Pacquiao returns to Vegas after over 2 years
LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao and his entourage hit Las Vegas Monday evening (Tuesday Manila time) for his first fight in the world’s gambling capital since outpointing Jessie Vargas in November 2016.
Pacquiao, who will defend the WBA welterweight championship against former four-division champion Adrien Broner, is billeted at the MGM Grand here — where the fight will also be held.
The Filipino icon and his wife Jinkee are staying in a luxurious two-floor suite. Access to the posh room, wherein a night’s stay could easily cost thousands of dollars, is heavily restricted.
The hotel reportedly provided security for Pacquiao, and it was so tight that even his own security team had a hard time getting in.
An Instagram video uploaded by ABS-CBN’s Dyan Castillejo shows Pacquiao playing the piano in his suite. He had turned to music as a way of relaxing after each training day in Los Angeles, serenading his guests at his mansion.
Another video features Pacquiao broadcasting his own tour of the suite.
Reaching peak form earlier than usual even with a training routine that had been modified to accommodate his aging, 40-year-old body, Pacquiao had been raring to go against the 29-year-old Broner.
More importantly, he is ecstatic to return to Vegas, site of the biggest fights of his storied career.
“Excited. Excited ako dahil matagal tayo hindi nagkaroon ng laban sa Las Vegas. Two years (We are excited because it’s been a while since we had a fight in Las Vegas. It’s been two years),” he told Filipino media men in Los Angeles before departing for the Sin City on Monday.
After the Vargas bout, Pacquiao took a break from fighting in the US. He held his bouts against Jeff Horn and Lucas Matthysse in Brisbane and Kuala Lumpur, respectively.
Now, he returns to the boxing capital of the planet with a newfound ferocity and determination spawned by a long-overdue knockout victory, in his last gig against Matthysse last year.
He had been very vocal about his desire to knock out Broner, a boxer who is still in his prime and has yet to be stopped.
For Pacquiao, losing simply is not an option, especially with his sights trained at a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. sometime this year.
“Gagawin natin lahat basta manalo tayo convincingly. Kung may knockout, bonus na din (We will do whatever it takes to win convincingly. If there’s a knockout, it’s a bonus,” said Pacquiao.
"Ready na tayo,” he added.
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