Corner Manny Pacquiao–if you can
Errol Spence has started to sound unsure. Before his colorful clash with Shawn Porter in Los Angeles on Sunday, the unbeaten Spence loved to point to Manny Pacquiao as his choice for a next opponent.
Spence has suddenly tarried. If they don’t get Pacquiao, he said, he would settle for Danny Garcia, a two-division world titlist.
After the Spence-Porter thriller at the Staples Center which Spence won via split decision, Garcia entered the ring to challenge Spence, now the unified IBF/WBC welterweight champion.
Garcia used to be the WBC welterweight title-holder, before Porter took the crown which he next yielded to Spence.
So where was Pacquiao?
Remember how Pacquiao was also called atop the ring following Spence’s conquest of Mikey Garcia earlier in the year? Pacquiao, in that pre-arranged instance, was directly challenged by Spence, who said their bout should prove super.
“Why not? Fans would love it,” Pacquiao said. He then flew home with no clear detail on the proposed fight.
That promising Spence-Pacquiao fight never progressed.
Next they heard, Pacquiao had agreed to box Keith Thurman in a WBA welterweight total supremacy duel in Las Vegas last July.
Pacquiao stayed quite far from the Spence-Porter fight, as though the massive unification bout was not taking place.
The eight-division world champion was in Dubai engrossed in a basketball invasion with his MPBL band Pacquiao spearheaded his MPBL selection with amazing scores of 30 and 40 plus points in two exhibition games.
In a post-exhibition break, Pacquiao hinted his former stable mate Amir Khan could yet land a bout against him in the near future.
“I have a scheduled fight, probably April next year, so after that, it’s a good thing,” Pacquiao said.
Pacquiao also talked about a huge Expo in Dubai in November.
“That’s good timing, that gives me time, That’s the initial plan right now,” Pacquiao said. He refused to elaborate.
Hold it. In a subsequent statement, Pacquiao announced that discussions for a rematch with the very elusive Floyd Mayweather were taking place.
“My people are talking to Mayweather’s people, they are talking to each other,” Pacquiao said.
Startling but, so far, there has been no denial nor confirmation from the Mayweather camp.
