LAS VEGAS via Glutamax - When Manny Pacquiao was shopping for an opponent for his comeback fight on November 5 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, most boxing aficionados hoped unified WBC/WBO and lineal junior welterweight champion Terence Crawford would get the call. He is, after all, undefeated, a top five pound-for-pound boxer and the 2014 Fighter of the Year. To their disappointment, reigning WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas was chosen. Though Vargas is a solid opponent with a 27-1 win-loss record, his credentials pale in comparison to Crawford’s.
Some would naturally speculate that Manny simply wanted an easy paycheck. Others felt he was avoiding Crawford like the black plague.
Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, recently made it clear in his interview with Philstar that this bout is a ‘feeling-out fight’ for the Pacman. The seven-time Trainer of the Year awardee is unsure if Manny, now an elected senator in The Philippines who’s been heavily involved with his duties, can juggle both careers effectively. “If it's a good training camp and everything goes well...if being a senator works with his boxing, we'll be okay,” says Roach. “I just have to make sure that this is going to work first. If this doesn't work, then we're going to have to make some adjustments and change things a little bit. But if it does work, then we can fight anybody,” he continued. In other words, Crawford will have his day in the sun if this set up works.
But while that is the primary reason Vargas was selected over Crawford, there’s another reason that focuses more on fan enjoyment. Roach’s first assistant, Marvin Somodio, believes that a fight with Crawford might not be very exciting. “Pag si Terence Crawford ang kalaban magiging boring (If Crawford is the opponent, it will be boring,)” implying that his boxing style will result in little action. “Kaya nila kinuha si Vargas, yung laban pasugod. Mas exciting para sa mga tao (That’s why they chose Vargas, he comes forward. It will be more exciting for those who will watch,)” Somodio added.
This puts more credence to Manny’s claim that he’s “doing this for the fans.” While people may feel that this statement is in direct contradiction to what most people want, which is a match with Crawford, Manny is looking ahead to the actual fight itself. On paper, Crawford is an interesting fight. But Pacquiao knows the action will not live up to expectations, just like his record-breaking Pay-Per-View fight with Floyd Mayweather last year which drew tons of criticism for its lack of action. ‘Doing it for the fans’ is making sure the viewers will enjoy seeing plenty of action, something Vargas is known to bring.
But the question remains: if and when Pacquiao finally laces up against Terence Crawford, can he still beat the young champion at this stage? “Hilaw… hindi pa siya (Crawford) ganun ka solid na fighter. Wala pa siya sa level nila Manny at nila Floyd, yung mga beteranong boksingero (Still raw… Crawford is not yet that solid a fighter. He’s not yet on the level of Manny and Floyd, the veterans,)” comments Somodio. “Pero magaling siya at gagaling pa yan. Pero sa ngayon hindi pa… nasaktan siya sa dating ka sparring partner ni Manny. Pag si Manny ang kalaban, mas mahihirapan siya (But he’s good and will continue to improve. But for now, not yet… not when he was hurt by Manny’s former sparring partner. If that was Manny, he’ll have a harder time,)” he added.
Reminded about Crawford’s dominant victory a few months ago over Roach’s fighter, Viktor Postol, the Filipino trainer is quick to point out that it’s a completely different fight, “Si Crawford, maganda yung performance niya laban kay Postol, pero si Postol hindi si Manny. Si Manny mas explosive. Siguradong mahuhuli siya ni Manny at mananalo si Manny (Crawford had an impressive performance against Postol but Postol is not Manny. Manny is more explosive. For sure, Crawford will get caught and Manny will win,)” exclaimed Somodio.
While Crawford may be in the fighting senator’s future, Somodio isn’t looking past Jessie Vargas. “Si Vargas mas bata. At yung mga boxers na paangat, sila yung delikadong kalaban. Hindi pwedeng maliitin ang kalaban (Vargas is younger. And boxers on the way up are the dangerous ones. We can’t take him lightly,)” says Somodio.
Vargas may prove to be the more exciting match, after all. November 5 can't get here soon enough.
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