Manny Pacquaio is set to attend the title defense of Errol Spence Jr. against Mikey Garcia on March 16. And whoever wins that bout is expected to face the fighting senator.
At the moment, Spence is expected to keep his belt on account of Garcia moving up the weight class. From 135 pounds, the 31-year-old bulked up to fight in the 147 division, which could put a strain on his performance. There’s also the fact that Spence is bigger than Garcia, another factor that is favoring the champ. As such, most are predicting that Spence will win, including Manny Pacquiao’s former coach Freddie Roach, BoxingScene reported.
“Mikey is showing great courage in challenging Errol, but I think he may have taken on too much in moving up for this one. It's is the type of fight that creates intrigue for fans and that's good for boxing. I'm going with Errol Spence in this one. I think he has the size and power advantage. I'd love to see Manny Pacquiao fight the winner next. What a fight that will be!”
Roach’s excitement is mirrored by other analysts and boxing enthusiasts since Spence and Manny Pacquiao are both southpaw fighters. What’s more, they’re also laser accurate with their punches that comes with tremendous power with each blow.
As for the advantages and disadvantages, Spence has youth on his side, while Manny Pacquaio has experience. Speed-wise, the Filipino icon is still considered faster between the two despite the age disparity. However, Spence’s strength doesn’t necessarily come from quickness but his precision with every hit he lands. And with the undefeated boxer having knocked-out power in his arsenal, this accuracy will play a crucial role when both fighters finally meet.
But again, Spence will need to dispose of Garcia first. While the latter is currently the underdog, recent weeks saw that more and more people are believing that Garcia will pull an upset. Spence was previously a -550 favorite after the fight’s announcement but the figure changed to -375, a testament that there are more people thinking Garcia’s chances isn’t as abysmal as many would’ve believed. As for Manny Pacquiao, he’s currently working with his MP Promotions and his recent partnership with Singapore’s Ringstar Asia.
