Pacquiao: From parliament to boxing gym

Up until last week, Manny Pacquiao was concentrating on trying to get the death penalty restored in the Philippines.

Now he’s focusing on something not nearly as controversial – his return to the ring for a November 5 fight with Jesse Vargas.

‘Working in the Senate is not easy while you’re training,’ said Pacquiao, a freshman senator in the Philippines. ‘You manage your time and that’s what I did in training for this fight.’

Pacquiao won’t have to juggle two jobs for at least a few weeks, with the Senate now out of session. He arrived in Los Angeles over the weekend, eager to finish final preparations for yet another fight in a pro career that has stretched 21 years.

What remains to be seen is how eager boxing fans are to see him against a relatively unknown boxer who isn’t given much of a chance to beat him.

‘You can say what you want about Pacquiao and Vargas,’ promoter Bob Arum said. ‘I think it’s competitive, other people don’t. That’s their opinion.’