Manny Pacquiao’s balancing act: helping run a nation, trying to win welterweight belt

Las Vegas —  Manny Pacquiao’s subtle delivery when he’s speaking can have as much impact as one of his punches to the jaw.

When asked why people will be interested in his latest fight — in which he’ll try Saturday night to claim the World Boxing Organization welterweight belt from Jessie Vargas, who is 10 years his junior — Pacquiao delivered one right between the eyes.

“What I’m trying to do — being a senator and fighting for a world title — is history,” Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao, who’ll turn 38 next month, was so uncertain he could balance boxing with his work as a first-term senator in the Philippines before his May election that he announced his retirement after a two-knockdown victory by unanimous decision over Timothy Bradley Jr. in April.

That showing proved he’d recovered from a shoulder injury and effects of his disappointing showing against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May 2015.

And after realizing his workload as a senator afforded some openings to fight again, Pacquiao had an undeniable itch to return.

He started watching live fights again, including a Gennady Golovkin knockout victory, and reviewed his own bouts too.

“When I announced I was going to retire, I felt empty, lonely, sad,” Pacquiao said.

Between the election win in July, Pacquiao was nagged by a recurring thought: “I’m no longer active in boxing, so there’s no more Manny Pacquiao. But I can still fight. Why don’t I continue?”

Managing a nation and winning another belt — who else could say they’ve done that?

“Training while he was being a senator was a challenge, but Manny likes challenges. He gets up for stuff like that,” Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said. “My fighter will show up.”

In his country’s Senate, Pacquiao has exceeded the expectations of his peers and the public, sitting on 15 committees and introducing bills dealing with housing, maternity leave rights, physical fitness, applying the death penalty to serious crimes and forming a boxing commission.

“Politics is different from boxing,” he said. “Most politicians hide their beliefs with others, cover their true faces. That’s politics. God’s giving me wisdom and knowledge to give me heart. I want to be an open book.”

Pacquiao says he’s given away about half of the reported $500 million he’s earned in boxing.

Last week, about 35 men waited for Pacquiao outside Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood seeking assistance, prompting the question of whether Pacquiao is fighting for his own financial health or that of his people.

“I’m OK,” he said. “I came to this world naked and when I depart, I’ll have nothing. Yes, there are a lot of people asking for money when it’s not really a problem for them — they could probably solve it themselves — but some people are asking for help who really need help. So I help.”

There were nights after Senate work in the Philippines when he wouldn’t get to the gym for training until 8 p.m. But he knew the effort it takes to be ready for someone like Vargas, who possesses four-inch height and reach advantages.

“I’d still train for as long as 3 1/2 hours. I’m there,” he said last week. “The desire is still there. I enjoy boxing, especially while I’m training. I love to push myself,” making the grimacing expression seen in the gym’s most pressing moments.

“I still have a lot to prove and while the trainer can train you, it’s up to you. You have to study yourself, know what’s best for your body, find the balance.”

Pacquiao makes considerations for age, like scrapping a planned workout the day after he arrived in the U.S. and passing word to Roach, “I’m not a machine.”

“The biggest problem when you get old is in ourselves. The psychological laziness comes into your body. If I become lazy, that’s enough, that’s it. There are boxers who fight and their body won’t reply anymore. So why do you continue?”

That time has not yet come to Pacquiao, said Roach, who wants his fighter to record his first knockout victory since 2009 against 7-1 underdog Vargas.

“This training camp has been the best one in a long time and I feel we will get the knockout,” Roach said.

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