SPORTS SHORTS 139: JUSTIN FORTUNE AND SEAN GIBBONS PREDICT A MANNY PACQUIAO WIN OVER ERROL SPENCE
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 26 May 2021
Manny Pacquiao's bout with Errol Spence would be his biggest challenge since he was beaten by Floyd Mayweather in May 2, 2015. The Filipino boxing legend is aiming at the Allegiant Stadium, the 72,000-seat home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, for his much-awaited comeback in August 21.
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“They’re trying to get me into the big [stadium] there, the new one,” Pacquiao told The Athletic as the eight-division world boxing champion announced that he will be fighting the American unified WBO and IBF welterweight champion Spence.
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Dan Rafael, the famous sportswriter wrote: “The legendary Manny Pacquiao is in his 26th year as a pro boxer. He has had 71 fights, is 42 years old, has won titles in a record eight divisions. Pacquiao is still fighting at an elite level. Now he’s fighting Errol Spence Jr next. Just another example of his all-time greatness – win or lose."
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Mayweather’s former fighter Ishe Smith said: “If Manny bests Spence. Even with the Floyd Mayweather defeat, pundits will have a hard time putting Floyd over Manny as an all-time great."
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“I will still go Floyd Mayweather, but that’s gonna be a crazy argument if Manny can pull this off,” added the former IBF superwelterweight champion from Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Pacquiao was a +350 underdog and Spence -450 favorite by bettinginsidejournal.com on Saturday. It means a $100 bet on Pacquiao takes $350 if he wins while a $450 bet on Spence would earn just $100 if he prevails.
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In the Pacquiao-Thurman encounter, Thurman was initially a -135 and Pacquiao a +115. After the weigh-in, Pacquiao became a -160 favorite and Thurman a +140 underdog.
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Spence met a near-fatal accident while driving his white Ferrari 488 Spider on October morning in 2019 when it rolled over a few times.
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MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons commented that Spence will still be traumatized by the incident. "Once the Senator lands a couple of punches, it will bring Errol back to that early morning in Dallas when his Ferrari flipped over a few times,” Gibbons said as quoted by Daily Tribune.
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"We truly believe in Manny Pacquiao. He could have chosen Mikey Garcia . . . That would have been a safety fight. But has chosen Errol Spence Jr.," said boxing analyst Atty. Ed Tolentino over ABS-CBN.
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Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune said the Filipino icon’s welterweight title showdown with Spence won’t go the distance. “It ends in a stoppage,” Justin Fortune recently told boxing videographer Ellie Seckbach of EsNews.
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The Australian trainer commented that even at 42 years old, Pacquiao is still the better fighter compared to the younger and bigger Spence. “Pacquiao is a different animal,” said Fortune. “It's a good fight. Spence is a hell of a fighter, but Pacquiao is on a different level,” he added.
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“I don’t think he (Spence) is as strong as Pacquiao. He’s strong, but he’s not Manny-strong. And I’m sure as (expletive) he ain’t Manny-fast. Manny is [42] but he is still incredibly fast,” said Fortune.
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The venue for the Pacquiao-Spence matchup has yet to be announced, although reports said the fight could end up either at the MGM Grand or the 72,000-seat Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
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A unified champion is one who holds at least two of the main titles sanctioning a division. The Current Unified Champions include:
Heavyweights: Anthony Joshua – IBF, WBA (super), WBO
Light heavyweights: Artur Beterbiev – IBF, WBC
Super Middleweight: Canelo Alvarez – WBA (super), WBC, WBO
Junior middleweight: Jermell Charlo – IBF, WBA (super), WBC
Welterweight: Errol Spence Jr. – IBF, WBC
Lightweight: Teofimo Lopez – IBF, WBA (super), WBO
Super bantamweight: Murodjon Akhmadaliev – IFB, WBA (super)
Bantamweight: Naoya Inoue – IBF, WBA (super)
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An undisputed champion is a fighter who holds all four major championship belts (IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO) in a division. It's a rare accomplishment that was only achieved by nine fighters in the Four Belt era, including five men and four women.
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Undisputed male boxing champions:
Oleksandr Usyk (heavyweight)
Bernard Hopkins (middleweight)
Jermain Taylor (middleweight)
Terence Crawford (junior welterweight)
Josh Taylor (junior welterweight)
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Undisputed champion of women’s boxing
Claressa Shields (middleweight)
Cecilia Braekhus (welterweight)
Jessica McCaskill (welterweight)
Katie Taylor (lightweight)
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There is a possibility that we will see three new undisputed champions crowned in 2021 with Josh Taylor already winning it in the junior welterweight division.
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WBC, WBO and WBA (Super) champion Canelo Alvarez is scheduled for a clash with the IBF titlist Caleb Plant for the the first undisputed super middleweight champion.
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Then a potential undisputed heavyweight clash between WBC champion Tyson Fury and WBA (Super), IBF and WBO champion Anthony Joshua later this year.
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2004 Athens Olympic Boxing Gold Medalists:
Light flyweight Yan Bartelemí of Cuba
Flyweight Yuriorkis Gamboa
Cuba
Bantamweight Guillermo Rigondeaux of Cuba
Featherweight Aleksei Tishchenko of Russia
Lightweight Mario Kindelán of Cuba
Light welterweight Manus Boonjumnong of Thailand
Welterweight Bakhtiyar Artayev of Kazakhstan
Middleweight Gaydarbek Gaydarbekov of Russia
Light heavyweight Andre Ward of United States
Heavyweight Odlanier Solís of Cuba
Super heavyweight Alexander Povetkin of Russia
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Filipino-American Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year on Monday night, beating teammate Joe Ingles and New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose for the award.
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Clarkson has played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers before joining the Jazz. In his seven-year NBA career, he averaged a career-high 18.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 26.7 minutes in 68 games during the 2020-21 regular season.
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During the voting, he received 65 of the 100 first-place votes cast by the global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters who also vote for all of the NBA's different regular season awards.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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