Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao would be wise to avoid Errol Spence Jr. and just fight a softer opponent in his next fight.
I can’t fault Pacquiao if he ducks Spence in favor of someone like Luis Collazo or Mikey Garcia coming off a loss, after all we already know he has a history of cherry picking and avoiding the toughest opponent or getting some catchweight stipulation to weaken them.
Spence Jr. would likely knock Manny Pacquiao out cold if they fight. If Marquez put him to sleep imagine a bigger, stronger puncher like Spence landing a flush straight punch as Manny comes charging forward with his face first.
If Pacquiao faces Keith Thurman next that fight is 60-40 in favor of Thurman. It’s a more winnable fight for Pacquiao especially after Thurman showed vulnerability against Josesito Lopez, and we all know that gave Pacman confidence to fight him.
Thurman is still rusty from being injured so this is the time for Pacquiao to attack because he knows he will face a Thurman who isn’t one hundred percent giving him a good chance to win. Freddie Roach who is the mastermind behind the cherry picking will probably agree to a Thurman fight, especially after he almost got knocked out by Josesito Lopez.
When he went into the ring after Errol Spence Jr. dominated Mikey Garcia, you could tell he was nervous and caught off guard by Spence calling him out. Pacquiao couldn’t wait to leave the ring and go back to the Philippines when he was challenged by the boogeyman Spence.
The three opponents I can see next for the 40-year-old regular WBA welterweight champion are Luis Collazo, Mikey Garcia, or someone like Amir Khan who just quit against Terence Crawford.
I think a fight with the glass chinned Amir Khan would make the most money especially if Pacquiao fights him in the UK. A fight with Mikey Garcia is the one Freddie Roach and Pacquiao were clamoring for for years. They even hoped Garcia would beat Spence. Even a fool would know Mikey had no shot at beating Spence.
Luis Collazo would be a hard sell but he is also a winnable fight yet dangerous. He is a southpaw and is coming off a three fight win streak. Like Pacquiao, Collazo is long in the tooth at 38, but they will justify this choice by saying he has won his last three fights and is a former WBA belt holder.
The only thing I can almost guarantee is Errol Spence Jr. is unlikely to land the next fight with Manny Pacquiao.
