When Manny Paccquiao stepped in the ring on April 9th to face Timothy Bradley, he declared it would be his last time performing the sweet science at any level.
He went on to beat Bradley, solidifying himself as the trilogy winner of their formerly tied saga and sailed off into the sunset with the WBO International and lineal welterweight titles.
A life of Congressional hearings and general uplift of the Philippines and its people were thought to be all that would remain of his legacy, but when it was announced that he was returning to face Jesse Vargas (27-1), it was clear Pacquiao (58-6-2) isnt quite done yet.
However, this fight has no buzz at all and that is for a few reasons.
For one, before the final Timothy Bradley fight, he fought Floyd Mayweather in the much-anticipated Fight of the Century. The fight overpromised and under-delivered in what most regard as a boxing clinic by the ever-confident Mayweather.
The hefty $100 price tag for the pay-per-view and the paltry outcome left a bad taste in the mouths of both fair weather fight fans and diehards alike.
Second, since Juan Manuel Marquez knocked Pacquiao out cold in 2012, his fights have been a lusterless run of unanimous decision victories leading up to Mayweather, and after. Unfortunately, his charitable ways have put increasing strain on his finances and the fight is a must for his bottom line.
Either way, he is facing a game opponent in Jesse Vargas, whose only loss was to Timothy Bradley and is the recent recipient of the WBO welterweight title after his 9th round TKO of Sadam Ali. The fight will surely bring out the same fast-paced style of Pacquiao, but at his age and with nothing more to prove, the true test will be to see if that hunger that once cemented his legacy still remains.
Catch all the action from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas live on HBO PPV on Saturday, November 5th.
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The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale: Raphael dos Anjos vs. Tony Ferguson
Former UFC lightweight champion Raphael dos Anjos (25-8) returns to the Octagon to face Tony Ferguson when the UFC hits Mexico City this weekend.
The Brazilian makes his return since losing his belt to Eddie Alvarez in a first round KO in July. With Alvarez on the verge of defending his belt against Conor McGregor at UFC 205, this fight is relevant as Dos Anjos was a fairly dominant champion.
Currently on an eight-fight win streak, Tony Ferguson (21-3) is more than deserving of a title shot right now. With wins over Edson Barboza, Gleison Tibau and Josh Thomson among a few, Ferguson is looking to solidify his position as a true title contender.
Catch all the action live from Mexico City, Mexico on FS1 this Saturday at 10pm EST/7pm PST.
