High-energy trainer Dewey Cooper believes Jessie Vargas belongs in Nov. 5 fight against Manny Pacquiao

Jessie Vargas/Photo courtesy of Top Rank Inc.

 

All one has to do is spend a couple of minutes with Dewey Cooper, and it’s obvious this is a trainer with emotional energy to burn. He speaks in electric, as well as confident, tones.

That was certainly the case when Cooper recently spoke about his fighter, welterweight champion Jessie Vargas, who Nov. 5 will defend his title against Manny Pacquiao
at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas (on Top Rank pay-per-view, $59.95).

This is only going to be Cooper’s second fight with Las Vegas’ Vargas. In their first, Vargas (27-1, 10 KOs) won the vacant title with a ninth-round TKO of then-undefeated Sadam Ali in March in Washington D.C.

Winning that fight is likely a far cry from what Vargas will have to do to beat Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs). That’s not to mention this will by far be the biggest stage on which Vargas has performed. Some guys fall apart in that situation, others handle it well. Cooper believes the latter will be the case for Vargas.

“Psychologically, I pound the message to him every day that this event is not too big for us,” Cooper said. “We belong here. Everyone keeps saying Pacquiao chose Jessie. No, Pacquiao didn’t choose Jessie. Jessie won a world title on March 5 by knocking out an undefeated fighter, sensational fighter, and that is what put Jessie in the position to have a Manny Pacquiao fight.

“In other words, we earned every step of this. And we’re looking forward to a great opportunity.”

Cooper then suggested a changing of the guard is in order.

“We respect Manny, we love Manny,” Cooper said. “But at the end of the day, it’s survival of the fittest, and it’s our time. Life is about transitions and this is definitely a transitional time in boxing and we want to be ahead of that pack.”

Pacquiao is 37 and likely won’t fight much longer.

Cooper is a former cruiserweight who went 19-3-3 with 11 knockouts fighting from 2001-12.

 

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Tickets go on sale for fight between Manny Pacquiao and Jessie Vargas

Jessie Vargas/Photo courtesy of Top Rank Inc.

 

Tickets for the Nov. 5 welterweight title fight between champion Jessie Vargas of Las Vegas and Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines go on sale Thursday at noon.

The bout will take place at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas and will be distributed on Top Rank pay-per-view.

Ticket prices are $50, $100, $300, $500, $700 and $1,000. They can be purchased at the Thomas & Mack Center box office, online at www.unlvtickets.com or by calling 702-739-3267 or 866-388-3267.

Pacquiao, 37, is 58-6-2 with 38 knockouts. Vargas, 27, is 27-1 with 10 knockouts.

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Manny Pacquiao chose Jessie Vargas because Vargas is a world champion

Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao/Photo courtesy of Top Rank Inc.

 

Promoter Bob Arum on Tuesday night told this newspaper in a telephone call from the Philippines that Manny Pacquiao has decided to fight welterweight champion Jessie Vargas on Nov. 5 from Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

A couple of other top candidates to land the role as Pacquiao’s opponent were junior welterweight champion Terence Crawford and welterweight champion Danny Garcia.

“I wasn’t hoping anything,” Arum said. “I presented all the options to Manny and after he discussed it he decided last night at dinner that that was the fight to make.”

Vargas is also promoted under Arum’s Top Rank Inc. banner.

This will be Pacquiao’s first fight since being elected to the Senate in May in his native Philippines. As it happened, Arum was on his way to attend a Senate session “to see him in action.”

Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs) said after he defeated Timothy Bradley this past April that he was retired. But once he was elected rumors of at least one more fight started. At first, the date of his return was going to be Oct. 15. But Pacquiao, 37, was told by the president of the Senate he could not fight that soon because of his duties.

“We have tremendous logistical problems because of his being a senator, but we’re working through them and everything will be fine,” Arum said. “It’s going to be very, very interesting.”

Arum said this fight will not be on HBO pay-per-view.

“We’re going to be distributing it in other ways, but it will definitely not be distributed by HBO pay-per-view,” he said.

Pacquiao was asked by Dyan Castillejo of ABS-CBN TV newtork in the Philippines why he selected Vargas.

“I chose Vargas because he is a champion,” said Pacquiao, who intimated he can’t wait to get back in the ring.

“I miss my boxing routine of training, the things i do for my sport everyday,” he said. “But I assure my people my fight and training will not affect my work as a senator.”

Vargas, 27, of Las Vegas, is 27-1 with 10 knockouts.

BoxingScene.com first reported this news.

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It’s good to know Adrien Broner won’t be Manny Pacquiao’s opponent Nov. 5

Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao/Photo courtesy of Top Rank Inc.

 

It’s good to know that when Manny Pacquiao fights in the fall, it won’t be against Adrien Broner, who apparently priced himself out of the sweepstakes with unrealistic demands.

Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, on Wednesday confirmed with several reporters that he had secured a date and site for Pacquiao’s bout against a still-to-be-determined opponent. It will be Nov. 5 at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Not only did Broner apparently ask for too much to fight Pacquiao, Broner on Tuesday was sent to jail because he missed the beginning of his trial for felony assault and aggravated robbery, crimes he allegedly committed Jan. 21 in his native Cincinnati.

Broner was found in contempt of court and given 30 days in jail. He was taken away upon his arrival, about three hours late, according to a story on ESPN.com.

As for Pacquiao’s next opponent, it figures to be one of three guys – Viktor Postol, Terence Crawford or Jessie Vargas.

Postol and Crawford fight this Saturday at MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a junior welterweight title-unification bout. Vargas is a welterweight world champion.

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Robert Guerrero back in ring against David Peralta in August – then what?

Robert Guerrero

Robert Guerrero/Photo courtesy of Premier Boxing Champions

 

Former world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero has lost three of his past five bouts. But they were to Floyd Mayweather Jr., Keith “One Time” Thurman and most recently Danny Garcia. No shame there.

Guerrero, 33, will get back in the ring for the first time since what was a good – yet unsuccessful – showing against Garcia for a vacant welterweight world title in January at Staples Center. He’ll headline an Aug. 27 card at Honda Center when he takes on David Peralta of Argentina in the welterweight main event (on Spike).

American fans know little of Peralta (25-2-1, 14 KOs), who has fought exclusively in Argentina. Guerrero seems to know something about him, though.

“My opponent is a tough fighter from Argentina,” said Guerrero, of Gilroy. “Everybody knows that fighters from Argentina always come to fight, so I must be prepared and I’m expecting a war.”

From here on, it will be interesting to see what Guerrero does in his career. He would seem to be a way off from another title shot, as he is ranked in the top 15 of just one of the four organizations. And it’s a No. 13 ranking, so no one is going to owe him anything soon.

Considering his showing against Garcia, Guerrero – just 33 – certainly isn’t ready to hang ’em up. But it doesn’t seem he would have enough to beat any of the champions in the division, though he would appear to have the best shot against Jessie Vargas. The other three are Thurman, Garcia and Kell Brook, who is moving up to middleweight to challenge Gennady Golovkin for his title in September in England.

Here’s a thought: Guerrero could move down to junior welterweight. He never really did fight there, as he went from lightweight straight to welterweight; Guerrero had one fight technically in the junior welterweight division when he weighed 138 for Joel Casamayor, but he only weighed 133 and 134 his next two fights before moving to welterweight. (Lightweight is 135). Guerrero weighed in at 145 1/2 pounds just a year ago for a fight against Aron Martinez. He is not a big welterweight at all.

Of Guerrero’s seven fights at welterweight, he has weighed in at as high as the 147-pound limit just twice.

Not that the 140-pound junior welterweight division would be a cake walk to a title. Viktor Postol and Terence Crawford are two of the champions. Those two beasts will take on each other Saturday at MGM Grand in Las Vegas (on HBO pay-per-view).

 

 

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Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas make weight for Saturday’s fight

Timothy Bradley/Photo courtesy of Top Rank Inc.

 

Timothy Bradley and Jessie Vargas both weighed in at 146.4 pounds Friday for their vacant interim welterweight title showdown that will take place Saturday at StubHub Center in Carson.

HBO will televise the Top Rank Inc. card.

Bradley, 31, is 31-1-1 with 12 knockouts. He is a former junior welterweight and welterweight champion.

Vargas, 26, is 26-0 with nine knockouts. He is a former junior welterweight champion moving up in weight.

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