SPORTS SHORTS 168: MANNY PACQUIAO APPRECIATES HIS FOE AS ERROL SPENCE AIMS SIMPLY TO WIN AND NOT A SPECTACULAR KO ON PACMAN
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 13 Jul 2021
Manny Pacquiao and Errol Spence Jr. formally announced Sunday in a press conference that they will battle on August 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in a championship bout headlining Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) and Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) who will clash for Spence’s WBC and IBF welterweight title belts.
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Pacquiao confessed that he is taking a serious peril in facing one of the top pound for pound active boxers. Pacquiao clarified he could have chosen an easier opponent and not a deadly foe in Spence for his next match.
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But Pacquiao decided to gamble on the undefeated welterweight champion because he wants to give a good fight to the fans. He said he is aching for a real fight.
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Unified welterweight champion Spence appreciated the compliment given to him by the senator but says he will not be over confident during the title skirmish in Las Vegas.
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Pacquiao was very courteous and praised the unbeaten champion he has selected to contest in what could be the fighting lawmaker's farewell tussle before throwing his hat into the more challenging presidential derby.
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When Floyd Mayweather was mentioned to give advice to Spence, Pacquiao asserted that Spence need not learn from the retired unbeaten former pound-for-pound king, who defeated "Pacman" in May 2, 2015.
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Mayweather won the "Fight of the Century" by unanimous decision, 116-112, 116–112 and 118–110. It was considered as one of the most awaited sporting events in history, but it was a huge disappointment for the fans and audiences because of Mayweather's run and box style.
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“Errol don’t need to have advice from Mayweather,” Pacquiao stated. “I believe Errol is better than Mayweather. He’s a [better] fighter than Mayweather. He could teach Mayweather how to fight toe-to-toe.”
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Spence was gratified, but he also believed that he would not be deceived by his foe's tricks leading to the fight. "It is a great compliment,” he answered. “But Manny Pacquiao is the kind of guy that can lull you to sleep."
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"He’ll give you a lot of compliments, gratitude and things like that. Then as soon as the bell rings, he’s jumping all on you. [As far as the compliments] I will take it," added Spence.
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In an interview after the press conference, Spence stated the importance of this huge fight for his boxing career and hopes to enhance his legacy.
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“That’s the biggest name that I would have on my resume and under my belt,” Spence told ESNews. “There’s no bigger name than Manny Pacquiao in the boxing world.”
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“It would be huge for Manny Pacquiao to pass the torch to me. Nothing but respect to him but once the bell rings, the respect goes out the door.”
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The 31-year-old Spence survived a single-car crash with his Ferrari 488 Spider as he was driving while intoxicated with alcohol. He avoided jail time and instead received probation.
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He fought last December 5 in his native Texas at the AT&T Stadium, Arlington with a unanimous decision win over Danny with scores of 116-112, 116-112 and 117-111, and retained his titles.
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Pacquiao was last knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012, but Spence said he won’t fight aiming for a spectacular knockout. “I definitely have the ability to finish him,” Spence said. “But for me, it’s about winning the fight.”
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The other two boxers who stopped Pacquiao were Thailand’s Medgoen Singsurat 3K Battery in 1999 and fellow Filipino Rustico Torrecampo in 1996.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks win overvthe Phoenix Suns 120-100 in a must-win Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, making the series 2-1 in favor of the Suns. The Greek Freak finished with 41 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. He shot 14-for-23 from the field and sank 13-for-17 from the free-throw line.
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He had a 42-point play in Game 2, and Giannis's achievement made him the sixth player ever to record back-to-back 40-point games in the Finals. The other five are LeBron James, the last to one to make it in 2016, when he scored 41 in Games 5 and 6 against the Warriors, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Jerry West and Rick Barry.
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The Argentina basketball team, ranked fourth in the FIBA men standings, had a silver-medal finish at the 2019 FIBA World Cup. They are the only country, that still exists, to win a basketball gold medal in the Olympic men's basketball aside from the USA. They won the gold in 2004 Athens and the bronze in 2008 Beijing.
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At age 41, Luis Scola, a 10-year NBA veteran from 2007 to 2017, will be playing in his fifth Olympics, the most by an Argentian basketball player. Their four NBA players are Facundo Campazzo (Denver Nuggets), Leandro Bolmaro (Minnesota Timberwolves), Gabriel Deck (OKC Thunder) and Lucas Vildoza (New York Knicks).
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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