I’m going to be blunt and cut straight to the point. I don’t want undefeated welterweight champions Terence “Bud” Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. fighting Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao anytime soon.
The reason I don’t want them to face the 41-year-old WBA welterweight champion is because I want them to fight each other first with the winner fighting for undisputed status against the legendary Pac-Man.
I’m sick and tired of the fights we want to happen taking several years to take place or never happening at all.
The Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Manny Pacquiao debacle is a prime example of this. We wanted Floyd to man up and face Manny in 2010, but Floyd kept hiding behind drug testing acting like the Pac-Man was on steroids to duck him.
Pacquiao ended up getting robbed by Timothy Bradley and then knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez causing the fight to lose it’s luster but it also was the perfect moment Floyd waited for to face Manny, to wait for him to look vulnerable or to slow down a bit.
When Floyd and Manny finally squared off in 2015 it was very boring and Floyd admitted to having a mole or spy in Pacquiao’s camp according to Fight Hype and they likely knew about Pacquiao’s injured shoulder before the fight so Floyd knew he had the advantages going in.
Floyd would never face the Pacquiao that stopped Miguel Cotto in 2009. He waited for him to show signs of slippage and take more damage first and when Marquez knocked him out cold he gained a little big of confidence but not much because Pacquiao was able to bounce back and school some younger fighters to recapture the WBO welterweight title.
The fight the boxing world wants to see is Crawford vs. Spence, and that is the fight we should see first, and then the winner earns a shot at Manny Pacquiao for a chance at undisputed and a massive payday.
Spence and Crawford are not going to be any bigger stars than they already are. They are both in their early 30s and they could be at their physical peak.
We need to see the battle of the undefeated American fighters. This is our generations Sugar Ray Leonard vs Tommy Hearns. When two top undefeated American welterweights faced each other for welterweight supremacy.
During the time of Covid-19 there should be no more letting a fight marinate. They can’t lure large crowds to venues and it will likely be years before things can turn back to normal. Time is ticking and both parties should do whats right for their legacy and for the fans.
Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. need to fight next and the winner gets the cash cow Manny Pacquiao for all the marbles. Drop your pride and make it happen.
