Errol Spence Jr. will officially make his return to the ring in December when he faces Danny Garcia. A lot is hanging in that clash, one of which is a potential chance to face Manny Pacquiao. Though he has tried in the past, a win over Garcia could be his last ticket to face the eight-time division champion.
It will be the first fight of Spence since that car accident he has last year. The WBF and IBF welterweight champion won over Shawn Porter but found himself in a serious single-vehicle car crash several weeks later. He has since been out of the ring and will start his journey back this December.
Spence has good reason to fight Pacquiao. He wants to unify all the welterweight belts and get the chance to earn big money. If not the Pac-Man, he can get the chance to do that but probably against another fighter. But there is no bigger opportunity than that especially for someone like the Filipino boxing sensation.
Errol Spence hopes to have a unification fight with “living legend” @MannyPacquiao in 2021. pic.twitter.com/tvjlFpzPor — ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) October 19, 2020
Speaking to Sun Sport, Spence knows that facing Pacquiao would be rewarding. He is aware of the success of the boxer-senator but all he can do now is hope that the Pac-Man is still available after facing Conor McGregor. Most know that the UFC star is the big name on the 41-year-old’s next opponents and there is no telling if he will end his ring career there.
"Pacquiao has been in the sport 20-something years, he's an icon even outside the sport. Everybody knows who Manny Pacquiao is,” Spence said. "That would be a great fight for me."
Spence had his eye on Pacquiao but the latter opted to face Keith Thurman instead. Terence Crawford was the next best thing until that unfortunate accident Spence had. With time passing bay, all the 30-year-old pug can do right now is keep his fingers crossed and hope that Pacquiao will still be available by the time he is ready.
Before thinking that far, Spence needs to get a win over Garcia. Like him, Garcia may also have his eyes on the Filipino champion. A loss will close the door on any chances with Pacquiao wining up his career.
Retirement could be next if the fight with McGregor happens. A warmup fight possibly against Mikey Garcia may happen with the eight-time division champion looking to get himself in shape. The Pac-Man is believed to be fighting at least two more times, meaning the clash with the Notorious could be the last one in his storied boxing career.
