Manny Pacquiao is ready to battle Terence Crawford after dethroning welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. on August 21 in Las Vegas.
The boxing legend is challenging for the IBF and WBC versions of the 147 pounds crown. Crawford holds the only other major title in the weight class.
But winning titles is not what Pacquiao is about these days. He wants to gobble up unbeaten records and firmly has the taking of 0’s on his mind.
Recently discussing his choice of Spence despite initially agreeing on a two-fight deal to battle Mikey Garcia before the pandemic kicked in, the Filipino Senator favors those who are yet to taste a loss.
“I’m not like some other guys who are in it just for the money,” Pacquiao told Power & Play. “Some other fighters challenge non-boxers just to get paid.
“I want to fight. I want to challenge the best.”
He added that Crawford was his second choice, meaning “Bud” could be next on his agenda if Pacquiao gets his hand raised in a month.
“If I’m fighting for the money, then I would have picked some scrub to fight. Why would I try to fight an undefeated fighter if I’m chasing the paycheck?
“This is a real fight. I fight because this is my passion. But I love beating undefeated fighters and bringing honor to my country.
“I picked among Terence Crawford, Errol Spence, and Mikey Garcia. We then came up with the decision to fight Errol.”
MANNY PACQUIAO MENTION
Concluding, Pacquiao gave a special mention to the WBO ruler.
“I thought a Crawford fight would also be good since he’s also undefeated.”
But missing out on big fight after big fight, Crawford’s resume has become massively diluted since he maxed out the straps at 140 pounds.
Too many of his welterweight victories have question marks against their credentials at the weight, with Kell Brook and Amir Khan among the triumphs.
Both of those fighters faded severely during the tail end of their careers. They were already way on the downslope when running into Crawford.
It could be a case of both champions needing each other, whoever comes out on top at the T-Mobile Arena.
