SPORTS SHORTS 115: ERROL SPENCE JR. IS MANNY PACQUIAO'S FIFTH PROPOSED OPPONENT THIS YEAR
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 27 Apr 2021
First it was Connor McGregor. Then followed by Ryan Garcia. Mikey Garcia came next. Then Terence Crawford. And now it's Errol Spence Jr.
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Conor McGregor thinks positively that his fight against eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao will take place sometime this year 2021. He told The Mac Life that he aims to win a boxing title and he would be more happy if it would be against Pacquiao.
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“I know that talks are intensifying for [a fight] this year. I am excited for a Manny Pacquiao bout and it looks like it will happen this year. What time this year? I am not sure,” said McGregor as quoted by BoxingScene.
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Then McGregor lost to Dustin Poirier in UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi, which aborted the emerging Pacquiao-McGregor fight, which is Pacquiao's top prority.
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Sean Gibbons, MP Promotions President, agreed that the marketability of a boxing fight with Conor McGregor has nosedived after the UFC star was knocked out in two rounds by Poirier. The fight with the Irish MMA star is no longer an option since McGregor will focus on completing a trilogy fight with Poirier.
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Then Ryan Garcia defeated Luke Campbell by 7th round TKO at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas and became the WBC interim lightweight champion. He declared his desire to fight Manny Pacquiao.
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“Hey everybody, just want to make it real clear - my fight with Manny Pacquiao will not be an exhibition,” Garcia stated on his own Instagram Live channel, informing his followers of more than 8.1 million subscribers. “It will be a real fight. Shooting for 12 rounds.”
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It was reported that there were initial talks between the Pacquiao and Ryan Garcia camps. Garcia announced that the fight is a done deal, at least on his social media.
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He posted a fan-made poster of him and the Filipino icon turned senator on Instagram and wrote, “A dream turned reality. It’s an honor to share the Ring with Manny Pacquiao. I will always respect what you did in and out the ring. Here’s to the best man winning.”
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Then suddenly, the announcement that the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Ryan Garcia will not be realized any time soon. "KingRy" Garcia published it on his Instagram, posting an announcement in his IG Stories.
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"To all my fans and supporters my fight with Manny Pacquiao is not happening right now," Garcia posted. "I tried my best after getting the call to fight him but didn't happen due to some issues I didn't expect to come up but I'm already working on the next fight," he added.
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Reports surfaced that four-division champion Mikey Garcia is enthusiastic about his supposedly coming match with Pacquiao. "We’re finalizing all of the details. We hope to get the exact date and location in the next few days. We’re trying to get everything done for May,” Garcia told Jo Ankier.
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Garcia said that the fight has been in the works for a long time, with more details last year. The last few weeks the parties are getting very close to working on the deal and finalizing it. "I’m pretty excited. We’ll have all of the details set in the next few days. It’s a matter of time. So far, it seems like all of the parties are on board," added Mikey.
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Pacquiao was quoted by BusinessMirror that there's an ongoing negotiation between his agents and the group of former world champion Mikey Garcia on a possible fight in Dubai possibly in May.
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“We are still finalizing it and we have ongoing negotiations with Mikey Garcia, Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.,” Pacquiao said in an interview.
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The fighter-turned-senator Pacquiao did not give more details, but BusinessMirror revealed that Mikey Garcia would most likely be the Filipino sports star's next opponent since Paradigm Sports Management with President Audie Attar reportedly drafting the fight contracts.
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Thereupon, reports surfaced that negotiations are now going on for Manny Pacquiao to make a boxing ring comeback after an absence of 23 months to challenge WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford on June 5. The fight discussions were first reported by Mike Coppinger of The Athletic.
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As reported, Pacquiao would be fighting Crawford, ESPN's No. 1 and The Ring's No. 3 pound-for-pound boxer in a pay-per-view fight in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
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"Discussions have taken place for a very long time," the undisclosed ESPN source said. "And while the fight is not yet close to being finalized, if it does take place, Abu Dhabi is the targeted location, and June 5 is the targeted date."
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Pacquiao told Bob Arum he wants to get a $40 million payday while Crawford may receive $10 million as quoted by the Daily Tribune. The question is whether a fight between Pacquiao and Crawford earn $50 million or more in revenues this year with the ongoing pandemic.
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World Boxing News also reported that Pacquiao wanted to bid farewell to Las Vegas this year by having his final fight in the boxing capital of the world. At one point, a match up with Mikey Garcia at the MGM Grand as a farewell to the famous Nevada was likely to happen.
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Recently, news circulated that Pacquiao's proposed mega buck title fight with World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Terence Crawford is no longer workable.
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The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger reported on social media that he has learned that Crawford has not formally agreed to fight the former eight-division world champion and the latest development is that the proposed site which is the U.A.E. and the people with the money involved cannot make it into fruition.
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Then reports surfaced that Pacquiao, finally seems ready to return to action in a title fight against WBC and IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. in July. The fight is still to receive an official confirmation, but both sides have begun negotiating and the proposed venue is in the States, possibly Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Spence last fought Danny Garcia on December 5, 2020 at the AT&T stadium in Arlington, Dallas, Texas defending his IBF and WBC welterweight titles. He won a unanimous decision 116-112, 116-112 and 117-111 to retain his titles.
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Spence, nicknamed "The Truth", age 31 years, from Long Island, New York, U.S.A. is also a southpaw. He is undefeated with 27 wins and of these 21 were by knockout. He has a knockout-to-win ratio of 77.8%.
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Spence is ranked as the No. 3 pound for pound by BoxRec, No. 4 by Boxing Writers Association of America and ESPN, and No. 5 by The Ring and Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.
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He is also ranked as the world's best active welterweight by BoxRec, The Ring, and TBRB, and second to Crawford by ESPN.
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The Golden State Warriors scored a 117-113 win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night, and their record is 31-30 and tied for ninth place in the Western Conference.
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Stephen Curry scored 37 points, pulled seven rebounds, and dished four assists. He also broke the NBA record for most made 3s in a single month during the regular season. He made seven 3s against the Kings, bringing his total for April to 85. The previous record of 82 was set by James Harden in November 2019.
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James DeGale of Great Britain won the 2008 Beijing Olympic gold medal in the middleweight class. He became professional world champion in the IBF super middleweight division (2015-2017, 2018-present).
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Jackie Fields of USA won the 1924 Paris Olympic gold medal in the featherweight class. He became professional world champion in the undisputed welterweight division (1929-1930).
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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