Via Jim Calfa: Errol Spence Jr is still saddened by the loss of his chance to fight boxing legend Manny Pacquiao last year due to an eye injury he suffered while training for their big fight in Las Vegas.
According to Spence (27-0, 21 KOs), it was his chance to take the torch from 43-year-old Pacquiao to become a superstar in the sport.
Instead of Spence fighting, 35-year-old WBA heavyweight champion Yordenis Ugas arrived three weeks early and beat Pacquiao by unanimous decision in the 12th round, prompting the Filipino star’s retirement.
Sadly, the victory that should have changed the life of the US Olympic athlete in 2012 slipped through his fingers, leaving him with nothing but a fight against Ugas and possibly a future clash. with 34-year-old 147-pound WBO champion, Terence Crawford. forward to.
Next month, IBF/WBC welterweight champion Spence will face WBA champion 147lb Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) in a three-belt unification match at AT&T Pay-Per-Court Stadium watch Showtime, in Arlington, Texas, USA.
Unfortunately for Spence, many boxing fans didn’t feel his unification fight against Ugas was a match worthy of PPV, as they didn’t see it as a compelling match worthy of being sold for the price. 80 dollars. However, we’ll see if the event organizers make a mistake or guess right by pasting it on pay TV.
“I am a different fighter than Pacquiao, and at this point, I am a better fighter. It was the torch crossing for myself, but I missed the chance,’ Errol Spence Jr said of how he missed the match against 43-year-old Pacquiao due to an eye injury he sustained while training for their clash last August.
“Ugas is a real fighter, but I am also hungry. I didn’t let this opportunity pass me by,” Spence said.
It was no big deal for Spence that he missed the fight against Pacquiao because he was old, had been shot and hadn’t fought in two years. If Spence is the guy some boxing fans think he is, he should be a star without having to beat Pacquiao to get there.
It is essential that Spence remains active, as he would NEVER become a star if he were in a car accident and took 18 months off between games.
At best, Spence should fight three times a year and he should go up against the likes of Crawford, Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, and Vergil Ortiz Jr. Even if that means taking less money, Spence should fight Crawford NOW.
“Ugas still has the desire to be the best,” Spence told Fighthype. “I feel he is a little bit hungrier than people like Danny Garcia. He can go into the sunset now and retire. He won’t mind that.
“I feel like he’s a lot hungrier than the guys I’ve fought with before,” Errol said of what Ugas brought to the table on April 16.
“I don’t feel I was lucky enough to catch it because I wanted to fight,” Errol said as he was upset about the eye injury that kept him from facing Pacquiao last August.
“In one eye, but I have another, so that’s all my thoughts on it,” Spence said of him, still wanting to face Pacquiao despite having an injured eye. “When I put a patch on, I feel fine with one eye.
“So for me, I wanted to fight, and I felt it was a great opportunity for me. That’s stupid, too, but I’m a fighter, and I had to put it in the ranks right then and there. I’m grateful I didn’t, but in that moment, I wanted to fight.
“In the previous training camp, knowing what a great fighter Pacquiao was, I wanted the opportunity, and it just flowed past me,” Spence said. “At the time, I really wanted to but it didn’t happen which is a blessing. The doctor didn’t let me fight.
“Most people who have been in an auto accident like me, are thrown from a car 50 feet away, land on concrete and still be able to talk,” Spence said.
