Manny Pacquiao was victorious in his first fight
since his brief retirement. The 37-year-old beat Jessie Vargas on Saturday
night in Las Vegas.The judges scored it 118-109, 118-109, 114-113 in favor of
Pacquiao, according to ESPN.com's Dan Rafael.
The win was further evidence that Pacquiao can still
provide excitement in the ring but that he'll never return to the days when he was
an unstoppable monster capable of ending a fight with one punch.
Pacquiao tagged Vargas with some significant blows
and sent the 27-year-old to the canvas in the second round. He was helped by
the fact Vargas looked completely overmatched at times, which Rafael noted.
Although Vargas didn't quit,
stamina became a big issue in the bout's final stages. He looked visibly tired
by the ninth and 10th rounds, and his offense became sloppier. Pacquiao had
little trouble avoiding Vargas' attempted strikes.
Pacquiao
also grew more confident and connected with shots that knocked Vargas back a
bit. Yet, despite his sizable advantage, he was unable to put Vargas down for a
10 count. His streak of fights without a knockout victory extended to 12 after
Saturday.
Especially with the absence of a
knockout, beating Vargas doesn't mean much for Pacquiao in the long run. He was
heavily favored coming into the fight, boasting 1-10 odds, according to Odds
Shark.
In addition, Pac-Man's legacy is
largely cemented at this point. He's one of the best fighters of his
generation, and nothing that happens in the ring down the line will change
that.
At the least, Saturday's win may
open the door slightly for a potential rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr.,
whereas a loss for Pacquiao would've all but eliminated the possibility.
In July, Pacquiao's trainer
Freddie Roach said he thought Pac-Man would jump at the chance for another
crack at his rival.
"I want the rematch with
Mayweather," Roach said, according to Boxingjunkie's Bob Velin.
"Manny thought he won that fight, and he would definitely want that fight,
for sure."
Mayweather was in attendance for
Saturday's event, and Pacquiao acknowledged him during his fight, according to
Yahoo Sports' Chris Mannix
Still, the odds of Mayweather-Pacquiao
2 are slim.ESPN.com's Darren Rovell reported in May that Mayweather Promotions
filed for various trademarks surrounding a 50th fight for Mayweather. He has
largely remained quiet, though, after his proposed bout with UFC star Conor
McGregor fell through.
The unbeaten legend may come out
of retirement if the price is right, and Pacquiao is one of the few opponents
who could possibly deliver the kind of payday Mayweather will be demanding.
Mayweather's picking Andre Berto
for his last fight was a big surprise, but he wouldn't go in that direction
again should he pursue one more lucrative event. He'd want to create as big a
spectacle as possible, thus limiting the pool of candidates.
Most fans had given up hope of
ever seeing Mayweather vs. Pacquiao until the bout was finalized, so it would
be foolish to write off a rematch ever happening. With that said, Pacquiao will
want to keep his options open in the event Mayweather isn't a realistic
opponent for his next fight.
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