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LAS VEGAS -- Welterweight world titleholder Jessie Vargas casually strode into a ballroom at The Wynn resort on Wednesday, laughing, joking and greeting writers by name. He didnt seem to have a care in the world.In March, Vargas was the underdog when he knocked out then-undefeated former U.S. Olympian Sadam Ali in the ninth round to win a vacant world title. Vargas was confident then, but now the confidence he exudes seems tenfold as he heads into his first defense against the great Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night (Top Rank PPV, 9 ET) at the Thomas & Mack Center.To me, its just another fight, another opponent, said Vargas, who will be fighting in his hometown.It really isnt just another fight or opponent, however. Vargas is in the biggest fight of his life, on a worldwide stage. He is about to face Pacquiao, a boxing legend, the icon of the Philippines and the first sitting senator to fight for a world title.Even though he has never been in a fight of this magnitude, Vargas said he has been able to handle the spotlight and keep calm because of past experiences leading to this moment.Whats probably helped me in my career is that Ive fought on major cards before, Floyd [Mayweather] undercards, huge events, Pacquiao undercards, pay-per-view undercards, where I first became world champion [as a junior welterweight], Vargas said. They were large events and my fights got a lot of attention. I feel it prepared me for this situation. So I know what to expect.Me now being in this position, its nothing new to me. I got a little taste of it before. I knew what I was in for and I am ready for it. Now its my time. Now its time for everyone to talk about me come Saturday night. He seems like a good guy, but as soon as the bell rings its all business.One reason for Vargas confident demeanor is the similar cool and focus displayed by his trainer, former pro fighter Dewey Cooper, who enters his second fight at the helm of Vargas corner.Im a level-headed guy so its another fight for me. I dont stress. Were looking forward for this opportunity, Cooper said. This is what we do this sport for. We dont do it to be B team. We do this to be the very best in the world in every aspect.Vargas is 27 and in his prime and Pacquiao is 37, coming out of a brief retirement and in the twilight of a career in which he became the only boxer to win world titles in eight weight classes. It is that age difference -- not the résumé -- that is meaningful to Vargas, who knows that boxing is generally a young mans sport.What I am focused on is that I am in my prime, Vargas said. I have a lot to show and I have a lot to give in this sport, and on [Saturday] I am going to perform at the highest level.Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs) is coming off one of his best performances in years, when he outclassed and outpointed rival Timothy Bradley Jr. in their third fight in April, followed by a retirement that lasted for five months. Vargas said he loves that Pacquiao looked good last time out so he can get credit for beating him.Im happy that he was able to give that performance so when I defeat Manny Pacquiao, they will see that I beat a good Manny Pacquiao who is still performing at the highest level, Vargas said. Thats the Manny Pacquiao that I want to beat.Bradley outpointed Vargas (27-1, 10 KOs) in fairly one-sided fashion in June 2015. But there was controversy because Vargas badly hurt him in the 12th round and nearly knocked him out in the final seconds, but before Vargas had a chance to see if he could finish Bradley, the referee accidentally stopped the fight about seven seconds early when he mixed up the sound of the 10-second warning clapper with the final bell.Vargas was livid and filed a formal protest to the California State Athletic Commission, but the result stood and he moved on.It was a learning experience, everything that happened, Vargas said. Not everything is fair and we had to let things go. Thats just the way it is and I am using it as an experience and make sure I let my hands go from the opening bell, not until nearly the last round.It gave me that fire, that anger to -- excuse me if I say it -- to really hurt somebody or kill somebody inside that ring, and to take it and not have any compassion for my opponent. That has built a stronger Jessie Vargas.Said Cameron Dunkin, Vargas manager: He had a bright future and it was a setback and he did take it very, very hard. It was hard on him. He was not used to losing. We talked and he wanted to go through the steps of what he could do with the commission and when that was over, Jessie dropped it and he was done with it and he said, Cameron, lets move on. And thats what we did.Vargas then beat Ali for a title and had an agreement in place to travel to England to face Kell Brook in a unification fight in September. But the deal ultimately was not finalized when the Brook camp wanted to reduce the money following the impact of the Brexit on the British currency. Vargas wound up getting an even bigger fight with Pacquiao.This is where I belong, Vargas said. Ive been waiting for this moment since I was 8 years old. This moment is not so big. Its here and I am going to take full advantage of it.When you envision something in your head over and over again, its like a movie placing you in that position, and once you are there youre ready. Thats the way I see it. I am so ready for this. I am in the best shape of my life. I have never felt this strong or this powerful. I am going to win this fight, thats how good I feel about it.Vargas is about an 8-to-1 underdog at The Wynn sports book and a victory would launch him into the big time, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said.He becomes not just a champion but a superstar. I will deny to him that I said that, because I will have to negotiate his next fight, Arum, who promotes Pacquiao and Vargas, said with a laugh. He would be a superstar. There is no question about that if he were to beat Manny Pacquiao. He has a hell of a shot to do that.Vargas trainer, Cooper, couldnt agree more.Jessie and I consider this fight the passing of the torch. We appreciate the body of work Manny has compiled in his illustrious career. However, as we all know, good things must come to an end and that will happen on [Saturday], Cooper said. This will be our moment, our time for a younger world champion to shine and earn the admiration of the fighting world.This moment is not too big for us. After this fight I will proudly hold up Jessies arm in victory. The torch will be passed.Vargas knows he is the big underdog but he also knows that a victory would be life-changing.It would definitely put me on the worldwide stage, make me that boxing star that I have been looking forward to being, Vargas said. I have been waiting for this for a long time and Im glad its here and I am going to take advantage of it.The only fighters to beat Manny Pacquiao have become legends themselves. So I plan to become one of the few to beat Manny Pacquiao and also become one of the legends. Vapormax Flyknit 2 Homme Pas Cher . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. Vapormax Plus Femme Pas Cher .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. http://www.vapormaxpascher.be/air-max-vapormax-2019-pas-cher.html . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. Vapormax Flyknit 2 Pas Cher . PETERSBURG, Fla. Vapormax Fausse Pas Cher . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. Go inside the numbers and matchups that will decide the showdown Wednesday night between the Cubs and Dodgers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, and then vote for which team will win at the bottom of the page.What we learned in Game 3Rich Hill threw six shutout innings, Jake Arrieta didnt, and now the Cubs date with destiny appears a little less certain than it did after Miguel Montero hit that home run way back in Game 1. The Cubs have played 100 postseason games in their history and this was the first time theyve been shut out in back-to-back games. -- David SchoenfieldInside the pitching matchupWhen John Lackey is on the mound: The veteran righty is making his 22st career postseason start, tied with Whitey Ford for sixth most all time. In his Game 4 start against the Giants in the division series, Lackey struggled with his control, throwing only 39 percent of his pitches in the strike zone, his second-lowest rate in any game this season. He lasted only four innings and 74 pitches, giving up seven hits and three runs.Lackeys stuff remains as good as ever even though he turns 38 in a few days, as he recorded a career-high strikeout rate of 24.1 percent. He comes at batters with a four-seam fastball, slider, curve and occasional changeup. The fastball sits 91-92 that he moves around all quadrants of the strike zone. The slider sits 82-84 with a late break that dives off the outside corner to righties. Thats certainly his go-to wipeout pitch, especially to righties, who hit .122 with a 37 percent strikeout rate against it. Of course, the Dodgers will stack the lineup with lefty swingers, so well see more curveballs and changeups and fewer sliders (although lefties hit just .133 against the slider). --?SchoenfieldWhen Julio Urias is on the mound: The rookie lefty becomes the youngest pitcher to ever start a postseason game at 20 years, 68 days, surpassing Bret Saberhagen, who was 20 years, 175 days when he started for the Royals in the 1984 ALCS.Given his age, the Dodgers monitored his workload carefully, maxing out at 100 pitches in a June start. In his three September starts, he had pitch counts of 89, 78 and 58. Dave Roberts said pitch counts wont be an issue in this game. I think that weve kind of monitored his usage throughout the regular season, but I think right now for me, its not necessarily the pitch count, Roberts said. A lot of it is the stressful innings, too. Its going to be a big game. So if hes throwing the baseball the way we expect, then Im not afraid to push him to help us win a baseball game.Urias, who posted a 2.73 ERA over his final 69 innings, throws an easy 92-93 mph fastball that generated a swing-and-miss rate of 24 percent. He works middle-away to up in the zone to right-handed batters, coming inside (inner third) about 30 percent of the time. He gave up only one home run off his fastball in 202 plate appearances ending with the pitch, so there seems to be some deception here in the delivery. He was known for a great changeup coming up in the minors, but he also throws a slider and curveball. Batters hit .174 against his changeup, but he actually threw his curve a little more often even though batters hit .375/.382/.594 against it. Hell use the slider to come inside to right-handed batters.Given the repertoire, confidence and calmness on thhe mound, everyone thinks hes a future No.dddddddddddd 1 given refinement and health. -- SchoenfieldPlayer in the spotlightAnthony Rizzo. Or pick the Cubs hitter of your choice. Rizzo got his second hit of the postseason, but it was a broken-bat dribbler off Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning of a 6-0 game. The Cubs are hitting .152 against left-handers in the playoffs -- granted, theyve faced Madison Bumgarner, Clayton Kershaw and Hill, maybe the three best lefties in the league -- but .152 is .152. Wheres the offense? -- SchoenfieldDid you know ...According to Elias Sports Bureau, the matchup between Lackey and Urías will be the fifth-largest age gap between opposing starters during a postseason game (17 years, 294 days).It trails matchups between:Jamie Moyer and Ubaldo Jimenez -- Oct. 6, 2007 (21 years, 65 days)Jamie Moyer and Matt Garza -- Oct. 25, 2008 (21 years, 8 days)Dennis Martinez and Bob Wolcott -- Oct. 10, 1995 (19 years, 117 days)Phil Niekro and John Stuper -- Oct. 9, 1982 (18 years, 38 days)--?ESPN Stats & InfoWhat will decide the game Wednesday nightThe Dodgers have a home run in eight straight postseason games, one of five teams with a streak that long in a single postseason in history. If Lackey wants to keep them from continuing that streak, hell have to stay on the outer third of the plate, a target location he has been attacking all season.Lackey pitch location, 2016 regular season:-- Outer third or away, 51.3 percent-- Inner third or inside, 26.2 percent-- Middle third, 22.4 percentThe Dodgers hit 36 home runs and slugged .328 against pitches away, and they hit 66 home runs and slugged .420 against pitches inside. ?--?ESPN Stats & InfoChoosing sides: Who will win??Hes 20, a lefty, Mexican, starting in the playoffs -- I mean, isnt the rise of Urias like Fernandomania all over again? Dont know if he throws a scroogie or breathes through his eyelids like the lizards of the Galápagos Islands, but hes really good. Still, Urias hasnt thrown much lately and command can be an issue. The Cubs flailing offense cant press, but it needs to give Lackey some support. I suspect the bullpens will loom large in this one. It has been a long time since the Cubs dropped three straight so Im taking them. But I dont feel great about it. -- Bradford DoolittleIt cant continue like this at the plate for the Cubs, can it? Theyve seen Urias twice, which is bound to help them, while Lackey was brought in for games just like these. Somehow, someway the Cubs will prevail and tie the series. -- Jesse Rogers?Hardly anybody predicted it would happen this way, but the Dodgers will carry their momentum to a 3-1 NLCS lead with a victory in Game 4. Two dominating starts by left-handers allowed the Dodgers rally for a series lead after losing Game 1. And guess what? The Dodgers have another lefty on tap in Urias, who might be only 20 years old but had the maturity to put together a 2.73 ERA over his final 69? innings of the season.?-- Doug PadillaWhere the series standsThe unknown is what looms ahead in Game 5. We know Jon Lester will go for the Cubs. But who starts for the Dodgers, Kershaw or Kenta Maeda? That decision might rest on what happens in Game 4. -- Schoenfield ' ' '