LOS ANGELES — Former 2012 United States Olympian Errol Spence Jr. will be taking part in his own glamorous version of the Summer Games when he takes on Manny Pacquiao at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in a FOX Sports pay-per-view on August 21.

Spence believes he’ll be the next torchbearer of boxing if he beats Pacquiao.

“There is no bigger name than Manny Pacquiao in the boxing world,” said Spence. “A win over Pacquiao would be huge. It's the biggest name I would have on my resume and under my belt. It would be huge for me, especially for Pacquiao to pass the torch to me.

“I feel like just with his status he brings a different dynamic to our match because he brings a different variety of people from casual boxing fans to watch him fight. Everybody is going to watch because they might think this is Manny Pacquiao's last fight. With that, it will add to my fan base and my popularity and catapult me. 

“He's a guy who always fought the best guys who were put in front of him. He never ducked anybody. That's why I respect him … I have nothing but respect for him but once the bell rings the respect goes out the door.”

The WBC and IBF welterweight titlist Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) surely has the opportunity for a star-making performance and to further stamp his name as one of boxing’s most elite fighters with a win. 

The 31-year-old is already uniformly considered a top pound-for-pound fighter by most experts.

Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) serves as yet another tough test for the Texan, who will be making his fourth consecutive pay-per-view appearance since 2019. 

Spence has scored a trio of decisions against the likes of Mikey Garcia, Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia during his PPV bouts.

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com