Can he do it one more time?
In less than a month Manny Pacquiao and Errol Spence Jr, two of my favourite boxers, go toe to toe for the title of Welterweight Champion of the world. Without a doubt, millions of fans around the globe cannot wait for fight night, and yet I wish that the contest would not happen.
At 42, Manny has conquered the boxing world. Eight divisions are no easy feat, and for that he has already secured his place in the Boxing Hall of Fame. However, like many champs before him, Pacman is having difficulty in knowing when to hang up his gloves for good. Perhaps it is my love for the “Filipino Sensation” that does not want to see him make the same mistake countless champs before him have made.
Immediately this puts me in mind of the George Foreman and Evander Holyfield fight in 1991, during which Foreman got pummeled by a man half his age. Watching the fight years later, all I could think was that Foreman in his prime would have put Holyfield in a body bag. Muhammad Ali suffered a similar fate against Trevor Berbick in 1981, sending the former champ into retirement many years after he should have hung up his gloves. It is said that by the time Ali retired he had taken more than 200 000 blows to the head.
So, then, do I think that a Pacquiao and Spence fight will be entirely one-sided? Yes and no. Manny has the heart of a lion, and he will fight to the last bell, or till Spence has broken him down with murderous body shots. Which I think is the scenario most likely to transpire. Unlike Pacman who is a smaller welterweight, Errol has the reach and height advantage, which could work for or against him, depending on the game plan Freddie Roach has for Manny.
A southpaw with a jab harder than Thor’s Hammer, Errol Spence has stopped 27 opponents in their tracks. Except for a small number of welterweights on the road to nowhere, most of Spence’s victories have come against fighters making up the top 10. Included in that body count is Mikey Garcia, Kell Brook, Lamont Peterson, Danny Garcia, and many others.
“Never discount Manny Pacquiao”, is one of the phrases doing the rounds in boxing enclaves, and they’re right. Lest we forget, Max Kellerman and other commentators recently reminded us that Pacman is a freak of nature, seeming to keep the same level of fitness he did at 25. Lightning-fast punches and that impeccable footwork movement could completely overwhelm Spence, sending him to the canvas in early rounds. That Spence is a slow starter could count against him in the bout.
Rather than fighting an aged Pacman, the contest I’d really like to see is between Errol Spence and Terrance Crawford. Both are young, 31 and 33 respectively; both are knockout specialists and, more importantly, both are in their prime. Neither have lost a professional fight, and any boxing promoter worth his salt should make this fight a reality.
Sadly, boxing has a reputation for staging fights that will be big money-spinners rather than pitting pugilists against the best combatant in that weight class. And that is why talk of a Crawford and Spence fight was quickly quelled, much to Spence’s relief if I am to be frank. There are fight promoters that feel Crawford doesn’t have the same ability to attract spectators as Errol, despite being a monster in the ring. Which is an absolute shame.
Though I am a Spence fan, I would put money on Crawford if I were a betting man. That’s right, I believe Terrance would stop Errol in the early rounds by KO.
To match the best against the best is to lay to rest the debate of who reigns supreme in the ring. Where to from there? It is the same reason we never saw Tyson and Lewis until both men were well past their expiry date. Had the two met in the ring years earlier, not only would the bout have ended differently, but also the big debate would have been put to bed. Additionally, that logic applies to the Pacquiao and Mayweather fight. Mayweather would have retired 49-1, if the fight happened in 2011 and not 2015.
Following Pacquiao’s retirement which, if rumours doing the rounds hold any truth, will be after the Spence fight, boxing will see rehashes of previous bouts. New permutations will arise as old adversaries fight newcomers to the sport. What you won’t see is Crawford and Spence, for two reasons. Chiefly, there is the issue of settling the best welterweight in the world debate. Secondly, the two won’t meet in the ring till either loses a fight, presumably to a younger, equally talented boxer. But while each is on a winning streak, knocking out pugilists they’ve previously faced or newer, unexperienced fighters is the way to get the numbers up there, till you’re at 45 -0.
Whilst this looks good on paper, it makes for unbelievably boring boxing. Those of us who share that sentiment need to remember that boxing has become more than a sport. For boxers in the ring, it is a business. And a business that adds many more zeros to one’s net worth if you can rack up a great number of victories, even if you didn’t face the best combatants. Ask Floyd Mayweather, who spent his career running from Pacquiao and fought him only once he was well past his prime and had suffered a shoulder injury.
There is a way to get around the matter of boxers like Mayweather running from opponents, and that is to amend the rules. New regulations could be introduced if it is to the benefit of the sport and to the spectator. Imagine for a moment if the boxing federation mandated an undefeated fighter to go toe to toe against another unbeaten opponent. Some say that would rob the boxer of the freedom to choose his next combatant, but I say to hell with those people. It will bring back excitement to the sport and not give frauds like Mayweather a chance to claim greatness over the true heroes deserving of the glory.
Since that isn’t about to happen, I think it is safe to assume that by the time Errol Spence and Terrance Crawford meet in the ring, humanity will have migrated to Mars.