Season Tip-Off in Brooklyn on Thursday.W

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Manny Pacquiao is determined to fight on, even without Floyd Mayweather across the ring or HBO in his corner.Five months after the fight Pacquiao expected to be his finale, the Filipino senator stood opposite unheralded welterweight champion Jessie Vargas on Thursday and declared his excitement for yet another chapter in whats now a sprawling pugilistic story with a murky ending.Pacquiao is a politician and a father with multiple reasons to walk away, but trainer Freddie Roach believes that Pacquiaos skills havent sharply declined. Even after repeatedly claiming he would retire into his political career following his win over Timothy Bradley in April, Pacquiao cant deny that fighting is irresistible, both for the competitive rush and the fat paychecks.Its a big challenge for me to prove I can still manage serving the people and being a boxer, Pacquiao said. I want to give back to the fans who supported me for all these years.Pacquiao showed up to a packed news conference at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where he has launched all of his recent fights, with a businesslike haircut and a suit befitting a major public figure. He used his time on the podium to diplomatically encourage fans to buy thousands of $50 seats for Nov. 5 at Las Vegas Thomas and Mack Center, where he will go after the 27-year-old Vargas WBO welterweight title.Its an honor for me to challenge the champion, Pacquiao said. I respect him because hes the belt-holder at 147 pounds.Pacquiao held the same belt twice for long stretches, but lost it in his landmark showdown with Mayweather last year. Mayweather appears comfortable and financially healthy in retirement, while Pacquiao openly acknowledges he needs the money hell make fighting Vargas.To Roach, its fairly simple work -- at least simpler than fighting dangerous rising star Terence Crawford, the other finalist for the big-money shot at Pacquiao.(Vargas) is a good boxer, Roach said. I dont think hes in Mannys league, but well see.Roach must move to Manila for six weeks to train Pacquiao in the breaks between his senatorial duties. Trainers with a fraction of Roachs success might balk at the strange working conditions, but Roachs 15-year bond with Pacquiao remains unbreakable by any of the weirdness in Pacquiaos unique life.Im not exactly sure how much time Im going to have with him, so Im glad its Vargas instead of Crawford at this point, Roach said. Well fight Crawford down the line later, Im sure, but I want to see exactly how this works. The Senate is more time-consuming, they tell me.Roach doesnt expect this bout to be Pacquiaos last, either.Manny still has a good future in boxing, I think, Roach said. And I really want him to fight Mayweather one more time, just to shut him up. I know we can fight a better fight. I know Manny can beat him.Top Rank promoter Bob Arum never claimed Pacquiaos victory over Bradley would be his final fight. After a half-century in promotion, Arum knows a boxers vows are only as strong as their wills.Arums biggest project for this bout is putting on the pay-per-view broadcast himself. HBO declined to show the fight, so Top Rank is producing its own telecast.Its a historic day, because were going to take back boxing for the fighters, for the promoters, Arum said. I really believe this will lead to us forming our own boxing network.Pacquiao has fought 21 times in HBO pay-per-view bouts since 2003, but the network balked at Top Ranks desire to stage the fight three days before the U.S. presidential election and two weeks before Andre Ward faces Sergey Kovalev on HBO pay-per-view.Pacquiao wants to fight on Nov. 5 because it fits his schedule in the Senate, allowing him to keep his promise to closely attend to his government duties in his new job.Vargas watched the Beverly Hills spectacle with a bemused detachment. The matchup is an extraordinary opportunity with little downside for the Mexican-American champion, but he wont be content just to bank his fee for playing a bit part in Pacquiaos saga.He hasnt ever fought a fighter like me, Vargas said. He doesnt know what hes got himself into. Its going to be a coming-out party for me, and Im looking forward to it. sWell Traveler Bottle Sale . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Swell Water Bottle Cheap . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. http://www.swellwaterbottlesale.com/Swell-Traveler-Bottle-Sale/ . A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak. Swell Water Bottle Sale . Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. Swell Bottles Wholesale . U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield in Manhattan agreed that lawyers on both sides could make their formal requests by Nov. 8. A hearing is scheduled for a day earlier. Jordan Siev, a lawyer for Rodriguez, wrote in a joint letter to the judge from lawyers on both sides that MLB lawyers planned to ask that the lawsuit be dismissed. Get ready for a week full of potential matchups of ranked teams in college basketballs Thanksgiving holiday tournaments.The Maui Invitational opened Monday in Lahaina, Hawaii, with an eight-team field headlined by No. 4 North Carolina, No. 13 Oregon and No. 16 Wisconsin. That tournament wraps up Wednesday, the day the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament begins in Paradise Island, Bahamas, featuring No. 10 Louisville, No. 20 Baylor and No. 24 Michigan State.In addition, theres the NIT Season Tip-Off at the Barclays Center in New York, which could feature a Friday championship matchup between No. 19 West Virginia and No. 25 Florida State. And the AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando starts Thanksgiving Day with a field that includes No. 11 Gonzaga and No. 21 Iowa State.If the brackets fall right, there could be plenty of matchups that boost NCAA Tournament resumes when it comes to seeding and earning a close-to-home opening weekend in March.Every year, the teams that are in there, you have several teams that have chances to win a national championship, go to a Final Four, Baylor coach Scott Drew said of the Battle 4 Atlantis, adding: After this tournament, you walk away, win or lose, a better team because of the competition you faced.That looks true for several of the weeks events.KENTUCKY BACK ON TOPKentucky returned to the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 after Dukes loss to Kansas last week. The Wildcats (4-0) host Cleveland State on Wednesday then UT Martin on Friday before heading to the Bahamas for a Monday meeting with Arizona State.Kentucky, led by its latest stellar recruiting class, has reached No. 1 in six of coach John Caliparis eight seasons with the Wildcats. The Wildcats are 66-6 as the APs top-ranked team.Were still learning about each other, Calipari said after Sundayss home win against Duquesne .ddddddddddddOP CONFERENCESThe Atlantic Coast Conference led the way with six teams in this weeks poll, including four in the top 10 with No. 6 Duke and No. 7 Virginia joining UNC and Louisville. In addition to FSU, Syracuse checks in at No. 18.The Blue Devils play their first game since falling from their preseason perch of No. 1 against William & Mary on Wednesday night.The Big Ten and Big 12 each managed five teams, though only one each in the top 10: No. 3 Indiana and No. 5 Kansas, respectively.The Big East has three teams in the top 12: reigning NCAA champion Villanova at No. 2, Xavier at No. 9 and Creighton at No. 12.NEWCOMERSBaylors upset of Oregon last week pushed the 20th-ranked Bears into the rankings entering the Battle 4 Atlantis, where they open against VCU.FSU and Michigan tied for the No. 25 slot as the other newcomers. Michigan visits South Carolina on Wednesday, while the Seminoles face Temple to start the NIT Season Tip-Off in Brooklyn on Thursday.WATCH LISTCincinnati (24th) and California (25th) fell out of the rankings but remain in the top five in the others receiving votes category. Yet two others in that group have a chance to play their way into next weeks poll: Miami and Wichita State.The Hurricanes open the Advocare Invitational against Stanford on Thursday and could meet both Gonzaga and Iowa State. Meanwhile, Wichita State opens play at the Battle 4 Atlantis against LSU with Louisville potentially looming the next day.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '