KEY POINTS

  • Sean Gibbons disagrees with oddsmakers and says Spence is no longer the same fighter
  • Gibbons is confident Pacquiao can take advantage of Spence's flaws
  • The Spence fight could be the last boxing match for Pacquiao before focusing on politics

Manny Pacquiao made a surprise announcement recently when he revealed that he will be facing Errol Spence on Aug. 21.

Boxing's only eight-division champion will be returning to the ring after a two-year hiatus, and it appears such has factored in on the odds for the upcoming clash.

Spence opened as the favorite over Pacquiao in the Fox pay-per-view set for August.

However, one person who does not agree with the odds set is MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons.

In a report from Boxingscene, he feels that the odds are a bit wide.

"You know it's like this, it is one heck of a long shot but I don't think the books realized that Manny Pacquiao isn't a normal human being. He is focused, he is coming to win, he's going to figure it out in his mind and if for some reason he doesn't - it is not because he wasn't prepared or wasn't trying," Gibbons said.

Spence last fought in December when he faced and won over Danny Garcia at the AT&T Stadium.

It was the 31-year-old’s first fight since that car accident he had in October 2019.

Despite coming off with that win, Gibbons feels that Spence is no longer the same fighter he was before that mishap.

Gibbons feels that Spence is now a bit easy to figure out and that is something that Pacquiao can use to his advantage.

“The Senator just has to get inside of the long jab because Errol likes to control the distance and if he can do that then he is going to have a lot of success. The Senator has very fast, deceiving feet and that is what people don't realize and what Keith Thurman didn't realize. The feet move fast and get in position and boom!" Gibbons explained.

Manny Pacquiao, here celebrating his victory over Keith Thurman in 2019, says he'll return to the ring against Errol Spence in August 2021
Manny Pacquiao, here celebrating his victory over Keith Thurman in 2019, says he'll return to the ring against Errol Spence in August 2021 GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Steve Marcus

Win or lose, the next question on everyone’s mind is if Pacquiao will retire after that August clash with Spence.

The 42-year-old plans to fight at least two more times in 2021 according to longtime trainer Freddie Roach before he focuses on the Philippine presidency in 2022.

Given that August is cutting it a bit close to stage two fights, it could be the last ride for the Filipino champion.

The names of Terence Crawford and Conor McGregor are still afloat, but unless a sudden change in plans happens, the Pacquiao vs. Spence could be the perfect swan song for the future boxing Hall of Famer.

RELATED STORIES