Pacman is back. After a very brief retirement, eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao is set to step back into the boxing ring to face Jessie Vargas for the WBO welterweight champion on November 5, 2016 in Las Vegas.
Questions remain about whether the 38-year-old Pacquiao still has it in him. Will he prove his doubters wrong on Sunday by regaining his welterweight strap? Read on below for our full preview of Pacman’s return fight.
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After disappointing in his highly-publicized fight against Floyd Mayweather, Pacquiao delivered a vintage performance in his “retirement fight” against Timothy Bradley. Pacman knocked the American down twice and dominating en route to a unanimous decision win.
The big concern for the 38-year-old Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KO) heading into this fight with Vargas is his physical shape and whether his duties as a Philippine senator have hindered him in any way. However, he did look good against Bradley, and Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, believes Pacman’s still as quick as ever, for whatever that’s worth. And if Roach is indeed right, Pacman should be able to win this fight easily.
Pacquiao is an eight-division world champion who’s fought the best of the best throughout his career. He will have the undeniable edge over Vargas in terms of big-fight experience. And of course, Pacquiao is still the superior boxer. His ability to find angles and land a wide array of punches will be something Vargas hasn’t seen before, and will be tough for him to overcome.
Pacman is also no stranger to fighting bigger opponents (see: his dominant wins over Oscar De La Hoya, Antonio Margarito, and most recently, Chris Algieri). Even if he has indeed slowed down a bit, the gulf in quality is such that Pacquaio should still be able to craft a relatively comfortably victory.
Despite being the title-holder, Vargas is very much the underdog in this bout. His 27-1 may look impressive, but he has hardly beaten anyone of note. His lone loss came against easily the best fighter he’s faced – Timothy Bradley. That loss was quite convincing, too, and a damning indictment of Vargas’ chances considering Pacquiao basically had the better of Bradley in all three of their fights.
Vargas will have a significant height, reach, and age advantage over Pacman. Although, it remains to be seen whether he has the ability to make those advantages count against top-level competition.
It’s honestly tough to see a scenario where Vargas outboxes Pacman for a full 12 rounds. And even if he does put up a much closer fight than expected, there’s still a good chance the judges side with Pacquiao if it does go to a decision.
The most conceivable path to victory for Vargas would be via stoppage, and even that is a bit unlikely. Vargas only has 10 career wins by knockout. Although, he did knock Bradley down late in their fight, and he also scored a TKO win over Sadam Ali in his most recent fight in March.
The possibility definitely exists that Pacquiao finally shows his age and isn’t the once-feared fighter many remember. However, the likelihood of Vargas capitalizing and scoring a career-defining win seems equally as remote.
Writer’s Prediction
There’s a reason Pacquiao was matched up with Vargas for his return fight. Even at an advanced age, Pacman is just the superior fighter, and he will show it on Sunday. Pacquiao (-800) marks his return with a straightforward unanimous decision victory over Vargas.
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