Vargas sees Pacquiao as his ticket to superstardom

MANILA, Philippines – WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas is so confident of beating Manny Pacquiao that he declared that by November 5, boxing will have its new face.

Speaking recently to El Vocero, a Puerto Rico-based newspaper, Vargas said he won’t be intimidated by Pacquiao, one of the best boxers of this generation.

He sees their bout, set at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, as a passing of the torch.

“I've always been waiting for this moment. Manny won't surprise me and he doesn't scare me. It's a moment I've always expected. This is my moment and I will prepare for victory. Manny, I consider him to be an opponent that will show that I will be the new star of boxing,” Vargas said.

Vargas (27-1, with 10 KOs) also vowed to turn his critics into believers, saying he’s the next big thing in boxing.

“We are prepared. On November 5, the public will say 'wow, this kid is the next star,' and what better way to do it than against Manny Pacquiao,” he added.

The 27-year-old fighter has been studying Pacquiao previous fights, singling out the Filipino icon’s epic clashes with archrival Juan Manuel Marquez.

It was Marquez who last defeated Pacquiao in the most convincing manner by knocking him out cold in their fourth fight in 2012.

The fight, Vargas said, opened his eyes to Pacquiao’s flaws.

“We have seen the weaknesses. We know what he [Pacquiao] does wrong. I know that I can also land a powerful punch like Marquez,” he said.