On episode 279 of The Neutral Corner boxing podcast, host Michael Montero gave his thoughts on the uncertain future of Errol Spence Jr, who is currently recovering from an eye injury, a torn retina.

Montero also talked about the void that Manny Pacquiao will leave when he finally hangs up his gloves. After losing to Yordenis Ugas last Saturday in Las Vegas, it seems that retirement could be right around the corner. Monteros’ question for the listeners this week is who, if anybody, is going to step in to fill the void Pacquiao leaves behind?

Also, the WBO will hold a purse bid for the Terence Crawford vs Shawn Porter fight next week in Puerto Rico. Should the fight occur, Crawford will get 60% of the purse split, while 40% goes to Porter.

The lightweight championship fight between Teofimo Lopez and George Kambosos will take place on Tuesday, October 5 at the Hulu Theater in New York.

And the Canelo Alvarez vs Caleb Plant bout is official for November 6 in Las Vegas.

REVIEW:

There was one major card of note on Saturday, August 21.

In Las Vegas, Yordenis Ugas scored a unanimous decision win over Manny Pacquiao in a PBC on Showtime PPV headliner. Errol Spence, who was originally set to face Pacquiao, suffered an eye injury and withdrew eleven days before the bout. The Cuban stepped in to replace Spence and made the most of his opportunity. Pacquiao was the more active puncher, but significantly less accurate, landing only 16% of his total punches. The Filipino legend was returning from a two-year layoff.

On the undercard, Robert Guerrero beat Victor Ortiz by unanimous decision in a battle of welterweight veterans. Also, featherweight prospects Mark Magsayo and Carlos Castro got stoppage wins in showcase bouts.

PREVIEW:

Sunday, August 29, 2021

DiBella Entertainment with Most Valuable Promotions on Showtime PPV
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Amanda Serrano vs Yamileth Mercado, 10rds, unified 126-pound title bout
Daniel Dubois vs Juiseppe Cusumano, 10rds, heavyweights
Montana Love vs Ivan Baranchyk, 10rds, 147 pounds
Jake Paul vs Tyron Woodley, 8rds, 200 pounds

QUOTES FROM THE CALLERS:

“I think I know who the next Manny Pacquiao type of star is going to be,” said Andrew. “Now, he won’t be on Manny’s level, but it’s got to be Vergil Ortiz Jr. He seems to have that attitude.”

“Contrary to what people have been saying, I think the next boxing superstar is going to come out of nowhere like Manny did,” said Keith Yazdanseta. “The reason I say that is because boxing has become so niche. That’s going to make it hard for the current guys to step out of the shadows of Floyd, Manny and Canelo.”

“The Tuesday night Lopez vs Kambosos Triller PPV is taking me back to my childhood,” said Thad. “Leonard vs Hearns II was on a Monday. I think that’s a good idea. Boxing can really start gaining a new audience.”

“I felt Pacquiao was very competitive with Ugas,” said Hector. “You can argue it was a draw. Manny is 42 years-old and he’s still fighting these younger guys. Mayweather would have never done that. I bet you Pacquiao can still beat a lot of these top welterweights.”

TIME STAMPS:
@2:38 News & Notes (Crawford-Porter WBO purse bid)
@27:38 Callers
@59:00 Fight Review (Ugas UD Pacquiao)
@1:03:58 Fight Preview (Jake Paul vs Tyron Woodley PPV)

Michael Montero can be found on social media via @MonteroOnBoxing. His podcast “The Neutral Corner” can be seen every Monday on TheRingDigital YouTube channel, and heard on audio podcast platforms around the world.