If We Can’t Get Mayweather, We Will Look At Errol Spence, Terence Crawford
Trainer Freddie Roach is already thinking about what might be next for his superstar fighter Manny Pacquiao after this Saturday’s clash with defending WBA welterweight champ Keith Thurman. Roach clearly feels Manny will defeat Thurman, that at age 40 he is more than up to the task (Roach has dubbed the Las Vegas fight as a fight between “All Time” and “One Time.”)
Pacquiao is certainly an all-time great, his long list of ring accomplishments having earned him that distinction. What the incredible eight-weight king is doing now is putting the icing on the cake of his achievements. And Roach mentioned some of the best active fighters out there when discussing with Sun Sport who could be next for Pacquiao.
Roach pretty much discounted his former charge Amir Khan, stating that there is no deal in place for Pac Man to fight Khan in November, despite what Khan said at a Bolton gym presser a few days ago. Roach says Khan must “get in line,” and that he is “way down, deep in the line” of options Pacquiao is looking at. Roach said the priority is a return with Floyd Mayeather (but judging by what Leonard Ellerbe has said, with Floyd having “no interest” in a second fight with Pacquiao, this fight seems even less probable than Pacquiao-Khan), and that if that cannot happen, Manny will “look at Errol Spence, Terence Crawford, those guys.”
Naturally, Pacquiao must get past Thurman first (and the southpaw dynamo is the betting favourite, also enjoying more expert picks than Thurman), but it would be amazing if the 40 year old then fought a pound-for-pounder such as Spence or Crawford, both unbeaten and according to plenty of fans set to stay that way for quite some time.
Roach says his fighter still wants to fight nothing but the best, and that he is still more than capable of doing so. Pacquiao will be doing something quite remarkable in beating Thurman (again, if he can do so), but a Pacquiao win over Spence or Crawford? If he managed to do that we would have to stop insulting Pacquiao with words such as great, all-time great and phenomena!
Pacquiao would be in a class all by himself.