Manny Pacquiao says he opted to take on the undefeated Errol Spence Jr next month ahead of easier opponents because he wanted a “real fight”, deeming the American a superior fighter to old foe Floyd Mayweather.
Pacquiao, 42, returns to the ring for the first time in more than two years on August 21, when he takes on the unbeaten WBC and IBF welterweight champion at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Spence, with 27 wins from 27 professional bouts, is 11 years Pacquiao’s junior.
The two fighters formally announced the bout early on Monday at a news conference in Los Angeles, with Pacquiao saying: “There was a lot of opportunity to pick a, not easy fight, but a much easier fight compared to Errol Spence.
“But I decided to pick Errol Spence because I want to give a good fight to the fans, I want a real fight. I’m a fighter and boxing is my passion.”
Pacquiao, an eight-division world champion, hasn’t fought since July 2019, when he won a split decision against Keith Thurman to capture the WBA “super” belt. He was later stripped of the title because of inactivity, with the sanctioning body recently denying a petition for the Filipino to be reinstated.
Irrespective of that, there will be three belts on the line when Pacquiao faces Spence - the Ring Magazine welterweight crown has been added to the contest – as the sitting senator in the Philippines seeks to add another significant notch on his guaranteed Hall-of-Fame career.
“It’s one of the biggest challenges in my career,” said Pacquiao, whose record stands at 62-7-2 (39 KOs). “I cannot say the biggest challenge because I have been fighting the best fighters in the world: Keith Thurman, [Oscar] De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, a lot of those fighters. But one of the best, I can rate [Spence].”
A prime Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) is considered one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the sport. He returned to the ring in December following a near-fatal, single-car crash in late 2019, dominating Danny Garcia to win by unanimous decision.
On Pacquiao, Spence said: “I definitely have the ability to finish him, but for me it’s about winning the fight. It’s to stay focused and win the fight. When you go out there and rush it and try to go for the knockout, I feel like from my experience - even in the amateurs - you look sloppy and something goes wrong. You look like you’re trying too hard.
“For me, it’s to go have my fight at my pace. If the knockout comes, go for it. If not, go for the victory. I definitely have the ability to finish him. But it’s about winning the fight.”
Meanwhile, Mayweather Jr has already commented on the encounter, saying that, although he wishes both boxers the best, that he is rooting for Spence. The American, who defeated Pacquiao on points in 2015 in boxing’s most lucrative bout, also offered to give Spence tips on how to prevail.
However, Pacquiao said: “Errol doesn’t need to get advice from Mayweather, because I believe that Errol is better than Mayweather. He will teach Mayweather how to fight toe-to-toe.”
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Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Fixtures
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The%20Last%20White%20Man
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The%20Iron%20Claw
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What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Scoreline
Saudi Arabia 1-0 Japan
Saudi Arabia Al Muwallad 63’
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.