ARUM PREDICTS PACQUIAO-VARGAS WILL END IN A KNOCKOUT BUT HE DOESN?T KNOW WHO WILL FALL
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 03 Nov 2016
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum predicts the WBO welterweight title showdown between defending champion Jessie Vargas and former welterweight king, eight division world champion and Philippine senator Manny Pacquiao will end in a knockout, but he doesn?t know who will fall.
Vargas who is ten years younger, four inches taller and enjoys a three inch reach advantage, has promised to go for a knockout the moment he sees an opening but former two division world champion Gerry Penalosa told us Vargas? dreams ?will turn into a nightmare? and there is no way he can beat Pacquiao.
Penalosa has followed Manny?s training camp in Manila intently and believes that the hand-speed of the ?Fighter of the Decade? and his footwork will prove too much for Vargas to overcome.
Arum feels that since Manny has been juggling his training camp with his senatorial duties, the ?Fighter of the Decade? will come out hunting for a knockout win.
He conceded in a conversation with Fox Sports 1, "Vargas is a kid who is coming on. He's becoming a knockout artist. He used to be a defensive fighter. Now he's really punching hard and he knows that he's not going to fool around with Manny defensively. He's going to go and try to get a knockout. And Manny, who is smart, realizes that his training hasn't really been ideal, so he's going to go out and try to knock Jessie out. I don't know who is going to win the fight - and that's the truth - but I know for sure it's going to end with a knockout - I guarantee it's going to be a knockout."
ABS-CBN reporter Dyan Castillejo told the Manila Standard that Pacquiao worked out on the University of Las Vegas Track yesterday morning and then did a few rounds on the punch-mitts.
She said Pacquiao?s footwork was amazing and it may well be the deciding factor in his clash with Vargas and noted that Jessie was ?comparatively slow and lumbering and didn?t move with the same zip.
WBO Asia Pacific head Leon Panoncillo told the Manila Standard that the officials for Pacquiao-Vargas fight are referee Kenneth Bayless and judges Glenn Feldman, Glenn Trowbridge and Dave Moretti while the official supervisor will be WBO president Francisco ?Paco? Valcarcel while the officials for the title defense of Nonito ?The Filipino Flash? Donaire vs Jessie Magdaleno will be referee Tony Weeks and judges Steven Weisfeld, Burt Clements and Adelaide Byrd while the Supervisor will be Richard De Cuir.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
HALL OF FAMER MANNY PACQUIAO SET TO CHASE HISTORY YET AGAIN THIS SATURDAY NIGHT IN WORLD TITLE FIGHT AGAINST MARIO BARRIOS
Wed, 16 Jul 2025Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaimàn: New York, a Special Place for Boxing
By Mauricio Sulaimán, Wed, 16 Jul 2025Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua talking for a possible fight?
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Wed, 16 Jul 2025Philippines Rolls Past Pacific Oceania in Davis Cup Group IV Opener as Cebuana Lhuillier Ambassadors Set the Pace
Wed, 16 Jul 2025QUOTES FROM TONY HARRISON’S OPEN MEDIA WORKOUT TODAY IN DETROIT
Wed, 16 Jul 20253-Time World Champion Miyo Yoshida is tired of playing Boxing’s dreaded waiting game
Wed, 16 Jul 2025RP Blu Girls Dominate India to Strengthen Asia Cup Campaign
By Marlon Bernardino, Wed, 16 Jul 2025Pacquiao-Barrios Betting Odds in Las Vegas: Where Are Bettors Placing Their Money?
By Carlos Costa, Wed, 16 Jul 2025Because Comebacks Matter: Pacquiao Fights for Us All
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, Wed, 16 Jul 2025FILIPINO OLYMPIAN EUMIR MARCIAL, HARD-HITTING CONTENDER OMAR SALCIDO & MORE ROUND OUT LOADED EVENT THIS SATURDAY, JULY 19 AT THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA IN LAS VEGAS
Wed, 16 Jul 2025Dumam-ag fights in Japan on July 20
By Lito delos Reyes, Wed, 16 Jul 2025UNDEFEATED KO ARTISTS COLLIDE! ARMANDO MARTINEZ RABI SET TO FACE ALBEIRO PAREDES
Wed, 16 Jul 2025Arca to compete in 9th Eastern Asia Youth Chess Championships 2025 in Zhuhai, China
By Marlon Bernardino, Wed, 16 Jul 2025Sampson Boxing Announces Signing of Super Lightweight Prospect Jorge De Jesus to Promotional Contract
Wed, 16 Jul 2025THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 14 JULY 2025: Katie Taylor Makes 3-0 Over Amanda Serrano; Baumgardner Defeats Miranda; Stevenson Outclasses Zepeda; Sheeraz Stops Berlanga
By Eric Armit, Tue, 15 Jul 2025