By: Hans Themistode
Errol Spence Jr. never took the easy route to where he is today.
The unified welterweight champion fought as an Olympian in 2012 then quickly took on a murderous row of fighters at the professional ranks. His time in the ring includes all out brawls against former champions such as Kell Brook and Shawn Porter to handing out one-sided beatdowns against the likes of former belt holders Danny Garcia and Mikey Garcia. In short, Spence Jr. has faced the biggest challenges and left the ring unscathed physically and unblemished in the win/loss column.
Yet, no matter how many impressive names are plastered to Spence Jr.’s resume, if he picks up the win against Manny Pacquiao on August 21st at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, there’s no doubt where that victory would rank in his book.
“That’s the biggest name that I would have on my resume and under my belt,” said Spence Jr. during an interview with ESNews. “There’s no bigger name than Manny Pacquiao in the boxing world.”
At the age of 42, Pacquiao (62-7-1, 39 KOs) also views Spence Jr. as an immense challenge. But, not one that he isn’t well equipped to handle. Just two years prior, the former eight-division belt holder took on another undefeated champion in Keith Thurman. On the night, Spence Jr. watched closely from his ringside seat as Pacquiao dropped his man in the opening round before ultimately pulling out a close split decision win.
Now, with the chance to face a living legend, Spence Jr. (27-0, 21 KOs) is firmly of the belief that a matchup against Pacquiao gives him the opportunity to come into his own.
No matter whom he’s facing, the unified Dallas product has always shown the utmost respect for his competition. With that said, the amount of reverence Spence Jr. has for Pacquiao is seemingly on another level.
Still, with a chance to permanently etch his name into the history books, Spence Jr. will continue to give Pacquiao his flowers. That is, until they officially step into the ring on fight night.
“It would be huge for Manny Pacquiao to pass the torch to me. Nothing but respect to him but once the bell rings, the respect goes out the door.”