On Friday, May 21st Manny Pacquiao and Errol Spence Jr. announced on social media that their title fight will be held in Las Vegas on August 21st. Spence (27-0) will be putting his WBC and IBF welterweight belts on the line to fight one of the biggest names in the history of boxing. Pacquiao (62-7-2) will be coming off of a two-year hiatus and a split decision win against Keith Thurman. Spence will be returning from an impressive win against Danny Garcia; a fight that had many questioning if he would be the same after a car accident left him with horrific injuries and over a year of inactivity.
When asked about the matchup, Timothy Bradley said, “Manny Pacquiao is like the Tom Brady of boxing.” Pacquiao’s extensive experience fighting top boxers and his success against them can be attributed to his arsenal of boxing tools and outstanding athletic ability. Pacquiao’s style is a blend of opportune aggression and relentless initiative that has devastated many game plans. His speed is a point of great admiration in the sport and his ability to discern when to overwhelm opponents with his quickness and when to back off is what separates him from most fighters. On top of that, his speed coupled with power and accuracy make him a difficult opponent to defeat. However, it won’t be an easy fight against Spence, who proved to be the same powerful force in the Danny Garcia fight after his time off.
Pacquiao will see a big and strong southpaw in Spence and will have to deal with a fighter who completely dismantles his opponents and boxes with equal ability on the inside and outside. We saw in the fight against Thurman that Pacquiao was still capable of boxing with agility and crafting these fluid combinations that, when supported by his speed, were enough to get him the split decision victory. Yet Pacquiao is over a decade older than Spence and will have a significant reach and height disadvantage. Given that, If Pacquiao can close the distance and work effectively on the inside, his speed will give him a great chance at winning and certainly at making it a competitive night.
Spence is excellent at controlling distance and positioning himself to make the most of his offense. His stamina is an incredible force and if that wasn’t an issue in his first fight back post-accident, there is no use in relying on him to tire out at all. He also understands the magnitude of a solid jab and doesn’t abandon it like other fighters do when they let their emotions take over. The size and strength that Spence possesses is a huge advantage, and we’ve seen what having a reach advantage has done for him against tough opponents like Mikey Garcia. He was able to outbox him and keep the fight in his favor by being smart, using his jab and reach to dictate the entirety of the fight and keep Garcia at bay. If Spence can keep Pacquiao on the outside and break him down to where he is unable to create angles and use his quickness to his best advantage, then we may just see Spence beat one of the best and most accomplished fighters in the history of the sport.
