IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. feels there’s a no bigger fight for him right now than fighting unified WBA welterweight title-holder Manny Pacquiao, adding that a showdown with boxing’s only eight-division champion would be more immense than facing this era’s pay-per-view king Canelo Alvarez.

Spence, 29, hasn’t given up in his pursuit of a Pacquiao fight.

In an interview with Ellie Seckbach of EsNews, the undefeated American champ stressed once again that Pacquiao is the fighter he would want to face next.

When asked if fighting middleweight kingpin Canelo Alvarez would also intrigue him, Spence nodded his approval but it all becomes clear now that his eyes are set on Pacquiao.

“If Pacquiao wins, Pacquiao is the biggest fight for me, period,” Spence told EsNews. “I feel like me fighting Pacquiao would make me a superstar, especially if I down Manny Pacquiao.”

Spence has previously expressed interest in fighting Canelo Alvarez, a natural middleweight and PPV attraction. Canelo’s promoter Oscar Dela Hoya would also love to make the fight happen, saying he only wants to get Canelo the best fights and the toughest challenges out there.

However, it looks like the goal for Spence is to clean the welterweight division first before taking on a heavier, bigger opponent like Canelo.

PBC’s welterweight Super Series

Spence is scheduled to take on WBC’s 147-pound champion Shawn Porter in a high-stake unification bout on September 28 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Coming off a dominating unanimous decision win over lightweight king Mikey Garcia, Spence will be entering the ring with Porter as the clear-cut favorite. However, Porter isn’t a pushover at all, having beaten quality opponents like Danny Garcia, Adrien Broner, Andre Berto, Adrian Granados, and Yordenis Ugas.

Many believe the winner of the fight will have an inside track of facing Pacquiao next year.

If this happens, three of the four major belts (WBA, IBF, and WBC) will all be on the line, with the ultimate survivor of Premier Boxing Championship’s version of welterweight Super Series moving closer to fighting WBO champ and pound-for-pound king Terrence Crawford for overall superiority in the 147-pound division.

Pac-May II

Of course, this scenario would entirely depend on Floyd Mayweather’s availability. Ever since losing to the American in 2015, Pacquiao has repeatedly called out Mayweather to come out of retirement and face him one more time. Mayweather, in turn, rebuffed the idea of facing Pacman again multiple times.

However, Pacquiao’s split-decision win over previously undefeated fighter Keith Thurman has somewhat revived the possibility of Pacquiao-Mayweather II. After lambasting Pacquiao for building a career around his name, Mayweather seems to have opened the door for a rematch by posting a cryptic Instagram message that says, “We don’t know … only time will tell.”

The first Pacquiao-Mayweather contest was a box-office success, generating around $400 million in gross revenue, including ticket and pay-per-view sales. Although it is doubtful a second showdown between two legendary fighters would reach the same figures, the bout is still projected to earn between $150-$200 million in gross revenue.
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