Manny Pacquiao has made a tentative pick for the favourite in the upcoming undisputed welterweight fight between Errol Spence Jr and Terence Crawford.
Following countless false alarms that led to fans believing they may never see Spence and Crawford in the ring, the pair spoke privately and made the fight happen.
It’s set for July 29 in Las Vegas, and is one of, if not the, best boxing contest of the calendar year. So who wins? The eight-division world champion believes it comes down to fighting style.
In a video shared by ES News ‘Pac Man’ only leans towards Crawford – not many are betting their house on either man – but seems more certain that the fans will get twelve full rounds of action.
“The style advantage – Crawford has that advantage against Spence. It depends how they prepare for the fight. I don’t think [it ends in a knockout] – it’s gonna be a twelve round decision.”
Crawford will enter the ring the betting favourite, but the nature of the fight – both undefeated, both with plenty of stoppages – makes it a close call no matter the odds.
‘Bud’ has just one belt – the WBO – to Spence’s three – WBC, WBA and IBF – but is a three-division champion where Spence has fought his entire career at 147lbs.
Fans may be in for the treat twice over, with the loser of the fight having the right to a rematch. It’s even expected to be a trilogy in some circles, with the third contest taking place a division up at super-welterweight.