Errol Spence Jr. manhandled Mikey Garcia recently and will now move forward to his next challenge. Manny Pacquiao has been mentioned although pundits believe that it may not be a wise move for the Filipino boxing icon.
Apparently, a lot of this has to do with the fact that Pacquiao is already 40 and that he may have trouble keeping in step with the 29-year-old Spence Jr. Pacquiao’s camp and his throng of supporters are likely to disagree although there are plenty of obstacles ahead for both him and Spence.
This includes fighters waiting in the wings. Spence could be headed the direction of Shawn Porter in a potential unification bout. Pacquiao, on the other hand, has his share of willing opponents - all of which are looking to cash in since they know they can earn big bucks and a career boost facing the eight-time division champion.
For Spence, facing Pacquiao may be lucrative but the competitive nature may not be that high. Although the Pac-Man has shown he still has the speed, it remains that one punch can change the course. Most witnessed that when Juan Manuel Marquez landed that punch that knocked out Pacquiao – branded by most as a “lucky punch.”
Looking at the possibilities, there are two other names that come to mind for either fighter. They are Keith Thurman and Terrence Crawford. The names of Pacquiao and Spence Jr. have been linked to either boxer in the past and make plenty of sense.
Facing Thurman will finally fulfill the wish of boxing fans seeing him face Spence Jr. This is a fight most have been asking for since 2017 and a clash would unify two 147-pound belts, Forbes said.
A Spence vs. Crawford fight is another showdown the boxing world wants to see. According to Andre Ward, this clash hardly needs to be hyped and that it is a big enough fight backed with the necessary money for both fighters, Boxing News 24 said.
But despite the rise of Crawford, it comes a bit odd that he would have to wait to get at the top of the list of opponents for Spence. Pacquiao has also been linked to a potential fight but something has conspicuously kept the 30-year-old pug from rising among the ranks.
At the end of the day, it all depends on what Spence and his camp will decide. Will it be for money or to give the fans a decent fight? Whatever they decide, that should come out in the near future.
