Las Vegan Jessie Vargas in talks to fight Manny Pacquiao
All signs point to Jessie Vargas winning the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes.
Vargas said Wednesday that his manager, Cameron Dunkin, has been working on a contract for him to fight Pacquiao on Nov. 5 at the Thomas &Mack Center on HBO pay per view.
“We know we have a high possibility of a fight between him and I, and it’s being confirmed soon,” said Vargas, a Las Vegas native. “We’re looking forward to it, reviewing the contract and signing it.
“Everything is pointing in the right direction that we will have a fight confirmed between Manny Pacquiao and Jessie Vargas.”
The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that Pacquiao’s adviser, Michael Koncz, confirmed Vargas was the choice for the fall fight. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who represents Vargas and Pacquiao, denied the report.
Arum said he will travel to the Philippines on Sunday to meet with Pacquiao to discuss the future Hall of Famer’s next opponent.
“Until Manny makes his decision, everything is just speculation,” Arum said. “I’ve talked with Jessie, I know what it will require Jessie to fight, but everything is up to Manny, and I haven’t talked to Manny and I won’t until I get to the Philippines.”
Arum also denied claims of Pacquiao’s comeback bout possibly moving to the Philippines or the Middle East. UNLV moved a men’s basketball exhibition game to make the fight happen for Nov. 5.
“That is not true. It will be at the Thomas &Mack, and it will be hosted by Wynn Resorts,” Arum said. “The university was nice enough to move an exhibition basketball game, so that’s firm. It will be in Las Vegas.”
Vargas, the WBO welterweight champion who is 27-1 with 10 knockouts, could be launched into the boxing spotlight if he lands a marquee matchup against one of the most popular boxers of the past decade. But he said he won’t let himself get too far ahead after having a match against Kell Brook fall apart last month.
Vargas had signed a contract to face Brook in a welterweight unification bout, but Brook backed out to fight middleweight terror Gennady Golovkin on Sept. 10.
It will be interesting to see if the boxing public accepts the Vargas-Pacquiao matchup. Vargas isn’t a known name to casual fans, and Pacquiao’s last fight versus Timothy Bradley Jr. in April did poorly in pay-per-view sales.
Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 knockouts) retired after defeating Bradley because he wasn’t sure if he was able to balance boxing and his duties in the Philippine Senate. Pacquiao gave Arum the green light last month to schedule his comeback fight.
“I want to give my fans, the citizens of Las Vegas a great fight,” Vargas said. “As soon as this fight gets confirmed, I will promote it and update and inform all my fans that the big night has come and it will be Nov. 5.”
Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow him on Twitter: @gmanzano24
