By Gav Duthie: Errol Spence nearly had it, Terence Crawford wanted it, Keith Thurman needed it, Josh Taylor dreamed of it, but Yordenis Ugas ended it. The loss for Manny Pacquiao against the talented Cuban Ugas ended the hopes of many for the big payday and notoriety that comes with defeating a legend.
Manny Pacquiao was incredible in his day, and even after Saturday night, he proved he is still relevant, but he is not the same man.
The welterweight division is arguably the most talented in boxing, but everyone wanted to face one man. Now that Manny will likely retire, can we as fans hope that we will see the other fighters face each other?
The big fights
It’s a long road, no doubt. Beating Pacquaio attains instant success, so how do they now achieve this. Spence already has a good name, many see Crawford as the best in the sport, but the current crop, despite their skills, have nowhere near the same status as Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, or even a Miguel Cotto.
Pacquiao coming to the end hopefully opens the door to these fighters realizing how much they need each other. Crawford tweeted after the fight to say that Spence now needs him more than he thinks, and I agree.
How can these fighters call themselves greats if they don’t take the risks. Manny was a great fighter, but he is also a role model to these guys.
He always wanted the best, and he traveled through 8 divisions to find the biggest challenges. The fact that he has lost 8 times is irrelevant in comparison to the amount of fights he has won and the mountains he has climbed.
The division
The current landscape has Errol Spence and Terrence Crawford up top. Spence has an injury to heal, and Crawford looks like he will face Shawn Porter next.
Porter is just below these guys, with Yordenis Ugas firmly planted just in behind. Keith Thurman hasn’t fought since 2019 and needs back quickly.
The greatest prospects are Jaron Ennis and Vergil Ortiz, but you can’t forget Mikey Garcia. Even beyond that, there is young Conor Benn as well as veterans Adrien Broner, Kell Brook, and Amir Khan.
The future
Shawn Porter has fought so many great champions and win or lose; his legacy will be defined after he faces Crawford.
Brook and Khan would like to finish against each other, but as for everyone else, we need to see them in the ring against each other to find out who the next legend, like Manny Pacquiao will be.