MANNY Pacquiao believes that a victory over unbeaten American Errol Spence Jr. on Aug. 21 in their world welterweight title clash at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will be a defining moment in his illustrious career and will enable him to be ranked higher among the all-time boxing greats.
“If I can keep winning against elite-level fighters, perhaps I can be in the discussion of being one of the greatest fighters of all time, instead of just being one of the greatest fighters of my era,” Pacquiao told boxingscene.com writer Lyle Fitzsimmons in an a story posted on its website yesterday.
“Of course, that is not for me to decide. But I would like to make my case before I do retire,” added the Pinoy ring icon, who is out to wrest the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Council straps from the undefeated Spence.
At 42, Pacman acknowledged the advantages Spence, 31, who has an unblemished record of 27 wins, 21 of them by knockout, possesses.
“He (Spence) is a legitimate champion and very talented. He is taller and younger than I am. These days, it seems like everyone I fight is taller and younger than I am. He throws a lot of punches,” noted the fighting lawmaker, who has a record of 62 wins (39 KOs), seven losses and two draws.
“I consider Errol Spence one of the best pound-for-pound fighters and when you face someone on that list, of course, he becomes the biggest challenge. It is a prestigious fight.
I just have as much to prove in this fight as he does,” he said. “It is a real fight; one that makes a boxing great.”
Although oddsmakers have him as a 1-2 underdog, Pacquiao said he would not have taken on the challenge of facing “The Truth” if he was not confident of winning, butdeclined to divulge his plans in his bid to beat Spence.
“I am not going to share my strategy. This is not going to be a great fight for fans. Two southpaws who share the same aggressive styles of fighting. There is no ‘B’ side in this fight,” he stressed. “We are going to bring out the best in each other, and you cannot ask for more than that.
“It is a fight that will bring boxing back to the front page. Yes, I think I can win. I think that for every fight.”
But he admitted there was little margin for error considering the skills and ability of his opponent.
“But this one is different because I need to fight the perfect fight. Literally, I cannot make a mistake. I need to execute the game plan perfectly and that is the real challenge,” Pacquiao said. “Can I do that? No one is perfect but for a fight like this, it is all uphill and that is why I am working so hard in the gym.
