Manny Pacquiao begins training for Vargas Title fight:
By: Matthew N. Becher
Eight Division world champion Manny Pacquiao has begun training for his November 5th fight against WBO Welterweight champion Jesse Vargas.
Pacquiao, who is a current Senator in the Philippines, will be training exclusively in his native country, as to not interrupt his public duty. The 37 year old is coming off of a Unanimous Decision victory over Timothy Bradley Jr. in April. It was his best showing against Bradley, who he fought three times, but many concerns have been starting to arise with Pacquiao’s overall look as he trains alongside being a new member to the senate.
Freddy Roach, Pacquiao’s long time Hall of Fame Trainer recently told the Manila Standard:
“I think he is getting a little tired. He looked a little flat.
The Work in the Senate is starting to get to him, so we’ll have to re-arrange
His schedule a bit and give him two days off a week instead of one.”
Pacquiao is sparring exclusively with Jose Ramirez, an undefeated up and coming fighter in the Top Rank stable. Ramirez agreed with Roach, in Pacquiao looking less than stellar in their recent training preparations. Is Pacquiao just too tired to compete as a top level boxer with his new duties as a senator or has age finally caught up to the legendary fighter?
Videos were released yesterday of Pacquiao training on heavy and double-end bags, and most people saw a very different Manny than the one that Roach was describing a few days earlier. Pacquiao seemed to be his old self, moving quickly in and out and flashing the speed and powerful hands that have made him a force in the boxing world for the last decade.
Eventually every boxer slows down, and Pacquiao may just be doing that. Working a full day as a Senator and then going to train for a top level boxing match at night would be almost impossible for any other person. But this is Manny Pacquiao and I believe we give him the benefit of the doubt until we see otherwise. His retirement was less than 3 months, and he will still have fought more times this year than other champions in the same weight class who are almost ten years younger than him. Time will tell, and we hope that the Pacquiao of Old is still inside this Old Pacquiao.