Home Boxing News Manny Pacquiao predicts one thing against Errol Spence: victory

Manny Pacquiao predicts one thing against Errol Spence: victory

Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao 62-7-2 (39) won’t be drawn into predicting the way he will win his ambition challenge to WBC and IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr 27-0 (21) who he will face at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 21.

The 42-year-old Filipino superstar was asked at a media conference on Sunday whether he was going to come out guns blazing like he did in his previous fight against Keith Thurman 29-1 (22) two years ago, who he dropped in the opening round before winning a split decision.

“I’m not predicting that, but as I said I’m doing my best to focus on my training, especially to focus my mind to win the fight. That’s my goal,” said Pacquiao.

“We’ve got a couple of strategies that we can apply in the fight. This is one of the biggest challenges of my career.

“I don’t want to be overconfident in this fight because like I said, Errol Spence is the type of opponent that you can’t underestimate.

“He’s good, he’s young, and his determination and passion for the sport is always there. His dedication and the way he trains – I saw it in his training.

“I already started training in the last week of May, so when I get here, I was off for two years. But I’ve been in boxing when I was 12-years-old until now. So it’s good for me that I have a layoff for two years. So when I got back to training, I feel like I got my focus and my dedication to my training that I have 100% condition for my drive.

“When you’re at this age, you need your body to have time to recover. When I was younger, I could push to the limit, but it’s not like that.”

Pacquiao has had an extraordinary career. After winning his first world title at flyweight 23 years ago, he has gone on to claim world honours in a further seven weight classes and remains a top shelf fighter.

As good as the 31-year-old Spence is, Pacquiao views him as just another big name to overcome.

“I can’t say it’s the biggest challenge because I have fought the best fighters in the world in Keith Thurman, [Oscar] De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, a lot of these great fighters,” said Pacquiao, who also staged great rivalries with the Mexican trio of Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez.

“[Spence] is one of the best, I can rate this opponent. I’ve been in boxing 25 years in my professional career and I’ve been in boxing 30 years. So I think I’ve already seen different styles and passions that I’ve encountered in the ring. I always consider this type of fight one of the top fights.

“I would like to invite all the fans to watch this fight, this prestigious fight. It’s going to be a good fight, a lot of action in the ring as we expected. I’m fighting one of the best fighters in boxing.”