Pacquiao vs. Vargas Undercard: Schedule, Top Storylines Ahead of Main Event
Manny Pacquiao isn't the only champion in action on Saturday night in Las Vegas, with Nonito Donaire and Oscar Valdez filling out the pay-per-view undercard.
Below are two big questions surrounding the fights leading up to the headliner, which all starts at 9 p.m. ET.
Undercard Schedule
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| Zou Shiming vs. Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym | Flyweight |
| Oscar Valdez vs. Hiroshige Osawa | Featherweight |
| Nonito Donaire vs. Jessie Magdaleno | Super Bantamweight |
Undercard Storylines
Will Donaire or Magdaleno Take Advantage of the Spotlight?
Donaire's career has yet to recover following his defeats to Guillermo Rigondeaux and Nicholas Walters. Beating Jessie Magdaleno won't erase those two losses from the memories of boxing fans, but it will give Donaire a good result on a relatively big stage.
Conversely, Saturday's pay-per-view provides Magdaleno an opportunity to pick up the biggest win of his career in front of a big audience. The 24-year-old knows Saturday could represent a major step forward.
"It's going to be a special night," Magdaleno said Monday, according to Gilbert Manzano of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "To fight against a champion like Donaire on a Pacquiao card is big. Pacquiao is a legend, and he's going to be in the history books. For me to be on my first pay-per-view with Pacquiao is a great feeling."
Donaire vs. Magdaleno should provide plenty of excitement. Twenty-four of Donaire's 37 wins have come by knockout, while Magdaleno has earned 17 knockouts in his 23 fights.
Magdaleno said he doesn't intend to wait for the fight to come to him either on Saturday, per the Los Angeles Times' Lance Pugmire: "It'll come down to who has the heart to keep going. I'm a big risk-taker. Risks make champions. I've got to be the stronger, smarter fighter, and once he feels my power, he'll have an entirely different mentality."
Saturday could provide Magdaleno a nice stepping stone to bigger and better things, or it'll help Donaire maintain his place near the top of marquee undercards.
Can Osawa or OnesongchaiGym Provide Any Surprises?
Beyond Pacquiao vs. Vargas and Donaire vs. Magdaleno, the other half Saturday's televised card will do little to excite fans.
Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym fought Zou in November 2014 and lost handily. The judges scored it 120-103, 119-106 and 119-106. OnesongchaiGym has gone on a 12-fight winning streak since then, but Zou will be expected to earn a decisive win in the rematch.
Similarly, Valdez will be the heavy favorite when he steps in the ring against Hiroshige Osawa. While Osawa hasn't lost since 2009, he hasn't built a big profile outside of his native country. All but two of his 37 fights have been in Japan, with the other two in South Korea and the Philippines.
Fans aren't tuning in to Saturday's PPV to see OnesongchaiGym or Osawa, which is to say both fighters can provide a much-needed jolt to the undercard if either is able to exceed expectations. Entertaining bouts on the undercard will help build more anticipation for the main event.
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