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“He Played It Safe”- Joel Diaz Exposes Errol Spence Jr’s Flaws Ahead of Facing Manny Pacquiao

Published 08/04/2021, 1:36 AM EDT

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Welterweight kingpin Errol Spence Jr. might have left no blueprints for his future opponents to craft a plan to defeat him. However, that doesn’t free him from criticism and veteran trainer Joel Diaz might have exposed a few loopholes in the American boxer’s game.

There’s no denying Spence Jr. is one of the best modern-day warriors in boxing. But his performances against Mikey Garcia and Danny Garcia appear to have raised a few doubts regarding his potential as a hard-hitter. While ‘The Truth’ is now aligned to meet Manny Pacquiao, Diaz’s recent statement might be a matter of concern for the American fans.

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In a chat with Fight Hub TV, Joel Diaz said, “I saw Spence against Mikey Garcia and Danny [Garcia]. I mean, it was like you know a fight that wasn’t like too dominating for Errol Spence. Remember, Errol Spence, when he fought Mikey Garcia, he fought a 140 pounder, possibly a 135pounder.”

And Mikey was there, and he played it safe, and Errol Spence played safe. Because if he didn’t; if he was such a great fighter. I mean, he is a great fighter. I mean I don’t take nothing from him. He is a great fighter. But I think if you are one division, two divisions above your opponent. I mean you should just go in there and you know take risk.”

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In a career of 27-0, ‘The Truth’ has scored 21 KOs. However, he has failed to stop the last three of his opponents. Hence, the recent scenario demands Errol Spence Jr. to win a lopsided fight. But claiming it against the ‘Pac-Man’ may not be an effortless task.

Can Errol Spence Jr. silence his haters?

A fight against Manny Pacquiao on August 21 will be a career-defining moment for Errol Spence Jr. That said, ‘The Truth’ will rightly be the favorite to win the bout. Despite Pacquiao’s experience and legacy, several factors will hand the advantage to the unbeaten welterweight world champion. Apart from relishing physical advantage, Spence Jr. has been more active than Pacquiao in recent times.

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Furthermore, the American pugilist is an elite-level southpaw and can offer a very tough challenge to Manny Pacquiao. So, it’s bizarre to write him off from the debate under any circumstances.

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Nevertheless, Spence Jr. needs to dominate the Filipino legend, rather than just score a close win. On dominating the fight, he can rightly regain the momentum in the 147 lbs division and silence all his doubters.

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Do you think Errol Spence Jr. will have the last laugh against Manny Pacquiao? What do you make of Joel Diaz’s comments?

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Written by:

Raj Sarkar

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A senior boxing writer at EssentiallySports, Raj Sarkar is a mass media graduate who is currently pursuing his master’s degree in broadcast journalism. In addition to his current role, he has worked with the MMA team at EssentiallySports and has interviewed prominent fighters such as Ritu Phogat and 'The Red King' Rory MacDonald. He combined his bachelor's degree with his adoration for combat sports and has a combined 2000 plus bylines in MMA and boxing over the last two years.
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