(Reuters) — Manny Pacquiao seemed to indicate he may have overextended himself in combining a political career with a boxing comback at a news conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday (November 2)
The only eight division world champion said “It’s going to be a historical fight. Basically my first fight being a senator. I tell you this. Don’t do this. Being a senator in a fight is not easy. If you don’t have discipline yourself,” Pacquiao said ahead of his welterweight title fight with Jessie Vargas. Pacquiao is currently serving a term as senator in the Philippines.
Pacquiao, considered to be one of the greatest boxers of all time, scored a unanimous decision win over American Timothy Bradley in his most recent bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in April. That was his first fight in nearly a year after his loss to undefeated American Floyd Mayweather in a heavily hyped welterweight showdown, and it improved his career record to (58-6-2).
Pacquiao has come out of retirement to to fight Vargas (27-1) who beat fellow American Sadam Ali in March to claim the WBO welterweight crown and has won 10 of his bouts via a knockout or stoppage, with his only defeat coming via a points loss to Bradley in June 2015.
“We have overexceeded every aspect in training when it come to speed, power and intelligence in the ring. We have a strong hook and a strong right so you know, either way if he wants to swing off to the left we’ll catch him there if he wants to sneak of to the right we’ll get him there. We’re ready. I can’t be any more ready than this,” he said in response to Pacquiao. Vargas has previously held the WBA and IBO super lightweight titles in 2014.
