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Philippines, 14 Jan 2026 |
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SPORTS SHORTS 65: JUSTIN FORTUNE THINKS MANNY PACQUIAO CAN BEAT ERROL SPENCE, GEORGE FOREMAN SAYS IF CONOR MCGREGOR CONCENTRATES ON BOXING HE CAN WIN OVER PACMAN By Maloney L. Samaco PhilBoxing.com Thu, 25 Feb 2021  Justin Fortune, the strength and conditioning coach of former eight division champion Manny Pacquiao, thinks the former world's top pound-for-pound fighter have a good chance of defeating WBC and IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence. * * * Pacquiao is preparing for a fight in 2021 and several options are lined up including Spence. Others are Terence Crawford, Conor McGregor, Ryan Garcia and Mikey Garcia. * * * Fortune, a former heavyweight boxer, does not believe Spence is the same fighter due to the injuries that he suffered in a severe car accident in October 2019. The injuries took months to fully heal, but Spence said nothing of these were long lasting. * * * Fortune told The Sun that Spence is a great fighter, but he is no longer the same guy that he was before. During the Spence fight with Danny Garcia, the champ's punches were believed to be hard but Garcia survived for 12 rounds. Only Garcia never pulled the trigger otherwise he would probably have beaten Spence, added Fortune. * * * If Spence fight someone like Pacquiao now, Pacquiao annihilates him, even at 42-years-old, analyzed Fortune. Pacquiao has been the champion for the last 18 years, that itself is a phenomenal feat as an athlete in the sport, added the legendary conditioning coach. * * * "You have to give Spence two or three fights to get his skills back. Manny's too fast and too strong, and he is unpredictable, using too many angles," Fortune added. He said "he's so glad Spence survived the crash, but the ligament damage, hand damage is long-term and it doesn't go away overnight," concluded Fortune. * * * George Foreman, a former Olympic gold medalist, two-time lineal heavyweight champion, and an International Boxing Hall of Famer, recently commented that Conor McGregor should make the move to the boxing ring permanently. * * * “It’s hard for McGregor to accept it but he’s a better puncher than he is in MMA,” Foreman told The Irish Mirror. “I’d rather see him in boxing matches now.” * * * The problem for McGregor is that if he decides to take up full-time boxing it would only be short-lived because it is widely assumed that most professional fighters would beat him, because he’s not actually a professional boxer. Foreman thinks those assumptions are wrong. * * * “I think if he has a fight with Pacquiao he can actually beat him, good rules, over 10 rounds, McGregor can beat him,” Foreman continued. “He’s already adjusted to boxing, he’s not going to do good in MMA anymore. Pacquiao is very good as a matter of fact, but McGregor can beat him in a boxing match.” * * * McGregor had an experience in boxing when he fought Floyd Mayweather in “The Money Fight” in 2017. That bout ended in a 10th-round TKO for Mayweather but earned McGregor respect from many fans due to his performance against a very superior opponent, the former No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer of the world. * * * However, it’s unlikely that McGregor would venture again for this feat, at present. When he lost to Dustin Poirier, the former two-division UFC champion has declared his interest in a trilogy fight with “The Diamond” and UFC President Dana White gravely welcomes the proposal. * * * Canelo Alvarez promised to be more active after COVID-19 pandemic stalled boxing, and now the WBA (Super) and WBC super-middleweight champion will return to the ring in a match 70 days from his last one to defend his titles against Avni Yildirim at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. * * * Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs) last fought in December 20 when he thoroughly dominated Callum Smith in a convincing unanimous decision win to grab the WBA (Super) super-middleweight title and the vacant WBC super-middleweight championship. * * * But in the event he won the WBC title, he was mandated to defend it within 90 days against Yildirim (21-2, 12 KOs). Alvarez was obliged to fight, and boxing's biggest attraction will again climb the ring for the fans to see. * * * Yildirim's last outing was a controversial technical decision loss to Anthony Dirrell back in 2019. Canelo is a huge favorite to stop Yilidirm and focus on a planned unification bout with WBO super-middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders this coming Cinco de Mayo celebration. * * * The Olympics have increased in coverage from 42 events with 250 male competitors from 14 nations in 1896 in Athens, Greece to 306 events with 11,238 competitors (6,179 men, 5,059 women) from 206 nations in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. * * * The Games have been held four times in the United States (1904, 1932, 1984, and 1996), three times in Great Britain (1908, 1948, and 2012), twice each in Greece (1896 and 2004), France (1900 and 1924), Germany (1936 and 1972) and Australia (1956 and 2000). * * * The Olympics were held once each in Sweden (1912), Belgium (1920), Netherlands (1928), Finland (1952), Italy (1960), Japan (1964), Mexico (1968), Canada (1976), Soviet Union (1980), South Korea (1988), Spain (1992), China (2008), and Brazil (2016). * * * The NBA All-Star players: Eastern Conference: Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics James Harden, Brooklyn Nets Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls Julius Randle, New York Knicks Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic * * * Western Conference : LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.  |
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