Manny ‘Pac-Man’ Pacquiao could step back into the boxing ring in June or July of 2020, and it seems like he is now interested in fighting undefeated unified IBF/WBC welterweight champion Errol ‘The Truth’ Spence Jr. who is just coming off a devastating car accident.
Spence’s name was on the short list of opponents of interest, alongside Shawn Porter, and Danny Garcia.
Where was that same energy when Spence who just boxed the socks off of Mikey Garcia at the Dallas Cowboys stadium called you out to your face and you shook his hand and said you would fight him.
Pacquiao flat out ducked Spence and picked undefeated WBA super champion Keith Thurman instead. It’s obvious why Thurman was chosen because Pacquiao saw weakness and vulnerability in him. Thurman was recovering from surgery and was out for a long time. He was rusty and in his comeback fight Josesito Lopez a journeyman not known for his punching power rocked him bad.
Thurman won the fight against Lopez but it wasn’t a good look, he still needed another tune up or two to really get back into form.
When Pacquiao saw Thurman look bad and hurt against Lopez, he probably smiled and demanded the fight. I could picture him saying “Let us get Thurman now because he is beatable and I can become the oldest welterweight champion in history at 40.”
The same thing could happen here with Errol Spence Jr. who is vulnerable just coming off a serious car accident.
Pacquiao didn’t want to fight Spence at his best and most fearsome point, so I wouldn’t be shocked if he fights him now at his lowest point.
Should Pacquiao get full credit if he fights Spence and beats him right after he was in a bad car accident?
It’s a weak move to fight a guy recovering from an accident. At least let him have a tune up to see if he really wasn’t affected by the car crash.
I remember before Spence’s accident when he was the boogeyman, a lot of Pacquiao fans were telling Spence to pick on his own size or stop calling out Pacquiao he is too old. Now, the tune has changed and they are all for Pacquiao vs. Spence because they know Spence could have some lingering effects from the accident and this is the best chance for their hero to beat him.
I guess to these fans, Pacquiao can do no wrong. You would be hard-pressed to find a rational Pacquiao fan, most of them will just get angry, call you a hater or insult you when you bring up facts and observations that have merit to them.
Pacquiao should fight Danny Garcia next and let Errol Spence Jr. get a full year to recover and a tune-up fight in to see where his head is at. It would be shameful for Pacquiao to take on Spence next, and will only add more fuel to the fire that Pacquaio only fights guys that are at a disadvantage.
