IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence (22-0, 19 KOs) has no idea why a lot of fans, and experts, are overlooking Manny Pacquiao as a serious force in there welterweight division.
Pacquiao, 38-years-old, was at one time the biggest target in the welterweight division. But ever since he was defeated by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May of 2015, it appears the majority of the division is overlooking him. They are more focused on fighting each other to crown a new welterweight king in the wake of Mayweather's retirement - and at the same time they are excluding Pacquiao from the conversation.
Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs) returned to the ring last April and won a twelve round decision over Tim Bradley in a trilogy fight and then won a decision over Jessie Vargas in November to capture the WBO welterweight title.
In terms of the fans, they have not been happy with his recent level of opposition. There was no demand by anyone for a third fight with Bradley, and very few fans were interested in watching him face Vargas.
His upcoming opponent on July 1, is a huge underdog in undefeated 2012 Olympian Jeff Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs).
Horn is completely unknown in the United States, but the event has been catching fire in Australia, where they already sold over 40,000 tickets at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
"It does seem like a waste of time, but it's big in Australia. [Horn is] big in Australia and I think the stadium that they are fighting in holds 30,000 or something like that. Its a money fight and I think Jeff Horn is next in line [under the WBO rankings]," Spence told Sway in the Morning.
Pacquiao is also getting up there in age and turns 39 in December. He also splits his time between boxing and his successful politic career in the Philippines, where the eight division champion is a senator.
Despite all of the mentioned factors, Spence strongly believes that Pacquiao is still a force in the welterweight division and fully capable of beating most of the fighters at the weight.
"Me personally I don't know why people are discounting him. I think Manny Pacquiao is still a top 3 fighter in the welterweight division. Even if he is still not the same fighter he [was], he is still a fantastic fighter. He's quick, he's fast, he's explosive, he's awkward. I think Manny Pacquiao can beat 95% of these welterweights out there. I don't know why they discount him. I guess they think he old and he needs to retire. I just think that he's a great fighter to me," Spence said.
