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Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao shocked the boxing world on Friday by announcing a superfight boxing match against Errol Spence Jr. Pacquiao posted the news via Instagram, and it’s not nearly the kind of fight announcement most people expected the 42-year-old legend to make.
Pacquiao vs. Spence will take place on August 21 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The upcoming PBC on FOX pay-per-view card is a massive superfight nobody saw coming.
Spence also confirmed the fight via social media. He said, “Done Deal! See y’all in Vegas for the biggest fight of the year…”.
The fight was also officially announced by PBC on FOX.
Why Pacquiao vs. Spence Is Shocking
While reports from the boxing media indicated Pacquiao’s team was talking to at least three well-known candidates for his next fight, most fight fans and pundits just assumed at least two of the names on the list were just that: talk.
Pacquiao had been linked to Spence, Terence Crawford, and Mikey Garcia. While all three fighters are among the best in the sport, Spence and Crawford seemed like incredibly tough tasks for an older boxing legend like Pacquiao because both are naturally larger fighters in their physical primes.
Honestly, even out of those three names, Spence seemed like the most unlikely pick. He’s the youngest, biggest, and probably most dangerous as a pressure-fighting southpaw with legit punching power in both hands.
So most just assumed Pacquiao would end up facing Garcia next or somebody else entirely. That still would have been a huge fight, by the way, but one in which Pacquiao would probably have entered the ring on fight night as a slight favorite on the betting market.
That won’t be the case against Spence, and it would not have been against Crawford either.
Pacquiao Will Be Huge Underdog
Pacquiao will be a huge underdog to Spence whenever the betting lines open, and he’ll likely finish the same on fight night.
Spence, 31, is undefeated and considered one of the top fighters in boxing today. While Pacquiao started his career weighing just 106 pounds and won his first world championship in boxing’s flyweight division, Spence is a life-long 147-pounder who will only move up in weight from here.
So Pacquiao will enter his superfight against Spence older, smaller, and a significant underdog on the betting market.
Most boxing superstars would probably settle for easier fights at this point. Pacquiao is the only fighter in boxing history to win legit world titles in eight different weight classes, and he’s sure to be inducted into the Hall of Fame the first year he’s eligible.
But Pacquiao wants more. It’s part of what makes him so special as a prizefighter and why he has so earned the ardor of so many fans from all over the world.
Boxing World Reacts to Pacquiao vs. Spence
The reactions to Pacquiao’s announcement were overwhelmingly positive.
Boxing Scene’s Cliff Rold said, “This is pretty wild: Since losing to Floyd, Pacquiao will have fought Bradley again, Thurman, and now Spence all past the age of 35 and while still ranked one of the best in the most consistently tough weight class in boxing. Dude is ridiculous.”
Talk Sport’s Michael Benson posted, “Manny Pacquiao, at 42 years of age, a full-time Filipino senator, coming off a two-year layoff, has just signed to fight prime champion Errol Spence on August 21st. That’s true greatness, win or lose.”
Boxing Legends TV posted, “If Pacquiao wins he’s up there with the Ray Robinson’s of the world idc. This is some serious greatness right here”.
Boxer Caleb Truax posted, “We don’t deserve Manny Pacquiao…”.
Dan Rafael posted, “The legendary @MannyPacquiao is in his 26th year as a pro boxer, has had 71 fights, is 42 years old, has won titles in a record 8 divisions and is still fighting at an elite level. Now he’s fighting @ErrolSpenceJr next. Just another example of his all-time greatness win or lose”.
You can watch the reaction from “Real Talk With Kelsey and Rachel” below.
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Twitter: @Kelsey_McCarson
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