Errol Spence Jr ruled out of Pacquiao fight due to eye injury
Things just get grimmer for the sport of boxing - already reeling from the latest Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder cancellation, now it has to deal with the news that Errol Spence Jr vs Manny Pacquiao is also off.
The eagerly-awaited showdown between unified welterweight king Spence Jr and all-time great Pacquiao had been scheduled for August 21 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Torn retina for Spence Jr
But on Tuesday news emerged that Spence Jr is suffering from a torn retina in his left eye, and he is out.
Now, instead of a massive PPV showdown with Errol, Pacquiao will face WBA welterweight champ Yordenis Ugas on the same night. Until now Ugas had been scheduled to face Fabian Maidana on the Spence Jr/Pacquiao undercard.
Spence Jr said: “I’m very disappointed that I won’t be able to fight Manny Pacquiao on August 21. I was excited about the fight and the event. Unfortunately, the doctors found a tear in my left eye and said I needed to get surgery on it ASAP and that there was no way I could fight with my eye in that condition.
I’d like to apologise to everyone. You know I’ll be back soon. We’ve come back from worse.’’
“First and foremost, I ask everyone to join me in praying for a full and complete recovery for Errol Spence Jr.,’’ Pacquiao said. “Thank God his physical examination discovered his eye condition before he suffered any further damage. I have agreed to fight Yordenis Ugas on August 21 for the WBA welterweight super championship. The proper way and the only way to win a world title is inside the ring.”
Spence car crash
The eye injury is the latest setback for the brilliant Spence Jr after what has been a troubled couple of years. He was fortunate to survive a horrific car crash in Dallas in October 2019, and did not return to the ring until December 2020.
Spence Jr looked good in easily outpointing Danny Garcia, but now he faces another spell on the sidelines.
