LAS VEGAS—There has been a cauldron of activity bubbling in Nevada not only because it is a hotly contested swing state in the 2016 US elections; it’s also because it’s five days to go before Philippine boxing legend and Senator Manny Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs)—coming out of retirement—goes up against World Boxing Organization (WBO) Welterweight Champion Jessie Vargas (27-1,10 KOs).
Joining a Pacquiao-headlined fight for the first time on Nov. 5 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas is Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire (37-3, 24 KOs), who will defend his WBO Super Bantamweight title against the undefeated Jessie Magdaleno (23-0, 17 KOs).
The fight—billed as The Legend vs The Champ—will be shown on Nov. 6 at 4 a.m. in KSA and 5 a.m. in Dubai, live (with replays) via TFC.tv PPV subscription is at 80 SAR. The Legend vs. The Champ is also available via OSN, ELife and Mozaic TV Powered by Ooredoo. In the US, it will be shown on Nov. 5 live, distributed by Top Rank PPV.
In a recent interview with Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman on First Take on ESPN, Top Rank Founder and CEO Bob Arum claimed that far from being an easy fight for Pacquiao, Vargas could end up knocking out the legendary Filipino fighter.
“Jessie Vargas has become a terrific fighter,” said Arum. “He has a trainer—Dewey Cooper—that has turned him from being a defensive fighter into an offensive force. And when he won the world title, he knocked out Sadam Ali, who is a terrific fighter, who was a member of the US Olympic team, and he [Vargas] knocked out Ali cold. Let me tell you something: the way Manny fights and the way Vargas fights, if Vargas hits him—which he is capable of doing—he could knock Pacquiao out. Remember, Vargas had Bradley out in the last round. The referee stopped the fight by mistake because he thought the 10th second was the bell.”
Arum also told ABS-CBN in another interview: “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, and he will be going after Manny, to try and knock Manny out.”
Vargas, who is 10 years younger than Pacquiao, said in an interview with ABS-CBN that “It’s my time to shine. I’m going for a knockout. The minute that he [Pacquiao] gives me that opening, I’m taking it. The 8th round sounds very, very good to me.”
The bold predictions don’t end with Vargas; Magdaleno also had daring words to say against Donaire in an ABS-CBN interview.
“He (Donaire) is past his prime. He will be strong for about five rounds. Then he will fade and we will take over,” Magdaleno claimed. Come fight night, Donaire will be 9 years older than his challenger. “Maybe I’ll be the real Flash come November 5th,” added Magdaleno.
“I’m proud of that fight (Donaire vs Magdaleno),” Arum added. “I think it’s going to be a terrific fight. I think every one of these fights is going to be evenly matched, but I can see where people are saying that Donaire and Magdaleno will be a barn burner.” Arum also noted that while Donaire is an experienced warrior, Magdaleno is “training like a beast”.