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I appreciate Manny Pacquiao.
The things he’s accomplished since reaching the championship level more than two decades ago measure up to anyone over the same time frame, and he’ll be a deserving International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee at the very instant he becomes eligible.
But in spite of the hype still resonating from a downing of intermittently active title-holder Keith Thurman nearly two years ago in Las Vegas, any days resembling his best ones are long, long gone.
The oft-injured Floridian had been campaigning on reputation alone for a while, and Pacquiao, now 42, hasn’t beaten anyone capable of truly elite-level resistance – Tim Bradley, let’s say – since his odometer was a few months past 37.
Nevertheless, the Filipino camp is buzzing these days with talk of one Errol Spence Jr.
The two are penciled in for mid-August in Las Vegas.
“If (Manny is) gonna continue in boxing, I want him to fight the best guys he can,” veteran trainer Freddie Roach said. “We’re not looking for any stiffs or any easy fights or anything like that. We will fight anybody out there. If Floyd doesn’t come, Errol Spence, all of them. Line them up.”
For those uninitiated, the Texan was an elite amateur, then a professional prodigy and has since become a unified five-defense champion since an impressive road KO of welterweight claimant Kell Brook.
He’s among the very best fighters in today’s world to these eyes – warranting a spot alongside Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez, among others – and he’s the kind of fighter who appears poised to maintain that status for the long term.
“The Mayweather era has stopped,” veteran promoter Richard Schaefer said, following Spence’s clinic against fellow unbeaten pound-for-pounder Mikey Garcia in 2019.
“A new era has started today – the Errol Spence era.”
Mayweather, for those who’ve forgotten, won 50 fights in a career (including a defeat of Pacquiao) that touched three decades and will be part of the IBHOF’s 2021 induction class – joining recognizable surnames like Ali, Robinson and Marciano – next summer.
Whether Spence stays relevant long enough to record a worthwhile fraction of Mayweather’s relevance remains a mystery, but a fight with a 42-year-old Pacquiao will provide a substantial bullet point.
While a guy like Crawford has already leapt from 135 pounds to 140 and subsequently evolved into a terrific welterweight, those around the aging senator have long insisted he’d be more comfortable – and perhaps more devastating – with a move down to 140, a division he invaded with a two-round erasure of Ricky Hatton in 2009 before chasing bigger names and purses at 147 and beyond.
Making a play for Spence, then, seems a bite far more than the Filipino is capable of chewing.
Spence will stand four full inches taller in a press conference staring contests while possessing an even more significant five-inch edge in reach, and a successful match with a certified pay-per-view stalwart would go a lot further toward putting the 31-year-old over with mainstream fans – and tilling the ground for even bigger shows – than past unifications with the rugged, albeit lesser likes of Shawn Porter did.
Spence beat Porter by split decision for the WBC belt in September 2019, then returned from injuries sustained in a car wreck to handle ex-champ Danny Garcia over 12 rounds last December.
Spence’s IBF title, incidentally, belonged to Porter before he lost to Brook.
And now that he’s advanced past that tier, it’s a coming-out party waiting to happen.
His 21 KOs in 27 wins have Spence on the “eventually, he’ll get Pacquiao” path promoter Bob Arum used to suggest for Brandon Rios – before age, weight and brawls took their toll on “Bam Bam” and ultimately made the duel with Pacquiao more sparring than scintillating.
Spence seems in no danger of such a precipitous fizzle, thanks to both talent and will.
“I always want to outperform my foes,” he said. “There’s a lot of people salivating for me to be No. 1. Hopefully I’ll be mentioned as an all-time great like Sugar Ray Leonard and Floyd Mayweather, and Tommy Hearns and Oscar De La Hoya.”
Indeed, headliner talent warrants far better than bar-band opposition.
And given the Texan’s comfort on the big stage, there seems no reason not to start the tour.
* * * * * * * * * *
This week’s title-fight schedule:
WBA minimum title — Nakhon Sawan, Thailand
Thammanoon Niyomtrong (champion/No. 1 IWBR) vs. Siridech Deebook (No. 6 WBA/Unranked IWBR)
Niyomtrong (21-0, 7 KO): Ninth title defense; One stoppage win in eight successful defenses
Deebook (23-6-1, 13 KO): First title fight; Has won nothing but six-round fights since 2018
Fitzbitz says: It’s boxing, which means a sudden change in fortune is never far away. But this one seems about as no doubt as it gets. Niyomtrong is good. Deebook is over his head. Niyomtrong in 8 (99/1)
WBC lightweight title – Las Vegas, Nevada
Devin Haney (champion/No. 3 IWBR) vs. Jorge Linares (No. 4 WBC/No. 6 IWBR)
Haney (25-0, 15 KO): Third title defense; Two KO/TKO victories in four 12-round fights (4-0, 2 KO)
Linares (47-5, 29 KO): Fifteenth title fight (11-3); Held titles at 126, 130 and 135 pounds
Fitzbitz says: I like Haney and respect Linares. But the Venezuelan vet is precisely the kind of fighter that Haney has to beat, and look good doing it, to be what he says he is. He will. Haney by decision (75/25)
WBC bantamweight title – Carson, California
Nordine Oubaali (champion/No. 3 IWBR) vs. Nonito Donaire (No. 1 WBC/No. 7 IWBR)
Oubaali (17-0, 12 KO): Third title defense; Second fight in the United States (1-0, 0 KO)
Donaire (40-6, 26 KO): Twentieth title fight (15-4); One loss in 12 fights at 118 pounds (11-1, 7 KO)
Fitzbitz says: Donaire’s had a career that 99.99 percent of pros – past and present – would envy. But it’s been 20 years and he’s in with a solid, younger champ. Too much. Oubaali by decision (65/35)
This week’s trash title-fight schedule:
WBA “world” light flyweight title – Mexico City, Mexico
Carlos Canizales (champion/No. 5 IWBR) vs. Esteban Bermudez (No. 10 WBA/No. 37 IWBR)
Why it’s trash: It’s simple. Hekkie Budler was the WBA’s “man” at 108 pounds until he was beaten by Hiroto Kyoguchi a couple years ago. Kyoguchi still hasn’t lost. Love it or not, so long as that’s the case he’s the top dog and has the belt that matters. Maybe Canizales can pawn his for a few extra bucks.
Last week’s picks: 1-1 (WIN: Taylor; LOSS: Joyi)
2021 picks record: 21-6 (77.7 percent)
Overall picks record: 1,177-381 (75.5 percent)
NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body’s full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA “world championships” are only included if no “super champion” exists in the weight class.
Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.