Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is returning to the ring for his first fight in two years.
He will face WBC and IBF welterweight Errol Spence Jr. in Las Vegas on Aug. 21, Pacquiao announced. The pay-per-view event featuring the 42-year-old and the best 147-pounder in the world will broadcast on PBC on FOX PPV.
There had been rumors over the last few months that Pacquiao wanted to fight again, and the boxing legend had a reported agreement with Terence Crawford for a June 5 bout in Abu Dhabi.
Top Rank CEO Bob Arum told BoxingScene.com’s Dan Rafael last month that the deal fell apart because the money was not put up by the scheduled deadline.
“Look, what happened to us in Abu Dhabi was we had signed contracts and everything and they were supposed to put up the money,” Arum said. “Well, I’ve been waiting two weeks for the money. Nobody put up the money after promising they would.”
The August bout will mark Pacquiao’s first fight since defeating Keith Thurman in July 2019 to win the WBA welterweight title. Meanwhile, Spence sits at an unblemished 27-0 after topping Danny Garcia by unanimous decision to retain the WBC and IBF welterweight titles last December.
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