Tag Archives: Manny Pacquiao return

Manny Pacquiao vs. Jessie Vargas Slated For November 5th

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It’s official. Manny Pacquiao is coming out of retirement. And according to his business manager, boxing’s only 8 division world champion will be facing WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas on November 5th.

Michael Koncz told reporters on Thursday that Pacquiao and his team will meet in the Philippines on August 10th to discuss the details of the Filipino Politician’s comeback fight. However, when asked if they would meet to discuss on who Pacman would be fighting, Koncz told reporters “that’s already been done.” Koncz countered by saying they will be discussing whether to hold the fight in Las Vegas or in Dubai.

Not Comfortable

Koncz then went on to mention the name of Vargas as Pacquiao’s choice of opponent.  He said that he and Pacquiao arrived at that decision because they felt “uncomfortable” with  the style of unified light welterweight champion Terence Crawford. Crawford won a convincing unanimous decision fight against Viktor Postol last July.

Whatever Koncz meant by “uncomfortable”, he didn’t elaborate. However, pundits are pointing to Crawford’s slick boxing style which frustrated the hard hitting Postol throughout their 12-round title unification contest.

Pacman Sweepstakes

Crawford was supposed to be the winner of the “Pacman Sweepstakes” following his win over Postol. It was made to appear by Top Rank’s Bob Arum that the winner between Crawford-Postol would have the inside track on getting the call to fight the Filipino ring legend.

However, after Crawford’s magnificent boxing job against the slugger Postol, experts believe he’s going to cause a lot of problems for Pacquiao who is known to prefer a slugfest. It can be recalled that Pacquiao lost via clear and wide unanimous decision against Floyd Mayweather in May of 2015. Pacquiao bounced back with an impressive points win over Timothy Bradley last April. Pacquiao then announced his retirement to pursue his political ambitions in the Philippines.

Political Duties

After winning as Senator in the May of 2016 Philippine elections, Pacquiao vowed not to fight again and promised to fulfill his duties as legislator. But as the months passed, Pacquiao had a change of heart. Now, he’s making sure his boxing schedules are aligned with his political duties. The Philippine senate will be at break during November 5th and the weeks leading to it, giving Pacquiao ample time to prepare for his comeback bout.

Pacquiao was first linked to fight Adrien Broner but sources say Broner priced himself out of the bout. Crawford was the next logical choice but with his PPV bout with Postol rumored to have just 50K buys, Bud is an unproven PPV dance partner. Vargas has never been a PPV draw himself, but his Mexican affiliation will help bring in additional numbers.

Manny Pacquiao Set to Come Out of Retirement in November

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Manny Pacquiao will be returning to the boxing ring on November 5th; at least that’s what his promoter is saying.

Top Rank boss  Bob Arum told ESPN that the Filipino ring icon will fight again on November 5 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada against an opponent to be announced later.

Crawford As Front Runner?

That announcement is expected to be in the weeks following Saturday’s Terence Crawford-Viktor Postol Junior Welterweight title unification bout because the winner of that bout  is reportedly the front-runner in the hunt for Pacman’s next foe.

When rumors of Pacquiao’s return first came out, Adrien Broner’s name was next to it. Arum later confirmed the initial talks but said Broner priced himself out of the bout. Aside from Crawford, the names of welterweight champions Jessie Vargas (WBO)  and Danny Garcia (WBC) are also being linked to Pacquiao. Earlier, IBF Welterweight Keith Thurman threw his hat in the Pacman lottery by telling the Filipino fighter “Let’s give the fans a prize fight.”

Conflict With Politics

Arum said Pacquiao’s return was initially targeted for October 5 but was moved to November because of conflicts with Pacquiao’s schedule as a lawmaker in his native country.

Pacquiao was elected to a six year senatorial term in the May of 2016 Philippine National Elections. He previously said he was retiring from the sport so that he could give 100% of his time in serving his countrymen. According to Arum, the Philippine Senate will be in recess in the weeks prior to November 5th. So without a conflict of schedule, Pacquiao can return to the ring without sacrificing his duty for his country.

Pacquiao announced his retirement after beating Timothy Bradley during their 3rd bout last April 9th. However, not many were convinced that Pacquiao would be out for too long not only because of his reason to quit ( Politics) but also because he still showed impressive form in easily beating Bradley who was then considered to be in the best form of his career.

Pacman’s retirement followed the departure of rival Floyd Mayweather who also retired in September of 2015. Mayweather has also shown interest in fighting again, even to the point of a rumor pitting him against MMA star Conor McGregor in a multi-million crossover boxing match. Arum has likewise been baiting Mayweather to come out of retirement and fight a 100% healthy Pacquiao. But Money hasn’t obliged. Perhaps after a Pacquiao victory over Crawford or Postol, Mayweather will change his mind.