$1000 To Knock Manny Pacquiao Down?

The anticipation has begun to build for the August Unified Welterweight Title fight in Las Vegas between Errol Spence and Manny Pacquiao. And, an interesting “financial aspect” to the Filipino future Hall of Famer’s training has emerged from his legendary trainer Freddie Roach.

Roach told the London Sun on Monday that he not only wants competitive sparring partners with the 42 year old Pacquiao, but that he’s even offering money out of his own pocket for anyone of them that can actually knock him down,

Freddie Roach puts bounty on Manny Pacquiao’s head: Trainer Freddie Roach has offered up a $1000 bounty to any sparring partner who can knockdown Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao 62-7-2 (39) as he prepares to challenge WBC and IBF welterweight champion… https://t.co/SM6QCaC2FJ pic.twitter.com/c0Cb19NTCF

— Ringnews24 🥊 (@ringnews24) July 27, 2021

Roach told the Sun’s Jack Figg about the “$1,000 bounty,”

“Manny doesn’t know that! I’ve always kept it a secret but every sparring partner I hire, I say, ‘You knock him down, I give you a thousand bucks’.

“And I’ve kept a thousand in my pocket.” 

Pacquiao came to Roach’s famed “Wild Card” gym in Los Angeles three weeks ago to begin full preparation in the U.S. to fight Spence on August 21st. And, as the Sun pointed out, this is an astounding 37th fight that the two will be together for over the course of the last 20 years.

However, Roach also told the London-based paper that he and Pacquiao have basically stayed apart for the last year and five months due to the Covid 19 pandemic. That is, until the business of taking on the unbeaten, WBC/IBF World champion Spence has drawn closer.

Also, sparring partner bonuses are nothing new dating all the way back to the days of fighters like Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard offering them to fighters who would challenge, if not knock them down.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao and Spence kicked off the publicity for the their bout in a joint press conference in Los Angeles two weeks ago, where frankly, not much was really said.

Still, Roach and Pacquiao are all too familiar with the massive stage that he’s about to be on, one more time coming at the T-Mobile Arena just off the Vegas strip.

The “Pac-man” is 62-7-2 and he defeated Adrian Broner on PPV by decision in the first fight of his Premier Boxing Champions deal in January of 2019. He then took the WBA World Welterweight title off Keith Thurman with a stirring 12 round performance in July of that year, but has not fought since.

For the record, the WBA officially ruled earlier this month that he’s no longer their “World” champ (that’s Yordenis Ugas) and so, for now it’s Manny’s legacy against Spence’s belts.

As for the Texan at 27-0, 21 KOs, he was last in action in December on a PBC/Fox Sports PPV, when he decisioned Danny Garcia at AT&T Stadium to retain his two titles. It was Spence’s return to the ring after a horrific, rollover one car crash in October of 2019, where he was ejected from his vehicle, but escaped serious injury or death.

Spence was out of action for 14 months after having beaten Shawn Porter in Los Angeles just two weeks before the car wreck in September of 2019. The effects of the accident and the Covid 19 pandemic delayed Spence for over a year before getting back in the ring with Garcia.

And, sparring partner incentives or not, Pacquiao had better be ready for what Spence is going to bring in clearly the biggest fight to date of his pro career.