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Op-Ed: Why KO win against Vargas will lead to more fights for Pacquiao

Pacquiao is set to face WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas in a title fight on Nov. 5 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Seven-time Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) ‘Trainer of the Year’ and Pacquiao’s coach Freddie Roach has cited at least two reasons why Pacquiao is having a long knockout holiday.

First, Roach pointed to Pacquiao’s recurring shoulder injury as the major reason why he has not been able to knock out his opponents since 2009.

In the aftermath of the historic Mayweather-Pacquiao fight last year, Roach talked about Pacquiao’s shoulder injury, saying Pacquiao’s shoulder has been bothering him for many years but he did not pay much attention to it because it was still manageable then.

But the recurring pain had manifested during his training for the Mayweather fight which led Roach to entertain the idea of backing out from the fight. He said he talked to Pacquiao about it but the then fighting congressman did not like the idea because it would displease the fans and create trouble for the promoters.

This was the reason why Roach asked the Nevada State boxing regulator to allow an IV to be administered on Pacquiao’s shoulder on the night of the Mayweather fight.

Secondly, he cited that Pacquiao may have lost the appetite to go for a knockout win after he became a born again christian, quoting Pacquiao’s mother Dionesia that the reason why her son lost to Juan Manuel Marquez was because of the change in his religious beliefs.

“She told him that’s why he got knocked out,” Roach said. “She said he got knocked out by Marquez because he had changed his religion. She was really unhappy about it,” he added.

On Nov. 5, Roach wants Pacquiao to score his first KO win in seven years against Vargas. Roach is confident Pacquiao will go for it knowing he has fully recovered from his surgery as shown in his last fight against Timothy Bradley.

Because of his long-running knockout holiday, Pacquiao badly needs a KO win to reassure his fans that his killer instinct is back after a successful surgery. Pacquiao knows that only a KO win would lead him to more lucrative fights ahead.

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