Errol Spence Jr says Pacquiao will “retire” after their fight

By Boxing News - 07/18/2021 - Comments

By Max Schramm: Errol Spence Jr says he still believes Manny Pacquiao will retire after their fight next month on August 21st. Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) has previously said that Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) would hang up his gloves after he loses to him, and that view hasn’t changed.

After two years out of the ring, Pacquiao, 42, is taking a gamble by facing IBF/WBC welterweight champion, Spence. Most boxing fans believe that Pacquiao should have taken a tune-up fight to get him ready for Spence, who is seen by some as the #1 fighter at 147.

Pacquiao insists he’s ready to fight the 31-year-old Spence, and he doesn’t need a tune-up because he’s stayed in shape by playing basketball.

Moreover, Pacquiao feels that he’s been boxing for so many years that he’s not going to be rusty from inactivity the way normal fighters are.

We’ll see if that’s true next month, as perhaps Manny is correct. Maybe he is someone that doesn’t need a tune-up.

If Pacquiao wins this fight, it’s unlikely he’ll retire because he would be given huge money offers to face Errol in a rematch or take on Terence Crawford.

The money Pacquiao can make from either of those two fights would be hard to pass up for the Filipino star.

Image: Errol Spence Jr says Pacquiao will "retire" after their fight

Spence predicting Pacquiao will retire

“I think he’ll definitely retire after this fight,” Spence said to Showtime about his belief the 42-year-old Pacquiao will hang up his gloves after their August 21st contest.

“I don’t know, we’ll see,” said Errol when asked if he’ll knock out Pacquiao. “You’ll have to tune in and order.”

Pacquiao is such a proud person that it’s unfathomable to believe that he’ll walk away from the sport after a loss to Spence, particularly if it’s a close decision.

There will be high interest from boxing fans in a second fight between Manny and Spence if their August 21st contest is even remotely competitive.

Believe me, Spence will not turn down the opportunity to face Pacquiao a second time if the option is there. Although Spence wants to face WBO 147-lb champion Terence Crawford next if he successfully beats Manny, he won’t take that fight if there’s an opportunity to battle the Filipino star a second time.

The money that Spence can make against Pacquiao will be far better than what he’ll get facing Crawford, who isn’t a pay-per-view attraction.

Spence couldn’t knockout Mikey Garcia in their fight in 2019, and he’s roughly the same size as Manny. Mikey is nowhere near the same offensive threat as Pacquiao, and Spence likely won’t want to put his chin on the line by attempting to KO the Filipino star.

Spence has the size to box his way to a safe 12 round decision against Pacquiao, and he may not want to take the risk of going for a stoppage.

We’ve seen Spence hurt before when he fought Emmanuel Lartey in 2013, and that happened due to Errol fighting recklessly, showing no respect for his opponent’s power.

Image: Errol Spence Jr says Pacquiao will "retire" after their fight

Errol wants Crawford

“I definitely want that fight [against Crawford], and we’ve just got to make it happen,” Spence said. “It’s for his guys and my guys to talk to each other and see if it can happen. If it can’t happen, I’ve got to move up.”

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum wants the Spence vs. Crawford fight, so that’s a big plus. If Arum weren’t interested in making the fight, he would drag his feet, and it wouldn’t happen.

What could stand in the way of the Spence-Crawford fight from happening is the purse split. If Spence is coming off a win over Pacquiao, he will have an advantage over Crawford in achievements and popularity.

Not only that, Spence will hold two titles at 147 to Crawford’s one, and that makes him the A-side in the negotiations. Getting Crawford to agree to the terms will be a lot of work, but it’s possible.

A victory for Crawford would set him up for a huge payday in a rematch with Spence, and it would help him get bigger paydays against other fighters.

Spence wants to move up to 154 as soon as possible to go after the titles in that weight class. Errol hasn’t said anything about whether he would challenge IBF/WBA/WBC 154-lb champion Jermell Charlo or not. Those two share the same trainer in Derrick James, and they’ve trained together.

If Errol moves up to 154, he would almost have to fight Jermell, especially if he has all the belts. Why would Spence move up if he’s not going to fight for the titles at 154?