Shiming lands a body shot..Right …Hard 1-2…Flush right..Phapron saying come on…

Round 7 Shiming lands a right…Crisp right

Round 8 Blood over left eye of Phapron..Jab from Shiming..Good exchange with Shiming landing hard head shots…Big left hook from Phapron…left hook..

Round 9 Good right from Shiming…Shiming shuffling and lands a combination..

Round 10 Phapron lands a right to the body…1-2 from Shimimg

Round 11 Body combination from Shiming

Round 12  

PUNCH STATS  107-503 for Phapron…Shiming was   347-778

120-107  twice and 119-108 for ZOU SHIMING

By Norm Frauenheim-

LAS VEGAS – There was enough room on Jessie Vargas’ shoulder for a world title belt when he faced Manny Pacquiao in the nose-nose, eye-to-eye ritual for cameras Friday after the formal weigh-in for their welterweight bout Saturday at Thomas & Mack.

Apparently, that chip didn’t get in the way.

That proverbial chip — and all the motivation it is supposed to represent – has been among the many story lines leading up to Top Rank’s pay-per-view card (6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET). Vargas has been friendly enough. The bigger the media, the friendlier he became. He seldom betrayed any sign he might be angry at being the so-called B-side despite his ownership of the WBO title.

But it’s there, Vargas trainer Dewey Cooper said.

“He’s kind of pissed at you all,’’ Cooper said to reporters during a roundtable session. “I’m trying to keep him clam about all of this.’’

Mission accomplished, at least through the last days and final few hours before opening bell to the scheduled 12 rounder. Vargas has kept his emotions in check, saying the expected.

“I feel great,’’ Vargas (27-1, 10 KOs) said after stepping off the scale at 146.5, nearly two pounds heavier than Pacquiao, (58-6-2, 38 KOs) who was at 144.8. “My motivation is to prove I’m the best in the division. Pacquiao is a legend. Fighters who have beaten him become legends. I plan to be a legend.’’

Odds say otherwise. They were at 7-1 in favor of a Pacquaio victory Friday in the crowded sports book at the Wynn, the host hotel. The one-sided line suggests a blowout victory for Pacquiao, a Filipino senator who hopes to add a major boxing championship to his political title.

Pacquiao’s historical pursuit and his international celebrity are irresistible for the media. In prefight interviews, there’s also a sense that Pacquaio’s energy and instincts have somehow been reborn. He’s been thoughtful and often funny. His English has never been better. In part, that’s because the Filipino Senate conducts its business in English. He has had to speak it and write it every day since he won a Senatorial seat in May.

That and more mean it has been easy to overlook Vargas. Maybe, too easy. But that’s nothing new for Vargas, who is a decade younger and four inches taller than Pacquiao. He’s made a career out of being overlooked.

In an impressive stoppage of Sadam Ali last March at the D.C. Armory in Washington, Cooper said Vargas didn’t get any respect. Didn’t get a dressing room either.

“We were out in a hallway, near the door,’’ Cooper said. “We were brought in as a sacrificial lamb.’’

But the lamb walked out of that hallway with a title he won with power few thought he had. The question is whether any of that power will be able to slow down and perhaps even stop Pacquiao. The, there’s a question whether Vargas might have a bit too much motivation. He is promising to be aggressive from the beginning. Pacquiao welcomes that prospect. So does Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach.

“If he comes too aggressively, he gets knocked out early, maybe in four or five rounds,’’ said Roach, who says Pacquiao is more motivated for a stoppage than ever in part because of the media reporting repeatedly that he hasn’t scored one since 2009.

Timothy Bradley, who will be at ringside as an analyst for the pay-per-view telecast, has fought both. He believes Pacquiao’s overall speed will be too much for Vargas. He picked the Filipino to win. But he also says that Vargas’ is very tough.

And maybe motivated just enough.

Best of the undercard: WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez Jr. (21-0, 18 KOs), of Tucson and Nogales, Mexico, makes his first title defense against Japan’s Hiroshige Osawa. Valdez (21-0, 18 KOs) weighed 125.25 pounds. Osawa (30-3-4. 19 KOs) was also at 125.25.

In the immediate wake of Valdez’ victory for the WBO title in July, Top Rank had tentative plans to stage the two-time Mexican Olympian’s first defense in Tucson, where he went to school. His mom also still lives in the southern Arizona city. But Arum opted to put him on the pay-per-view card. Arum said this week that he still plans for a Valdez bout in Tucson, perhaps next year when he is expected to fight at least four times.

In another undercard bout, Nonito Donaire (37-3, 24 KOs) faces Jessie Magdaleno (23-0, 17 KOs) in a junior-featherweight bout. Donaire weighed 121.8 pounds. Magdaleno was 121.1. Donaire has talked about moving back up to featherweight. If he beats Magdaleno and Donaire beats Osawa, Donaire-Valdez is a possibility.

Manny Pacquiao 144.8 – Jessie Vargas 146.5
(WBO Welterweight title)
Oscar Valdez 125.3 – Hiroshige Osawa 125.3
(WBO World featherweight title)
Nonito Donaire 121.8 – Jessie Magdaleno 121.25
(WBO Jr. Featherweight title)
Zou Shiming 111 – Prasitsak Phaprom 111.5
(WBO Flyweight title)
Robson Conceicao 129.6 – Clay Burns 129
Teofimo Lopez 133 – Ishwar Siqueiros 133.75
Alexander Besputin 149.75 – Azael Cosio 150
Que Xu 125.5 – Fernando Fuentes 124.5

LONDON (4 November) – Amir Khan says it would be an ‘honour’ to fight Manny Pacquiao after the Filipino superstar said he would be open to the matchup.

Eight-weight champion Pacquiao was speaking ahead of his eagerly anticipated world title clash with Jessie Vargas this Saturday night, exclusively live on BoxNation.

And despite stating that Khan was a ‘friend’ he hinted a future clash would be something that he would be willing to make happen, prompting the Bolton boxer to state his readiness to do battle.

“Manny is great fighter and one of the best around,” Khan told BoxNation.

“It would be an honour to share the ring with him and would be a very entertaining fight for the fans. I know Manny well and he is a friend of mine but sometimes you have to put that to the side as boxers.

“It’s important for my hand to fully heal after my operation but it’s feeling good and I want to make the biggest fights possible as soon as it’s 100% – no matter who it’s against,” he said.

29-year-old Khan also believes that despite his losses to Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao is still a very dangerous opponent to go in against.

“Manny is still one of the top welterweights in the world. He’s got great speed, power and creates good angles. I think our two styles mix well and would make for an edge-of-the-seat sort of fight,” said Khan.

“There are definitely some things I can take advantage of against him and I believe being the younger and more youthful fighter would help.

“We’re both all-action fighters and like to attack so it would be a really intriguing fight,” he said.

37-year-old Pacquiao has put his political responsibilities on hold as a senator in the Philippines as he looks to claim another world title this weekend against WBO champion Vargas.

Khan feels that Pacquiao will have too much for the American and is tipping his old stablemate to do the business at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.

“I think Manny’s movement and style will be too much for Vargas to handle,” said Khan.

“He’s going to be too quick and elusive and I expect him to win on points. He seems very focused on this fight because he knows how important it is to win it.

“Beating Vargas and winning a world title will help set up more big fights and prove he still has a lot to give,” he said.

Pacquiao v Vargas is exclusively live on BoxNation (Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/EE/Apple TV/Online & App) this Saturday night. Buy now at boxnation.com.

– ENDS –
About BoxNation

BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated boxing channel. From £12* per month with no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Mayweather vs Maidana, Saunders vs Eubank Jr and Khan vs Canelo.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Freeview (Ch.255), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon, Apple TV).

BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

Available on selected internet-connected Freeview products only, subject to coverage. Visit freeview.co.uk/availability.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 registration fee for Sky TV customers

By Norm Frauenheim-

LAS VEGAS – Two-hundred-and-fifty million dollars mean all kinds of things. A quick check with Google will deliver a list of hedge finds, tax evasion, lawsuits, Donald Trump, luxury condos, good bets, lousy bets and maybe Floyd Mayweather Jr. posing next to an open suitcase full of cash.

It’s all there, except for Manny Pacquiao’s generosity. It’s mostly been a story about anecdotes. He builds homes for Filipinos. He buys a fleet of new boats for a coastal town’s fishermen. His promoter, Top Rank’s Bob Arum, has called him the Pacific nation’s one-man social welfare system.

For the first time, however, maybe a number can be attached next to an inexhaustible generosity from a guy who never seems to stop fighting or giving. Best estimate: $250 million.

“Every income I receive in boxing, almost half of it goes to the less fortunate,’’ Pacquiao said Wednesday before a formal news conference at The Wynn for his pay-per-view bout against WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas at Thomas & Mack Saturday night (6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET).

Pacquiao’s career income for purses and endorsements is at $500 million after his April victory over Timothy Bradley, according to Forbes. Half of that adds up to a lot homes, fishing boats and meals for Filipinos who need them. It also amounts to some – make that a lot – of political clout for the fighter who was elected to the Filipino Senate in May.

As a Senator, Pacquiao’s duties include membership on 15 committees, two of which he chairs, according to Arum. His life as a full-time Senator resumes on Tuesday, just a few days after at least one more fight as a full-time boxer. The question of whether he continues with full-time roles in both the political and boxing rings looms over his bout with Vargas.

“I’m sure he’s going to be known as a great Senator,’’ Vargas said during the news conference in a comment that said he intended to end the Filipino’s greatness in boxing.

Without boxing, it’s unlikely that Pacquiao could continue to give away the kind of money that is funding the current construction of 1,000 houses in Sarangani Province. All of the money for the land, homes and labor is coming out of Pacquiao’s pocket. That’s just the latest example of Pacquiao, a people’s champ in more than just one way.

“I don’t like politics,’’ he said. “I hate politics. After each fight, half of my income goes to the poor.

“But I don’t like to announce it.’’

He doesn’t like to brag, either. Not when he can give.

Los Angeles, CA (November 2, 2016) Legendary ring announcer MICHAEL “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble” BUFFER celebrates his 72nd birthday today. The internationally known Hall of Fame ring announcer, still going strong and working more than ever, is headed to Las Vegas this week for Saturday’s World Welterweight Championship clash between Boxing Legend Manny Pacquiao and Las Vegas based champion Jesse Vargas at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.

“I feel great and I’m busier than ever with appearances all over the world,” said Buffer. “It’s a thrill to work with Manny once again on such a huge international event.”

Last month, Buffer helped kick off “Big Blue Madness” as Coach Calipari and the University of Kentucky Wildcats held their annual first public practice in front of over 20,000 fans at Rupp Arena. He is booked solid through 2016 with multiple engagements all over the world.

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (November 2, 2016) – On Fight Night for the MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO vs. JESSIE VARGAS world championship event, Top Rank® will utilize Twitter’s (twitter.com/trboxing) polling functionality to allow fans to participate in each bout as a collective, unofficial “4th judge.” Fans that tune into Saturday’s live pay-per-view telecast or catch it from a coveted seat at the Thomas & Mack Center will be able to easily vote on who they think is winning each undercard matchup, with the winner being announced on air prior to the official judges’ scorecards. During the main event, fans will have the option to vote round-by-round. The broadcast team of Stephen A. Smith, Brian Kenny, Charissa Thompson and Tim Bradley, Jr., will deliver updates in between rounds, with scorecard graphics appearing on-screen throughout the main event. Employing this feature, fans are granted another avenue to engage with the historic night of world championship fights on November 5th.

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In just three days, 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, collides 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 This 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 ÓSCAR 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.

LONDON (2 November) – Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao is out to prove he is still one of the very best around in his upcoming world title clash.

The Filipino fighter will be facing WBO welterweight world champion Jessie Vargas from the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, exclusively live on BoxNation this Saturday night.

Following his loss to Floyd Mayweather and his delving into politics in his home country, recently being elected to the Philippines Senate, doubts have arisen as to whether the eight-weight world champion has lost his hunger for boxing.

37-year-old Pacquiao is well aware of the question marks around his fight career and knows he has to show he still belongs with the best when he steps back in the ring for the first time since his April win over Timothy Bradley.

“I want to prove that I am still one of the best pound-for-pound fighters. I feel I still have a lot to prove. I am not done with boxing. I will continue to keep fighting as long as I love boxing and boxing still loves me. I do not feel old. I feel like I am still 27,” said Pacquiao.

“I am fighting for history. I was the first sitting congressman to win a world title. For this one, it is not enough to be the first sitting senator to fight for a world title – I want to be the first senator to become world champion. For me, that would be quite an accomplishment,” he said.

The future Hall-of-Famer will be up against the slick Vargas who has lost just one of his 28 fights and will be making the first defence of his title following his impressive ninth-round stoppage over the talented Sadam Ali.

Pacquiao is refusing to overlook the 27-year-old and knows he will need to bring his A-game to beat the rising American ace. “I do not underestimate Jessie Vargas.

He is a good strong champion. You cannot fight at this level and be successful by underestimating your opponent,” Pacquiao said.

“Every opponent gets my full attention and respect. I respect Jessie and that is why I trained hard. This is the most important fight because it will determine the direction of my boxing career. I need to win convincingly,” he said.

The reigning ‘Fighter of the Decade’ is sure he has all the bases covered to overcome Vargas and is keen to put on a show for the fans.

“We have three different plans for Jessie Vargas,” he said.

“My first concern is for the fans; that the people who are going to watch the fight will be happy and satisfied. I want this to be a fight for fans to remember.”

Pacquiao v Vargas is exclusively live on BoxNation (Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/EE/Apple TV/Online & App) this Saturday night. Buy now at boxnation.com.

– ENDS –
About BoxNation

BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated boxing channel. From £12* per month with no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.

Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Mayweather vs Maidana, Saunders vs Eubank Jr and Khan vs Canelo.

The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Freeview (Ch.255), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon, Apple TV).

BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.

Available on selected internet-connected Freeview products only, subject to coverage. Visit freeview.co.uk/availability.

BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.

For more information visit www.boxnation.com

*Plus £8 registration fee for Sky TV customers

By Bart Barry-

Saturday at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Filipino former world champion and current senator Manny Pacquiao matches himself with American welterweight Jessie Vargas in a pay-per-view fight televised by promoter Top Rank. Pacquiao retired in April after decisioning Timothy Bradley in their third match but returns seven months later because that was always the plan. Vargas lost to Bradley a month after Pacquiao lost to Mayweather in 2015 but recently stopped Sadam Ali and got chosen for Saturday’s fight because that flash of power in March is expected to prove anomalous – if Pacquiao or Top Rank thought there were any way Vargas’d stretch Pacquiao this fight would not happen.

There isn’t much to be done but write about this spectacle however undeserving. In bygone years the hungerstrike we experienced these last howsoever many months would induce an appetite coiled as a spring and ready to leap towards a million buys after a month of promotional coverage under the auspices of reportage, but no more. There are but two types of boxing coverage that survive today in the United States: the financially selfinterested and the quixotic.

They’re easily identified. Positive coverage of Pacquiao-Vargas is financially selfinterested, the line between publicist and reporter gone to the publicists, and quixotic coverage, those who cover the sport from habit or nostalgia, is not positive. No American without financial selfinterest understood Pacquiao’s retirement and even less his comeback from that faux retirement – since declaring Pacquiao’s third match with Timothy Bradley in April the last time Pacquiao would fight did little to promote the match and according to Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum did not begin to offset the damage done the fight’s marketing by Pacquiao’s strongly worded reiteration of his strongly held beliefs about others’ sexual orientations or the lasting damage done the sport by Pacquiao’s terrible 2015 match with Floyd Mayweather.

Yes, the shoulder match. No one has forgiven Pacquiao for that halfassed performance, nor should he, but most of us have forgotten it – until Pacquiao decides to promote his match with Vargas by telling us he’s healed and ready for a second serving of Money. It’s the wrong message because it makes some of what few consumers remain interested enough in our sport to purchase a match from a promoter’s website reconsider that purchase for fear their support might launch another yearslong buildup to another terrible superfight no one asks for anymore, and Richard Schaefer just began a comeback of his own, too, in case more nostalgic dissonance were craved (incredibly he says fans approached him at fights and told him the sport needs him).

*

COMMERCIAL BREAK
Boxing’s only eight-time world champion and sitting senator returns Saturday in a match you can purchase through his promoter’s website because, in a historic show of ungratefulness, HBO and Showtime and all the terrestrial networks on which Pacquiao was possibly rumored potentially to fight for the last eight years declined to pay retail prices for what worn and defective merchandise they’re now offered.

Camera-phone footage indicates the Senator is in the best shape of his life.

“Manny’s in the best shape of his life,” reported Coach Freddie from training camp. “I know I’ve said this each of his last 12 fights, or more, but this time? The best. Unbelievable.”

*

Pacquiao looked quite good against Timothy Bradley seven months ago, better than Jessie Vargas did, but just because Vargas lost the Pacquiao sweepstakes 19 months ago does not mean Vargas lost the Pacquiao sweepstakes. Vargas did after all clip Bradley at the end of their match and may very well have . . . if only the referee . . . in an unprecedented act of interference . . . the very integrity of the sport . . . and probably deserved to win by knockout, something Vargas’ promoter was not at liberty to disclose while selling Pacquiao-Bradley 3, but now after a closer look thinks all aficionados should revisit.

Talk of Pacquiao’s milling with someone who might beat him like Terence Crawford and make Pacquiao actually retire succumbed this summer to sobriety and brought us limping to Saturday’s spectacle, possibly a tuneup for Pacquiao’s future match with middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, a rich promotional subplot given how much press Golovkin’s trainer receives for threatening the world’s best light heavyweights while trashtalking a junior middleweight and actually fighting a welterweight.

Pacquiao press releases now include airlines and flight numbers in the hopes of materializing an enormous crowd at LAX, something worthy of promotional footage on SportsCenter, alas. The American fight scene to which Pacquiao returns for Saturday’s fight is worse than the one he visited in the spring but more apparently awful to Pacquiao because, one assumes, Pacquiao’s previous purse guarantees were voided by his retirement and the dearth of interest the Pacquiao brand now generates among cable-network executives – before one considers what American consumers now know of politics in the Philippines complemented by our own fatigue with domestic politics. One begins to wonder if promoting Pacquiao as a successful Filipino politician still is the sage tact it once appeared.

Or perhaps all this is superfluous because nobody is about to discover Manny Pacquiao; those of us interested in Pacquiao enough to purchase Saturday’s fight, or heaven help us travel to it, know Pacquiao well enough to know how steadily his capacities have eroded since that 2012 encounter with the Marquez spearchisel and aren’t any longer candidates for a Pacman conversion. We know with Pacquiao we are either at the beginning or the middle part of the embarrassing stage many great prizefighters end their careers with. However extraordinary Pacquiao was in ascent, his descent is all too ordinary.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

By Norm Frauenheim-
They call him Senator these days. The hope is that they can call him Senator Champ in about 10 days. Manny Pacquiao is seeking what is believed to be an unprecedented combo.

Senators get called a lot of things and as — Donald Trump keeps proving at an ad nauseam pace – most are a lot more insulting than honorable. But even a Filipino version Trump might have to use the double honorific when addressing Pacquiao if he beats Jessie Vargas on Nov. 5 at Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack for the WBO’s welterweight title.

Titles of every kind are nothing new to Pacquiao, who has already been a Filipino Congressman. He also jumped from Command Sergeant Major to Lieutenant Colonel in his nation’s military reserve.

The leap in rank from enlisted to officer had to have been something of a battlefield promotion. Pacquiao’s battlefield has always been the ring. Eight world titles on that front have been the storyline and the propellant in his phenomenal rise from impoverished street kid to high political office.

It’s hard to even hazard a guess as to where it will all lead. There have been times when even the Filipino presidency has been mentioned as a Pacquiao possibility. For now, it’s just safe say it depends on how the 37-year-old Pacquiao fares against an improving Vargas, who is a decade younger and appears to be more dangerous than the 9-to-1 odds against him suggest.

Throughout the buildup for a pay-per-view fight that Top Rank will telecast, much of the talk has been about Pacquiao’s job as one of 24 Filipino Senators. The questions are there, of course, because there is nobody in any Senate like Pacquiao.

“Manny has always been a busy person but because of the Senate he seems to be a lot more serious than anything else he has done,’’ Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said during a conference call this week when asked about how training went while their camp was still in the Philippines. “He is in Senate sessions on some nights until 7:30 or 8:00 at night and, when he is done, we go right to the gym.’’

There was no distraction, Pacquiao said when repeatedly asked the inevitable question. There was only time management and the discipline to sustain it.

“The most difficult part of training in the past has always been when I do a bad job of managing my time,’’ Pacquiao said. “This time I managed my time and disciplined myself from going to my work to my training and that’s what I did in the Philippines. I don’t have any time to spend with my friends – just time for hard work.’’

The real answer, of course, won’t be there until opening bell. That’s when we’ll know if a full-time Senator can still be a full-time fighter.

To be sure, Pacquiao has been busy with a legislative agenda and issues that have confronted his country.

“Right now I am pushing for the establishment of a boxing commission in the Philippines,’’ he said.

He added that he is “also sponsoring the restoration of the death penalty.”

Then, there is the Philippines new president, Rodrigo Duterte, who has begun to generate some Trump-like controversy. Duterte told U.S. President Barack Obama that he “could go to hell” after Obama’s criticism of his push for draconian penalties for drug pushers.

Duterte also went to China and Japan, saying he wants to split with the U.S., a longtime ally. Then, Pacquiao landed in Los Angeles for the final stretch of training. Yeah, that question was inevitable, too.

“He has clarified everything about the relationship between the United States and the Philippines and it is a healthy relationship,’’ Pacquiao said when asked about Duterte early in the conference call. “We all respect his statement and he clarified it already.

“The bond between the United States and the Philippines is one of longstanding and there is a great kinship between the people of our two countries.’’

Pacquiao’s career has always been about multi-tasking. But tasks outside of the ring have gotten a lot bigger since the days when basketball and karaoke were the potential distractions.

He’s older now, which means wisdom and more discipline, yet also potential erosion in the physical qualities that have made the legend. We know about the power outage. He hasn’t scored a stoppage since 2009. That might be because he’s at 147 pounds instead of a more natural 140. But time is an inescapable factor.

He is a young Senator. But is he an old fighter? Against Vargas, we’ll find out.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. (October 27, 2016) – Boxing’s only eight division world champion and the reigning Fighter of the Decade Senator MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO, held a media workout on Wednesday at Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, Calif.

Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs), from General Santos City, Philippines, is in the final week of training for his world championship collision with World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight world champion JESSIE VARGAS (27-1, 10 KOs), of Las Vegas. In just nine days they 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.

Here is what Manny had to say:

MANNY PACQUIAO:

“It took discipline to manage my time effectively … to balance my training camp and my Senatorial duties. I feel good. Every day I was able to get in all my training. I ran every morning and did my strength and conditioning with Justin Fortune. I worked with Freddie every evening at the gym after work. There were some days where I would have to come in later if my work in the Senate demanded I stay longer. Between the two “jobs,” I was averaging 14-hour workdays. Luckily the gym was very close to the Senate so I didn’t have to deal with traffic. I had no real free time to be with friends.

“I am now well-rested. I arrived in U.S. on Saturday evening and today I feel I have recovered from my jetlag. I sparred six rounds yesterday [Tuesday with Ray Beltran]. I will spar Thursday, Saturday and Monday before driving to Las Vegas.

“We have three different plans for Jessie Vargas. My first concern is for the fans; that the people who are going to watch the fight will be happy and satisfied. I want this to be a fight for fans to remember

“I am fighting for history. I was the first sitting congressman to win a world title. For this one, it is not enough to be the first sitting senator to fight for a world title, I want to be the first senator to become world champion. For me, that would be quite an accomplishment.

“I want to prove that I am still one of the best pound-for-pound fighters. I feel I still have a lot to prove. I am not done with boxing. I will continue to keep fighting as long as I love boxing and boxing still loves me. I do not feel old. I feel like I am still 27.

“I do not underestimate Jessie Vargas. He is a good strong champion. You cannot fight at this level and be successful by underestimating your opponent. Every opponent gets my full attention and respect. I respect Jessie and that is why I trained hard. This is the most important fight because it will determine the direction of my boxing career. I need to win convincingly.

“In boxing the fight is in the ring is for the enjoyment of the fans. In the Senate, the fight is for improving the quality of life of the Philippine citizens. Being a senator is inspiring work.

“I have spent more than 100 million [pesos] on building houses for the less fortunate [over 1,000 houses…Manny purchased the lots and built and gave away the homes and lots]

“Winning world titles in eight divisions is not that easy. I am so blessed to be a part of boxing history by winning them. That is not me boasting. I am just happy to be a part of the history of boxing.

“I enjoy politics because I do not have a hidden agenda. I serve honestly. That’s a good thing for me because I’m not ashamed to tell the truth. I’m not ashamed to rebuke someone if they are doing wrong. Government is for serving the people, not for serving oneself.”

*************************************

Pacquiao vs. Vargas takes place 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 ÓSCAR 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.

LONDON (27 October) – BoxNation will be the only place to watch boxing legend Manny Pacquiao’s ring return as he takes on WBO welterweight world champion Jessie Vargas on November 5th from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

The bout will be broadcast exclusively live on ‘The Channel of Champions’ BoxNation as eight-division world champion Pacquiao takes a break from his political commitments in the Philippines in a bid to become the only sitting Congressman and Senator to win a world title.

That task, however, will not come easy he steps in against the accomplished Vargas who has won all but one of his 28 fights, and, at 27-years-old, is already a two-weight world champion.

Future Hall-of-Famer Pacquiao is regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet and has decided to carry on with his career in the ring despite expecting to hang up the gloves after being elected to the Philippines Senate in the summer.

“Public service is my calling but boxing is my passion. I realised this summer I was not ready to retire from the ring,” said Pacquiao. “I made history when I became the first congressman to win a world title and now that the good people of the Philippines have elected me to the Senate I want to make more history by becoming the first senator to win a world title. I promised the voters I would not miss a Senate session which is why I will be training in Manila until the Senate goes into recess in late October. I dedicate this fight to my fans and to my countrymen throughout the world who have kept me in their prayers. And as always, I fight to bring glory to the Philippines.”

Las Vegas resident Vargas is coming-off an impressive ninth-round stoppage earlier this year over the highly-touted Sadam Ali in which he claimed his second world title.

Vargas has always had his eye on the formidable Pacquiao and can’t wait to get revenge for the losses he inflicted on his fighting heroes.

“When I was younger I watched what Manny did to my two boxing idols, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera – two great Mexican warriors. I told myself, someday I would get into the ring against Manny and avenge what he did to them. Now I will fight for them as well as myself. To me, this fight isn’t about a friendly ring rivalry between our countries. This fight is about payback,” said Vargas.

Jim McMunn, BoxNation Managing Director, said: “It is fantastic that BoxNation will be showcasing Manny Pacquiao’s return to the ring exclusively live on November 5th. Pacquiao is among the most exciting fighters in the world and is rightly regarded as one of the very best pound-for-pound around today. BoxNation subscribers will be in for a great fight as he takes on the WBO welterweight world champion and a top fighter in his own right in Jessie Vargas. This fight will be action-packed as both boxers have exciting and come-forward styles that can only make for a thrilling spectacle.”

Pacquiao v Vargas is exclusively live on BoxNation (Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/EE/Apple TV/Online & App) on November 5th. Buy now at boxnation.com.

– ENDS –
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FREDDIE ROACH: It was a pretty tough schedule in this camp but he held up really well. The sparring days were really good and it’s the best I’ve seen Manny in a long time – he is a lot more aggressive than I have seen him in the past and there was a lot of the old Manny Pacquiao coming out and he really, really looked good. We trained right up until Saturday morning before our flight out to Los Angeles and he boxed 10 rounds and he looked great and he’s in great shape, I know it’s been a very difficult camp with the Senate and so forth. Manny has always been a busy person but because of the Senate he seems to be a lot more serious than anything else he has done. He is in Senate sessions on some nights until 7:30 or 8:00 at night and when he is done we go right to the gym.

MANNY PACQUIAO: Hello everyone and thank you Bob and Freddie and the people who are all part of this conversation.

Because of all the work you are doing in the Senate does that mean you are less distracted, being committed to work in one form or the other?

MANNY PACQUIAO: I can say that working in the Senate is not easy, especially, along with training. You need to manage your time and that’s what I did in training for this fight while I am working in the office. I don’t have time really for any other activities – all of my time is with working and training.

Is it a problem for you to be away right now when there are problems with the president?

MANNY PACQUIAO: My work is my work and whatever the comments from the President are – he has a lot of advisors and we know what his statements are. My work is for the people and that is what my job is, to help the people.

What is the most difficult part of trying to do both jobs?

MANNY PACQUIAO: That’s a good question. The most difficult part is trying to control my time and to manage and discipline myself. The most difficult part of training in the past has always been when I do a bad job of managing my time. This time I managed my time and disciplined myself from going to my work to my training and that’s what I did in the Philippines. I don’t have any time to spend with my friends – just time for hard work.

How is it to have you, the most famous Philippine boxer, and now the second most famous Philippine boxer, Donaire on the same card and how come you think it has never happened before?

MANNY PACQUIAO: This is a good boxing card because not only am I fighting on the card but also my fellow Philippine boxer Nonito Donaire, who is the “Pride of the Philippines.” I think it is a good present for us and for the Philippine people for us to fight on this card together.

Do you support your President’s stand against the US and the call for closer relationship with Russia and China?

MANNY PACQUIAO: Clarifying the issues and I think there is nothing wrong to clarify everything. He has clarified everything about the relationship between the United States and the Philippines and it is a healthy relationship. We all respect his statement and he clarified it already.

MANNY PACQUIAO: The bond between the United States and the Philippines is one of longstanding and there is a great kinship between the people of our two countries.

How did you feel in the last Bradley fight – can you tell us about it?

MANNY PACQUIAO: I felt very good in that Bradley fight. It is not the reason I continued to fight though. I came back because I felt lonely, not training with my friends and I felt empty and I realized that I could still train and work so that’s why I decided to fight again.

FREDDIE ROACH: I thought it was a good performance I thought he fought very well. He was accurate a lot more than usual. In this training camp he has been using his speed and his combinations, not just single-punching and he has looked very good and it is probably the best training camp he has had in a long time. I look forward to Manny fighting in this style.

In looking at Vargas’ opponents we don’t see a murderers row, is it difficult to take this fight seriously?

MANNY PACQUIAO: Vargas is a world champion so in no way can I underestimate him. You can never underestimate a boxer who is a champion. He is good. I just have to make sure that I am 100% ready for the fight.

BOB ARUM: No murderers row of opponents but when he fought Bradley he had Bradley out on his feet and because the referee got mixed up he stopped the fight ten seconds too soon so who knows how that would have ended. And he fought Sadam Ali to win the title and Sadam Ali is a terrific fighter – he was a member of the US Olympic Team, he was undefeated and certainly not a tomato can and he entered the fight a big favorite over Vargas and Vargas dominated him and eventually knocked him out. I think that victory alone qualifies Vargas for top level of fighters and opponents for Manny.

I agree on the Ali fight, but Bradley was way ahead on scorecards when Vargas had Bradley out on his feet in the 12th round…

BOB ARUM: We can agree on that but what if he had him out on his feet in the earlier rounds or in the 11th round – the fact that he could put Bradley out on his feet is I think the operative statement.

Have you given any thought to how many fights, if you win, that you may have in 2017?

MANNY PACQUIAO: I don’t know yet. Right now my focus is on this fight. Then I go back and do my job then I could think about 2017.

Will you fight again?

MANNY PACQUIAO: I don’t know yet. One fight at a time. I take them one at a time. I cannot say yes right now. First I think about this fight. Today, Jessie Vargas is the most important fight of my career.

BOB ARUM: Let’s take it one at a time. If Manny comes in and dominates this fight and looks like the old Manny, and wants to continue fighting, there will be certain opponents that will be considered. If he decides that it’s too much juggling two careers then he shouldn’t continue. If he is determined to continue and his performance suffers because of his work in the Senate I would have to look in the direction of somebody else for an opponent. So to jump now about names and so forth, who knows? Manny may look so good in this fight and may have such senatorial presence in the fight that we may be looking for Golovkin next. And if he doesn’t vote right in the senate I think some of his constituents may be urging him to fight Golovkin.

MANNY PACQUIAO: Bob, I hope you are joking about. Golovkin!

Do you have expectations of how the fight will do?

BOB ARUM: We are very optimistic. What’s happened here is – how do you know? Why are you optimistic? We are optimistic because our ticket sales are tremendous at the gate – that is one indication and secondly, our closed circuit operations – the bars and chains and mom-and-pop bars, are doing sales reminiscent of Manny Pacquiao of a couple of years ago. They are being blown away by the response, so the Gagliardi family (closed circuit sales team) are chortling, “Happy Days are Here Again.” So then how does the pay per view do? We think it’s going to really do very well and the reason for that is we are marketing it in a lot of different ways. We are not spending the money on the shoulder programming that is seen only on HBO – we are spending that shoulder money on a new series called “ALL IN” which starts today and will be seen all over the internet – on Facebook, Twitter and on the stuff the young kids are watching. We will be reaching many more millions of people than we reached by the previous shoulder programming. We think it’s the way to go. We think by reaching a tremendous audience with views of the fighters and interviews with Manny and Jessie and pictures and vignettes of the other fighters fighting in the championship fights and telling everyone that they are not going to see one or two world championship fights on the telecast, but FOUR. Every single fight is a world championship fight and every single fight is competitive. We think we are going to do very, very big pay per view numbers. Do I know that for a fact? No. The others I know for a fact because the pay per view numbers — we really won’t get a handle on until the week of the fight. Am I optimistic? Off the charts. Off the charts optimistic. Listen, you can say what you want about Pacquiao and Vargas, I think it’s competitive – certain people don’t and that’s their opinion. Jessie is the kind of guy that can make it a real interesting fight. But everybody says that Nonito Donaire vs. Jessie Magdalena is a competitive, very good and interesting fight. The new featherweight champion Oscar Valdez against the No. 1 contender from Japan is a shootout – it’s a terrific fight. And Zou Shiming has a rematch against Prasitak Papoem of Thailand for the vacant title which will be a very interesting fight – wait till you see the Prasitak – it will look like Shiming is fighting a miniature Manny Pacquiao because this kid is a dead image of Manny Pacquiao. So it will really be a great night of boxing and we think the pay per view is going to be terrific.

Manny, you haven’t won by knockout since 2009, does that matter to you?

MANNY PACQUIAO: Remember my minimum weight is – I can still make 135. I can still make 135 and my natural weight is 140. When I move up into the higher weight divisions it changes my preparation – I eat a lot to make 147. Where I may gain a pound of two between the weigh-in and the fight, my opponent may be a lot heavier. I am not saying that I cannot do that, but what I am trying to do in every fight I try to do my best. It just so happens that my opponent is tough and bigger than me. But I am still trying to do my best to get a knockout in the fight. I am not saying what I am predicting for this fight but if the knockout comes, it will come – it is the bonus for all of your sacrifices in training.

MANNY PACQUIAO: My opponent is bigger than me but that doesn’t matter – I am not disappointing the fans that I have and I did my best. I work hard in the fight and in training and I have proven that to the fans.

BOB ARUM: There is another factor. The fighters that Manny is fighting, because he is so powerful and he throws so many punches and he throws them in bunches and he hurts guys – is that they tend to fight in defense. Now any fighter or trainer will tell you that if that happens it is very difficult to knock somebody out – very difficult. I think with Jessie Vargas, who is an offensive fighter who is going to go after Manny, whose goal is to knock Manny out – I think you will see, one way or another, a knockout in this fight. And it’s a lot because Jessie will be fearless and some people say reckless, will be going after Manny to try and knock Manny out. And when that happens it is easier for the other to knock that guy out – you know that.

Freddie, you have said Manny has been hurting you – do you think he is back to the old Manny?

FREDDIE ROACH: He has been very aggressive in his sparring – throwing combinations and he seems to be getting back to the old Manny – really quick combinations, in and out, flurries and very hard punching. He has been hurting me while on the mitts. My shoulder is a little messed up. Buboy’s hand and shoulders are messed up. We’ll hang in there … but holding the mitts for Manny is not the most fun thing in the world to do – it’s hard, hard work. If he carries that over into the fight I think he will knock somebody out. He hasn’t knocked out any 147-poundersin awhile but again they are much bigger guys and they can take better shots, but I feel that with the combinations and the way he has been training he has been very close to knocking guys out in the gym and so forth. I am very impressed with him in the gym workouts so far.

I have seen some clips where the workout had to end early…

FREDDIE ROACH: We have never ended a workout early. We never end a workout early. That just doesn’t happen. Manny Pacquiao comes into the gym and he works his ass off every day no matter how late we started. When he is in session — if we begin at 8 p.m. — we work out until the workout is over. We have not taken one minute off because of that. He is a Senator and he works very hard to do all of the stuff he has to do at that job. He is busier than usual but he always likes a full plate and he has a full plate right now.

Correct me if I am wrong but wasn’t he sick for a few days in training camp?

FREDDIE ROACH: Was he sick in training camp? No. There was a couple of days I told him to stay home and get some rest when sparring days were the next day and he didn’t listen to me and he shows up anyway. Manny Pacquiao is still the most dedicated fighter I have ever seen. I did get him to take one day off because I told him sparring is more important, so I did get him to take one day off, yes.

How is the process of being a Senator and going to training camp?

FREDDIE ROACH: It has worked pretty well for us so far. We are on one end of it and he’s on the other. We are the ones that have only one job to go to and he has two jobs to go to. It depends on how Manny feels and he looks great. The workouts are good and he is disciplined 100%. He comes in the gym every day no matter what time his Senatorial duties are over and he does a full scheduled workout. I do think he will fight again. And this is the best Manny Pacquiao I have seen in training camp in a long time.

What is the most important legislation you are pushing right now?

MANNY PACQUIAO: Right now I am pushing for the establishment of a boxing commission in the Philippines to focus on boxing that is close to being approved and also sponsoring the restoration of the death penalty.

Are you enjoying the boxing – is it a relief for you – after the Senate?

MANNY PACQUIAO: Absolutely, I am still enjoying boxing that is why I am continuing my career and I am also enjoying my time in the Senate while I am doing my job. I am enjoying both.

Does boxing serve as stress relief after a full day in the Senate?

MANNY PACQUIAO: NO! They are both hard. At the of the day in the Senate I am exhausted mentally and when I get to the gym and have to work hard and after that I am exhausted physically so I have to rest.

Bob, what has it been like working with Manny Pacquiao?

BOB ARUM: It made a tremendous difference to me emotionally. In 1985 I co-promoted a fight in Manila and I spent a lot of time in the Philippines and walked away from the people in the Philippines and in the interim years I had met so many Filipinos who had come to the United States and found them to be charming delightful people and with my association with Manny I have had an opportunity to meet thousands of Filipinos and have spent a lot of time in the Philippines and to meet somebody as dedicated to man kind as Manny Pacquiao. To me Manny Pacquiao symbolizes the best of the Philippine people. Somebody who cares for other people and somebody who dedicates his life to doing good. I think that that has had a great influence on me in my later years. To me when I think about it, made everything that I have accomplished and done in boxing worthwhile because I have had that experience with Manny and the Philippine people.

In Closing . . .

BOB ARUM: Looking forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday at Manny’s media day. I am really excited about this fight. My job is to get people interested and sometimes it is very hard because I have to get myself interested. In this event I really believe – Pacquiao and Vargas I can’t wait to see that fight and the other three title fights are absolutely great and to be able to do an event like this involving fighter from countries all over the world is something special, naysayers who cover the sport, who always talk about boxing being dead, and boxing being this and boxing being that, in negative terms will see, that on November 5 boxing is on the cusp of real greatness. In the 51 years I have been in the sport I have never seen the quantity of terrific fighters that I see today – not only from the United States but from all over the world. From the four corners of the world – from New Zealand, to Kazakhstan, to Russia, the Philippines, China, Brazil, to Ireland – all over the world. We have a great global sport and we will celebrate that sport on the evening of November 5 with a great card of four world championship fights.

FREDDIE ROACH: Manny is in great shape and he’s really looking good and I’m looking forward to this fight and many more to come after that.

MANNY PACQUIAO: I can’t wait for November 5.

*********************************

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, and Roach are in the final weeks of training for their world championship collision with World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight world champion JESSIE VARGAS (27-1, 10 KOs), of Las Vegas. In just 11 days they 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 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 ÓSCAR 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/trbox

LAS VEGAS, NEV (October 24, 2016) –Top Rank (@trboxing) will debut its new and innovative video series, “ALL IN: Pacquiao-Vargas,” Today! Monday. October 24. “ALL IN: Pacquiao-Vargas” is designed to bring the fan closer to the action and the event, taking you … ALL IN. Daily episodes will be released exclusively on Facebook (facebook.com/trboxing) and Twitter (twitter.com/trboxing). “ALL IN: Pacquiao-Vargas” will follow boxing’s only eight-division world champion and the reigning Fighter of the Decade MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO and his opponent World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight world champion JESSIE VARGAS on the road to their world championship collision on November 5 at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.. As the intensity heats up so will the series. Viewers will be given an inside look into each fighter’s daily preparations, where they will see and hear the trainers, fighters, media and fans interact. In the days before the big rumble, a special edition of the series, “ALL IN: Pacquiao-Vargas: Fight Week,” will debut Tuesday, November 1 and will also be available exclusively on social media. Fans can expect to hear interviews with the fighters and their trainers and get a behind the scenes look into fight week events including media workouts, the final press conference, the official weigh-in, and more.

“All In is a series that not only gives the fans a good look behind the scenes of a major world championship fight, it’s done on a daily basis so that it’s fresh, current, informative and entertaining,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank. “By making these episodes available via various social platforms we are confident that we will reach a wide audience beyond the core boxing fans. We are very proud and excited to present this series.”

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Promoted by Top Rank, in association with MP Promotions, Wynn Las Vegas and Tecate, 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.

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, 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.

LOS ANGELES (October 22, 2016) – Pacquiao Nation Assemble!

Boxing superhero and reigning Fighter of the Decade, Senator MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO, arrives in the U.S. Tonight! Saturday, October 22. Pacquiao and his team are scheduled to arrive at LAX International’s Tom Bradley Terminal aboard Philippine Airlines Flight 102 at 7:30 p.m. PT. To check the status of the flight, use this link and click “Flight Status”: https://www.philippineairlines.com/en

With the current Philippine Senate session in recess, Fighter of the Decade MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO (58-6-2, 38 KOs), of General Santos City, Philippines, will begin phase two of his training in the familiar surrounds of Wild Card Boxing Club, in Hollywood, on Monday. Pacquiao is two weeks away from his challenge of World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight world champion JESSIE VARGAS (27-1, 10 KOs), of Las Vegas. 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.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with MP Promotions and Wynn Las Vegas, Pacquiao vs. Vargas will take place 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.

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (October 20, 2016) — Undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight world champion ÓSCAR VALDEZ and undefeated No. 1 junior featherweight contender JESSIE MAGDALENO held a Media Workout on Thursday at Jack Rabbit Boxing Club in Long Beach, Calif. Both men are in deep training for their respective world championship fights which will take place as the co-features to the MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO – JESSIE VARGAS WBO welterweight world title fight, on Saturday, November 5, at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Valdez (21-0, 18 KOs), from Nogales, Mexico, who represented Mexico in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, was the first Mexican fighter to qualify for two Olympic games. He will be making his first title defense, against No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger Hiroshige Osawa (30-3-4, 19 KOs), from Osaka, Japan.

Magdaleno (23-0, 17 KOs), from Las Vegas, Nev., will be challenging four-division world champion NONITO “The Filipino Flash” DONAIRE (37-3, 24 KOs), from General Santos City, Philippines, for his WBO junior featherweight title.

Not only did they look ready, they sounded ready. Here’s what they had to say:

Óscar Valdez

“When you are a champion there is pressure to maintain your performance and keep your world title. I am defending against a tall, rangy fighter who has more fights than me. He really has an awkward style of fighting which is challenging for me as well. However it is nothing I have not seen before. I am going to win this one for Mexico.”

Jessie Magdaleno

“I am going against Nonito who is smart in the ring, has a dangerous left hook I must deal with. A real good hard shot to the body will take away some of his left hook power. And once he really opens up it’s better for me to get in big punches. He will be strong for about five rounds then there will be a fade and we will take it over. He’s a tough competitor for sure. But this is my dream fight, not his.”

Manny Robles on Óscar Valdez

“Óscar is a world champion for these reasons – dedication, determination, will to win, and the desire to be the best ever.

“While training Óscar we always told him ‘your next fight is your biggest ever — your world title fight.’ Now he is a world champion and he knows the real challenges of keeping the title belt.

“I’ve trained champions like Reggie Johnson, Martin Castillo, Israel Vasquez, Mike Anchondo and now Óscar. Those champions shared similarities in deep focus and strong desire. Óscar possesses those qualities too. I think he will become one of the greatest champions of all time.”

Manny Robles on Jessie Magdaleno

“Fighters like a lot of attention, a trainer who cares for him. That was my priority when I began training Jessie for this big title fight against Nonito Donaire.

“Jessie has done everything we’ve asked. We pay a lot of attention to him and he has responded with such hard training and dedication.

“Jessie has sparred for many rounds — 12 rounds yesterday alone – – and he is totally prepared to beat Donaire.”

Brad Goodman. Top Rank matchmaker

“Nonito and Jessie each have one-punch knockout power. This could be a one-punch knockout fight but I am not sure who wins it.”

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Promoted by Top Rank, in association with MP Promotions and Wynn Las Vegas, the Pacquiao – Vargas world welterweight championship event 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.

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. They may be purchased at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office, 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.pacvargas.com and 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.

LAS VEGAS, NEV (October 19, 2016) — As the current Philippine Senate session draws to a close, political science will morph into the sweet science for boxing’s only eight-division world champion and reigning Fighter of the Decade MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO. Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs), of General Santos City, Philippines, who was elected to the Philippine Senate in May, will be going through his own climate change when he flies from Manila to Los Angeles on Saturday, October 22, via Philippine Airlines flight 102. On Monday, October 24, he will begin phase two of his training camp, at Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, for his challenge of World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight world champion JESSIE VARGAS (27-1, 10 KOs), of Las Vegas. 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 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.

“I have been training Manny for 15 years and even after all this time he still amazes me,” said seven-time Trainer of the Year and Hall of Famer World-Famous Freddie Roach. “He’s pushing 38 and he still outworks every fighter I’ve ever worked with. He’s had a killer schedule during this training camp but it’s been really productive. You’d have to see it to believe it.”

A typical work/training day for Pacquiao begins with a 5 a.m. wakeup call that has him doing his multi-mile morning run one hour later. His run is followed by grueling strength and conditioning work with Justin Fortune. After that, it’s a shower, a daily reading of the Bible and breakfast before he heads off in business attire to the Senate for a full day of legislative duties. Pacquiao usually arrives at the gym between 5 and 6 p.m. where he works out for three hours with Roach and his sparring partners. The day ends with dinner at home followed by a game of chess and a deep sleep. True to his promise to the electorate, Pacquiao did not miss one senate session.

“It is all about discipline and time management,” said Pacquiao. “Boxing is my passion and public service is my calling. I will continue to travel both roads as long as I can do both effectively. I dedicate the fights I take on to my fans and my countrymen. They have kept me in their prayers. I fight to bring glory to the Philippines whether I’m wearing boxing gloves or standing on the floor of the senate.”

“Manny is the only person I know who you can read about in the sports section and the national news section of the same newspaper on a daily basis,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “When Manny is inducted into the Hall of Fame, his plaque will say he was boxing’s only eight-division world champion, but that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what makes him so special. He is literally a national treasure who has brought great honor to the sport and to his country. He’s the amazing Manny.”

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Promoted by Top Rank, in association with MP Promotions and Wynn Las Vegas, 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.

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (October 17, 2016) — Remaining tickets to the world championship fight between 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, and defending World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion JESSIE VARGAS (27-1, 10 KOs), from Las Vegas, can be purchased online at http://www.unlvtickets.com/, at UNLVtickets Outlet Town Square Las Vegas and La Bonita Supermarkets and charged by phone call 702-739-FANS (3267) or 866-388-FANS (3267). The Thomas & Mack Center box office will reopen on Thursday. The Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is playing host to the third and final presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on Wednesday.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with MP Promotions and Wynn Las Vegas, the Pacquiao vs. Vargas world championship event will take place on Saturday, November 5, at the Thomas & Mack Center. Remaining tickets are priced at $1,000, $700, $500, $300, $100 and $50, not including applicable service fees.

“Our ticket sales are great with Las Vegas fighters on this card in significant world championship fights. Fans in Las Vegas can still buy their tickets online or by phone,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. “And to Mr. Trump’s chagrin, the only drug testing taking place at Thomas & Mack, between now and November 5, will be the ones given by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to the fighters on the Pacquiao – Vargas card.”

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.

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.