Manny Pacquiao and Errol Spence Jr. to fight on Aug. 21

Boxing’s only eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao will face unified welterweight world champion Errol Spence Jr. on Aug. 21 in Las Vegas, MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons confirmed to ESPN on Friday.

Pacquiao announced the fight on social media (Fox-PBC PPV). The venue will be announced soon, according to Gibbons.

“The fight came together pretty quickly. There were a lot of people talking about different fights for Senator Pacquiao, but there was only one fight that was really realistic for him, and a fight that the senator felt he wanted to fight,” Gibbons told ESPN. “Manny’s people believe Spence is the best welterweight in the world and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and Pacquiao has never shied away from fighting real fights. He won’t make a fool of himself fighting YouTubers or social media guys like Floyd Mayweather, and he wants to continue his legacy, he’s always fought the best and he doesn’t want to change now. That’s why he’s fighting Errol Spence.”

“Pacquiao has never said no to any opponent. He looked amazing at 40 against Keith Thurman. Now he’s facing Spence at 42. Anybody who has gone to him, never in his life, has ever said no. Other welterweights, maybe 50-0 [Mayweather], waited for the right time to fight the shorter guys, not the Senator. He’s driven by greatness, and that’s what this fight is about. This is for his legacy, this is to finish his hall of fame career before he moves on to the next stage of his life, and this opportunity was presented to him, and why not?” added Gibbons.

Spence is the WBC and IBF welterweight champion and the No. 2 147-pound fighter in ESPN’s divisional rankings. Pacquiao, 42, is No. 3. Spence is also the No. 4 pound-for-pound fighter in the world in ESPN’s rankings.

In his most recent fight, in July 2019, Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) defeated Thurman to win the WBA welterweight title, making him a 12-time world champion (he is currently a “champion in recess”).

Spence (27-0, 21 KOs), 31, returned with a win last December by defeating Danny ‘Swift’ Garcia by decision at the home of the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. It was his first fight since that car accident in October 2019 that put not only his sports career, but also his life, at risk.