By Chris Williams: Trainer Robert Garcia says he sees Errol Spence Jr as a “basic” fighter and that he wouldn’t be surprised if Pacquiao beats him when the two meet on August 21st.
Interestingly, Robert says Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) is the bigger puncher than Spence (27-0, 21 KOs). Robert isn’t the only one that believes that Pacquiao is the harder puncher.
What makes that hard to believe is the absence of knockouts for Pacquiao in the last twelve years. The last time Pacquiao scored a knockout was in 2009, and that was a questionable 12th round stoppage against Miguel Cotto.
The referee Kenny Bayless halted the fight while Cotto was still fighting back, and a lot of boxing fans felt that it shouldn’t have been stopped.
Robert’s little brother Mikey Garcia found out the hard way what it’s like to be on the receiving end of Spence’s shots when he lost a wide 12 round unanimous decision.
“He’s [Spence] a basic fighter, you know? He does everything correctly,” said Robert Garcia to Fighthype. “He’s not a flashy guy, he doesn’t look like some of those guys where you’re like ‘wow, did you see that?’
Even if Spence is basic, he picks the right spots to land his shots to score stoppages. It’s been a while, though, since Errol knocked anyone out, but it’s possible he’ll get a stoppage against Manny.
What makes Pacquiao’s shots look harder than they are is the speed with which he throws them.
Also, the punch placement and timing that Pacquiao has magnifies the impact. Who can forget the knockout shot Pacquiao hit Ricky Hatton with in the second round of their fight in
“I would probably say the power, probably go with Pacquiao. I probably go with Pacquiao,” said Robert Garcia.
It’s not the power; it’s more the blinding hand speed and the combinations that make Pacquiao so hard to deal with. If Spence can’t track all the incoming shots, he could get taken out by Manny.
If Spence starts throwing power shots against Pacquiao, he’ll leave himself open to being countered. As long as Spence can take the incoming, he should be okay, but it’s not going to be easy.
The best thing Spence can do is use his long reach and powerful jab to prevent Pacquiao from getting in punching range. Errol can’t let Pacquiao get his shots off because he’ll make him look bad.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Pacquiao pulls it off, honestly. Pacquiao’s a warrior, just by taking the fight he’s showed that he’s one of the best in history and he’s got the speed, he’s got the power, he’s got the experience. I think he could pull it off,” said Robert Garcia.