Manny Pacquiao Net Worth, Projected Vargas Purse Earnings, Fight Predictions

Longtime boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao is set to end his short-lived retirement Saturday night when he takes on Jessie Vargas for the WBO world welterweight title.

Pacquiao was one of the sport's biggest draws for an extended period of time, a status that reached its climax when he faced off with Floyd Mayweather Jr. last year. Although the fight didn't come anywhere close to matching the hype, both fighters walked away with handsome paydays.

In all, Celebrity Net Worth projected the 37-year-old Philippines native is worth $190 million heading into his clash with Vargas. TheRichest is a little more optimistic about the southpaw's overall financial value, pegging it $250 million.

Questions were raised about why Pac-Man would return to the ring just seven months after walking away from the sport to focus on his political career in the Philippines, where he's a Senator.

Nissi Icasiano of Rappler translated comments Pacquiao made to Eddie Alinea of PhilBoxing.com about speculation it was purely a financial move.

"I've been fighting for the past 21 years and recipient of so many of what I consider as 'jokes' perhaps, to disarm me every time I will fight," Pacquiao said. "But, I'll tell you, this joke that I'm broke is the funniest and most annoying."

He added: "All of my wealth, of course, came from boxing. Truth is, and I'm not bragging, with all my earnings and businesses, my family and I will not go hungry for the rest of our lives."

Furthermore, it doesn't appear Saturday night's fight will be a cash boon for the eight-division world champion anyway. Top Rank CEO Bob Arum told Bev Llorente of ABS-CBN News there is no guaranteed fight purse this time around, so earnings will be dependent on fan interest.

"No, he is not earning $20 million. He is earning a lot less because…he is fighting largely on percentage," Arum said. "So hopefully the Filipinos, the Mexican fight fans support the fight so he can make $20 million or more."

Alas, CNN Philippines noted there hasn't been much attention paid to the bout:

That's mostly because there aren't many intriguing storylines. A victory won't do much to bolster Pacquiao's already strong legacy, and the matter of how much notoriety Vargas would gain by beating Pac-Man at this stage of his career is debatable.

The 27-year-old American, who owns a 27-1 career record ahead of his title defense, stated he's out to prove the remaining doubters wrong, per Bob Velin of Boxing Junkie:

"

A lot of you guys, the people that know me, do wish me luck, but in the back of your mind you're thinking, 'I don't think he can do it.' But I'm here to tell you I can. And just as I've always proved you wrong with several other undefeated fighters you thought were either going to beat me or knock me out, now I'm still on top. I'm still world champion.

On Nov. 5, I'm going to prove you wrong again and show you that I have the talent and I am the best in the division. Talk is cheap. I'll show it with my actions, with my fighting style and I have the right team behind me. You're going to be surprised with my performance that night, that's for sure.

"

Ultimately, it's hard to know exactly what to expect from Pacquiao. He's returns after a pretty standard layoff between fights, but the fact it was originally viewed as a retirement as opposed to a recovery period changes the equation a bit.

The first round should answer a lot of questions. If Pac-Man looks sluggish and isn't able to impose his will on the fight quickly, the door will swing wide open for a Vargas upset. He's consistently shown the ability to build and maintain a lead in order to win on the scorecards.

But if Pacquiao comes out refreshed and firing on all cylinders, it's a fight he should win comfortably. Vargas lacks the knockout power to seriously challenge the Filipino sensation if he's at or near top form. That's why a late-round KO by Pac-Man feels like the most likely outcome.