Brace yourself as we are going see Pacquiao vs Spence which for me personally I know will be the most interesting fight of the year.
It was really a shocking news when Manny Pacquiao, announced to world of sports be will be boxing a beast like himself Spence in his next fight, and Manny is 42 years old but still had a great boxing gloves and the will be scheduled on August 21 nothing more and nothing less than the elite welterweight and the only unified champion of the division.
Manny against Keith Thurman already demonstrated what others, like Hopkins and Foreman, the adversity of advanced age demonstrated. An important factor is whether we will see Thurman's Pacquiao or a more worn Pacquiao. Physical training is a stark reality in sports. Pacquiao can't get any better than what we've already seen. All of his boxing must be based on experience and technique, since measuring himself in a durability duel is a dangerous risk.
So the real question here is: Is Spence a greater danger than Thurman? A boxer like Errol Spence Jr., on a record like Manny Pacquiao's, would give the impression that he would be one of his easiest and most approachable opponents. All that is in Spence's favor is the statistic, age, that he is a solid current welterweight champion and that he has unified. If Manny were the same age, he would sweep the division and make it look easy, like Canelo does at 168Lbs.
In addition, Pacquiao has a record with the best names that his time could give him. Let's remember that the senator is not from the same seedbed as current fighters, he has vast experience with boxers of the legend level and that is a fact that can never be overlooked. In my opinion the only two opponents Errol Spence has had in danger are Mikey Garcia and Danny Garcia, where he dominated comfortably. Pacquiao doesn't dominate, Pacquiao knocks out. Will Spence be able to neutralize the offense that characterizes the Filipino so much? Is he mentally ready?
And one last question would also be: Is Spence more dangerous than Crawford? Definitely YES, but it's also a dangerous fight for "Bud." Crawford has that offense that has characterized him, to the point of being together with Wilder two of the most relevant knockers of the new generation. Knowing Crawford and Pacquiao, they would both go to the KO and honestly, as much as Pacquiao is weakened, he is honestly 50 and 50. Spence Jr. has that more stylistic, calm and intelligent style, something that would put even young Manny in trouble. .
All this wave of boxers of the new era lacks more opposition, experience and, as they say in my country, "tanning", polishing and forging that even sharper steel. The Filipino's Boxing level is a light year from the current level, so much so that even though he is old he is still a walking danger, a living legend.