Fight officials confirm T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as venue for Errol Spence Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao

DeSoto’s Errol Spence will defend his WBC and IBF welterweight titles against Manny Pacquiao on Aug. 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, fight officials confirmed Wednesday.

Spence-Pacquiao was headed to Las Vegas but a venue wasn’t finalized until Wednesday.

This is Spence’s (27-0, 21 KOs) first bout since earning a unanimous decision victory over Danny Garcia at AT&T Stadium on Dec. 5.

Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) hasn’t fought since 2019 when he defeated Keith Thurman by split decision.

This is the fight you dream about. A fight you need to define your legacy.

Pacquiao announced the fight May 21 on social media. A venue hasn’t been finalized, but this is one of the more anticipated fights of the year.

For Pacquiao, his legacy is secure. A Hall of Fame ceremony awaits him in upstate New York when he decides to retire.

pence needs this. Wants this. Is all about this.

This is a career-defining fight for the DeSoto welterweight who holds the WBC and IBF belts. Spence has sought accreditation against bigger opponents in the welterweight division only to be denied. Terence Crawford, the WBO champion and a man considered his equal, has attended some of Spence’s fights but for whatever reason can’t get into the ring with him.

Canelo Alvarez, the WBO, WBA and WBC 168-pound champion, is the current pay-per-view box office king. An indoor boxing record crowd of 73,126 came to AT&T Stadium to see him fight May 8.

Spence would like to fight him, but Alvarez is interested in unifying the 168-pound division against a fighter with little name recognition (Caleb Plant).

So Spence, 31, does the next best thing and fights Pacquiao, the last of the great fighters, still going strong at 42. Pacquiao last fought in 2019, knocking off talented Keith Thurman to win the WBA welterweight title. Thurman, almost 10 years younger than Pacquiao, had a chance to send the old man into retirement only to lose by split decision.

WBA champion Pacquiao and WBC and IBF titleholder Spence Jr are currently locked in discussions while "Pac Man" has resumed training in preparation for his return to the ring in July.

And now that "Bud" Crawford seems to be out of the picture for the time being, talks between both sides have begun to intensify to set up a super-fight this summer that would crown a unified ruler of the division.

Despite his advancing years, the legendary Pacquiao is still trying to add to his legacy and a fight with Spence - who is undefeated in his previous 27 fights - would be the biggest challenge of his career to date since he came up short against Floyd Mayweather in May 2015.
>>>>> https://www.spencepacquiao.com/