By Jake Donovan
As Manny Pacquiao and Jessie Vargas plan to meet the press next week, their November 5 headliner will officially be made available to the paying public.
Pacquiao ends a short-lived retirement as he guns for a third welterweight title reign in his forthcoming showdown with Vargas. Their title fight will top a Pay-Per-View event which will air live from the Thomas & Mack Center on UNLV campus in Las Vegas, Nevada, with tickets due to go on sale Thursday, September 8 at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT.
Ticket price points are set at $1,000, $700, $500, $300, $100 and $50,
The timing of the sale precedes a press conference to formally announce the event. A media-only presser is scheduled for Thursday, September 8 at 1:00 p.m. local time in Beverly Hills, California.
Vargas (27-1, 10KOs) will make the first defense of the welterweight title he annexed in violent fashion, breaking down Sadam Ali en route to a 9th round knockout this past March in Washington, D.C. The win made the Las Vegas resident a two-division titlist, having previously held a belt at super lightweight before moving up in weight last June.
The win over Ali was Vargas' second attempt at welterweight glory. His previous shot resulted in his lone career loss, dropping a 12-round decision to Timothy Bradley Jr. last June in Carson, California. The bout was mired in controversy. with Vargas rocking Bradley in the closing seconds of the bout, only for referee Pat Russell to mistake the 10-second warning for the bell to end the round and the fight.
Vargas filed an appeal with the California State Athletic Commission, but never had his day in court as the board rejected the request without so much as a hearing. He wound up sitting out the remainder of 2015 before moving on to meet and beat Ali earlier this year.
Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38KOs) had initially planned to retire following his rubber match win over Bradley this past April. The convincing victory allowed the wildly popular Filipino to go up 2-1 in their three-fight series - the loss coming in a highly questionable split decision title-losing effort to Bradley in their first meet in June '12 - and also the chance to end his career on a high note.
It also served as redemption of sorts for his massive letdown versus Floyd Mayweather last May. The most lucrative event in boxing history was a disappointment on the action front, as Pacquiao claimed to have carried a rotator cuff injury into the ring - which he aggravated over the course of the bout. Whatever the case, he was made to look foolish versus Mayweather, who scored a landslide decision and would fight just once more before ending his Hall of Fame-bounce career in Sept. '14.
There has been wild speculation of Mayweather's retirement merely being an extended break before a planned rematch with Pacquiao can be worked out. It remains a pipe dream - and also very low on any boxing fan's wish list - not to mention the fact that Mayweather seems content in his role as a full-time promoter.
Nevertheless, Pacquaio will do his part to drum up any interest toward such an event. Of the two, the 38-year old southpaw seemed less likely to return to the ring, given his Senatorial election win in his native Philippines this past May. The feat followed his run as a two-term congressman, but also with the full-time responsibility that was believed to serve as a deterrent to his continuing his boxing career.
It appears that his bout with Vargas in November - along with the training camp preceding the event - won't conflict with his Senatorial duties.
How it will impact plans for any future fights remain to be seen. Also in question is the distributor for the PPV event. Pacquiao has been a fixture in HBO's rotation for more than a decade, save for a couple of exceptions. However, HBO's own current schedule - which includes an already planned November 19 PPV event between unbeaten light heavyweights and top pound-for-pound entrants Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward - prevented the network from throwing its support and resources behind Pacquiao's ring return.
For the moment, Top Rank is moving forward with the understanding of possibly having to distribute on its own. There remains the possibility of another major outlet picking up distribution rights, but the lack of network support will not stand in the way of the bout taking place, of Vargas' first title defense and career-best payday or Pacquiao continuing his Hall-of-Fame-worthy boxing career,
TICKET PURCHASE INFO
Tickets may be purchased at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office, online at http://www.unlvtickets.com/, at UNLVtickets Outlet Town Square Las Vegas and La Bonita Supermarkets. To charge by phone call 702-739-FANS (3267) or 866-388-FANS (3267).
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox_v2
