Manny Pacquiao vs Errol Spence Jr: A Third Title Now on the Line

IBF and WBC welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr and the “People’s Champ” Manny Pacquiao will fight for The Ring Magazine’s welterweight championship as well. This title has been vacant ever since Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather relinquished it in 2015.

This announcement comes as a surprise as the Ring welterweight title is usually put on the line only when the top two contenders in the division are fighting. While Errol Spence Jr holds the top spot, Manny Pacquiao is at rank number 3.

The Ring Magazine acknowledged it is unusual, but claimed that their decision is in line with the policies in place. They justified it by calling the possibility of a fight between Errol Spence Jr and Terence Crawford, who currently holds the second rank, a “fantasy fight.”

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“It’s boring, and the Ring has to move on,” they added.

Is Terence Crawford next in line for Manny Pacquiao or Errol Spence Jr?

While taking nothing away from Manny Pacquiao’s achievements in the sport, 33-year-old Terence Crawford holds an impressive 37-0-0 record that has rightfully placed him at rank number 2. Most fans see Spence Jr and Crawford as top contenders in the 147 lbs division. However, most also believe that Pacquiao dropped to number three only because of inactivity since 2019.

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Even though ‘Bud’ has a better record than ‘The Truth’, he stands below him in the charts because he holds just one title as compared to Spence’s IBF and WBC titles. Crawford has won belts at multiple weight classes, but has not fought against high-level competition in these divisions.

With Pacquiao and Spence Jr now in line for the Ring welterweight title, will Terence Crawford want to compete against the winner of the August 21 fight?

Earlier this year, negotiations for a potential bout between Pacquiao and Crawford fell through. As for Spence Jr, even his team had reportedly approached Top Rank’s Bob Arum, but negotiations have not progressed since.

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“I think it could happen. Just for Al [Haymon] and Bob [Arum] to sit down and for Bob to stop lying. We’ll see. But I think it definitely could happen next year,” said Spence.

Arum, who responded by saying that they want the fight to happen, also added, “it takes two to tango.”

Amidst all cross-promotion talks, the Ring Magazine has made the call to put the welterweight title on the line on August 21. Fans will now be eager to see how Terence Crawford reacts to this change. What do you make of this decision?