Age not an issue for Manny Pacquiao as he prepares to battle Jessie Vargas – 10 years his junior
37-year-old Filipino star believes speed and movement will see off his opponent
New welterweight champion Jessie Vargas is 10 years younger than Manny Pacquiao, is nearly five inches taller and has a four-inch reach advantage and is confident enough to predict an upset in their title fight Saturday.
“I see [me] coming out with a big victory in front of the entire world in spectacular fashion and [surprising] everyone,” Vargas said recently. “I am going to use every advantage I have in this fight.”
Vargas (27-1, 10 knockouts) will make the first defence of his World Boxing Organization welterweight belt Saturday night in Las Vegas (Sunday morning HK time) against Pacquiao, who has won that same belt on three other occasions.
All that matters to Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 knockouts) is that he has reverted in this training camp to the form that has allowed him to silence so many others who believed they had a formula to defeat him.
“A lot of fighters have said for many years that when they watch my style on TV – even from ringside – that it looks easy to handle. When you step into the ring with me, you’re surprised by the speed, my power, being heavy-handed,” Pacquiao said. “A heavy-handed boxer is different than a strong boxer.”
