SPORTS SHORTS 146: ERROL SPENCE WANTS TO FIGHT TERENCE CRAWFORD AFTER MANNY PACQUIAO TO BECOME UNDISPUTED WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 06 Jun 2021
Errol Spence revealed that Terence Crawford has been wanting the Manny Pacquiao fight for a long time now. But he beats the WBO welterweight champion and Top Rank boss Bob Arum in the negotiations.
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“Terence Crawford has been trying to get that fight for how many years now?” Spence told Barbershop Conversations. “It’s excuses after excuses that Bob comes up with. Bob talks a lot of s**t saying all of these things but Al (Haymon) gets the job done. I told (Haymon) I wanted the fight and it worked out in my favor.”
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Even at the age of 42, he stated several times that he was willing to face champions Crawford and Spence. Despite of this, Arum keeps reasoning out that Pacquiao wasn’t interested on fighting Crawford. But Spence believes that Arum has the responsibility to make it happen before anybody else.
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“Pacquiao doesn’t care who he fights. Pacquiao is a warrior. Pacquiao is a guy who will fight anybody. If the money is right and everything is lined up correctly, Pacquiao would have fought Crawford," said Spence.
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"But it didn’t line up that way for whatever reason. I just say ‘blame Bob’ because he’s the guy that’s orchestrating it all, and it didn’t happen in their favor,” added the WBC and IBF unified champion.
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Spence told Barbershop Conversations that he really wants the WBA belt. The WBA top honchos are keen on reinstating Pacquiao as welterweight Super champion after he was declared "champion in recess" due to inactivity.
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If he wins over Pacquiao, Spence wants to battle Terence Crawford for the unification with the WBO title in a move for undisputed at the world welterweight title
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“Once I get that belt, I mean, like I told Al, I want that fight with Crawford, but if it don’t happen I’ll probably just move up or something. I’m not going to waste my time trying to fight somebody who doesn’t have any interest anymore, doesn’t want to fight me anymore," declared Spence.
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Spence says he’s got “probably” two more fights left at welterweight, and likes these matches to be against Pacquiao and Crawford. If the Crawford fight doesn’t push through, he will likely move up in weight, and also appreciated Pacquiao.
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Spence said if there are complaints that he is fighting Pacquiao instead of Crawford, or if anybody complains that he got Pacquiao and Crawford didn’t, then they should blame Bob Arum.
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“Pacquiao don’t care who he fights. Pacquiao’s a warrior, he’s a guy who will fight anybody,” Spence said. “If the money was right and everything was lined up correctly, Pacquiao would have fought Crawford."
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"It didn’t line up that way. I don’t know for whatever reason. I just say ‘Blame Bob’ because he’s the guy orchestrating it all, and it didn’t happen in their favor," added Spence.
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Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) also said he felt only about 80 percent effective in his win over Danny Garcia last December 5 and that his training is better now. He added he is not gaining so much weight, indicating he is already at 158 lbs.
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He stated that if Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) is looking for weaknesses in his fighg from his recent matches, he should consider another approach.
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“I expect the same Manny Pacquiao we get every time. He’ll come to fight, and I’m definitely going to come to fight,” Spence said. “I’ll be stronger and physically better than my recent fights."
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"If he’s looking at that, he should be looking at the Chris Algieri, Lamont Peterson, and Kell Brook fights to find something. If he’s looking at the last fight thinking he’s found a weakness, he’s going to be in trouble.”
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Pacquiao will be having problems with a southpaw in Spence says boxing analyst Nissi Icasiano. "When was the last time Manny Pacquiao fought a fellow southpaw? It was against David Diaz, and David Diaz wasn't as talented as Errol Spence," said Icasiano as told to ABS-CBN.
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"The last southpaw that gave him problems was Agapito Sanchez. It's true that southpaws create problems with right-handed fighters. But in this fight, he won't be having that advantage," said Icasiano.
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On the other hand, he has his inside fighting skills where a lot of fighter opponents find it hard to hold out against his aggression, body work and power, Icasiano analyzed.
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Icasiano clarified that Pacquiao just shows he is not afraid to take on the "young lions" of the welterweight division. While Floyd Mayweather is fighting a mere YouTuber, the Filipino fighter turned senator is taking a bold step in what could be the final hurrah of his renowned boxing career.
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Pacquiao isn't bothered by the underdog tag, saying it's expected because he hasn't fought for two years now since winning over Keith Thurman. "If he wins, it will definitely bolster Pacquiao's career as a boxer," said Icasiano.
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On Sunday night, former five-division champion Floyd Mayweather returns to the ring for the first time since December 2019 when he faces YouTube star Logan Paul in an exhibition match from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
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Mayweather last boxed UFC MMA star Conor McGregor who he stopped in 2017, and fought and knocked out the smaller kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa on New Year's Eve in 2019 in just the first round when Nasukawa's corner waved off the fight after he had been knocked down three times.
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Paul, on the other hand, has just fought two bouts, one as an amateur and one as a pro. He lost both fights to another YouTube sensation Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji a.k.a KSI, both by decision. He will climb the boxing ring as the younger and larger fighter against the former world pound-for-pound king.
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Fight card
Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul -- contracted exhibition (8 rounds)
Badou Jack vs. Dervin Colina, light heavyweight (10 rounds)
Jarrett Hurd vs. Luis Arias, junior middleweight (10 rounds)
Chad Johnson vs. Brian Maxwell, contracted exhibition (4 rounds)
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James Harden spent only 43 seconds on the court in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal showdown between the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks and limped back to the locker room. Brooklyn won 115-107 but Harden had a hamstring injury which hampered his availability for the remainder of the series.
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Nikola Jokic’s consistency and availability made him soar in the latest Kia MVP Ladder. His season averages are 26.4 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 8.3 apg, 1.3 spg. Jokic is the NBA leader in double-doubles (60), and led Denver Nuggets' decimated the lineup with injuries to Jamal Murray, P.J. Dozier and Will Barton.
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Asian Games skateboarding gold medalist Margielyn Didal is going to Tokyo as the country’s 10th athlete for the Olympics. Her semifinal finish in the ongoing Street World Championships-Olympics Qualification event in Rome enabled the 22-year-old Filipina skater to secure the Olympic spot, posted SkatePilipinas.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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