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Pacquiao vs Vargas: 5 keys to victory for Jessie Vargas

By Zachary Alapi

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - SEPTEMBER 08: Welterweight Manny Pacquiao and Jessie Vargas pose after a press conference at the Beverly Hills Hotel on September 8, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - SEPTEMBER 08: Welterweight Manny Pacquiao and Jessie Vargas pose after a press conference at the Beverly Hills Hotel on September 8, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images) /
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Jessie Vargas must be aggressive.
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 05: Jessie Vargas (right) punches Sadam Ali in their vacant WBO welterweight title match at the DC Armory on March 5, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

3) Initiate exchanges

If Jessie Vargas is merely reactive in this fight, he will get thoroughly outclassed. Manny Pacquiao flurries with combinations from such diverse angles that Vargas will emerge second best from the majority of exchanges Pacquiao is allowed to dictate. Even if the majority of Pacquiao’s punches don’t land cleanly, his hand speed, volume and pressure impress judges.

It would be a significant tactical error for Vargas to attempt to match Pacquiao’s whirlwind combinations but he will need to dish out a steady dose of crisp one-twos and stiff jabs to disrupt Pacquiao’s timing and keep him at bay. Remember, also, that Vargas is the significantly taller fighter with a longer reach.

One of Pacquiao’s greatest strengths is his ability to dictate tempo. And his footwork is so fluid that he can dart in, sting his opponent with a combination, dart back out and then resume the cycle. This leads to frustration, wild and missed punches as well as tactical breakdowns from befuddled foes.

If Jessie Vargas can consistently throw punches first — even if it’s just a sharp jab or a one-two — and then reset, he’ll start to win exchanges, and the significance of this cannot be overstated. And when Pacquiao starts to get into rhythm, Vargas will need to clinch and rough him up in order to re-establish distance and find the breathing room to initiate his own attacks. This is far easier said than done, but Vargas has the youth and gumption to pull this off in spots.

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