Manny Pacquiao used his holiday away from his legislative duties as a Philippine Senator to defeat Jesse Vargas and claim the WBO welterweight title.
Old Pacquiao nemesis Floyd Mayweather Jr. was on hand to witness the fight, which went the distance and resulted in a lopsided unanimous decision in favour of Pacquiao. He outpointed Vargas on all three of the ringside judges’ scorecards, 118 – 109, 118 – 109, and 114 – 113.
Now, boxing fans and boxing promoters, including broadcasters seeking lucrative pay-per-view opportunities, are clamouring for a Pacquiao rematch against Mayweather.
Which causes us to wonder, how long will it be before one of these bouts betwixt “retired” boxers is staged at the assisted living facility where one or both of them resides?
Pacquiao has not knocked out an opponent since the first year of Barack Obama’s administration. He desperately wanted to knock out Vargas, who is from Vegas, where the fight was staged, but Vargas was able to withstand the punches of the speedier Pacquiao, despite being dropped in the second round with a bloody face.
Vargas attempted to lure Pacquiao into a brawl in the middle of the ring, which is exactly what happened in the eighth round, where he connected with a right that staggered Pacquiao.
Both men were well compensated for their evening’s effort. Pacquiao picked up $4 million and Vargas got $2.8 million.
