Unified WBC and IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. has reportedly expressed interest to fight Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao on US soil.
Per ESPN Knockout, July is the target month for the Spence-Pacquiao bout in a pay-per-view event.
"There is a high interest on Spence's part to try to solidify his name in the industry, and Pacquiao knows that few names can guarantee him a huge sum of money, and that is Errol," wrote Salvador Rodriguez in its translated version.
READ: Pacquiao would ‘obliterate’ Spence, says trainer
Aside from Spence, the likes of WBO welterweight king Terence Crawford and contender Mikey Garcia are also on the radar for Pacquiao.
But it looks likes deals have been going back-and-forth recently as the Pacquiao-Crawford bout in Abu Dhabi on June 5 has been reportedly scrapped due to funding woes by the investors of the United Arab Emirates capital.
Mike Coppinger of the Athletic, who also first broke the news about the Abu Dhabi fight last March 31, said "Pacquiao signed his contract but Crawford never did."
READ: Crawford fight might be Pacquiao’s swan song, says veteran boxing analyst
The same thing goes for Garcia, who also wants to fight the Filipino eight-division world boxing champion either in May or June.
Pacquiao, 42, has not fought since scoring a split decision win over Keith Thurman in July 2019 to improve at 62-7-2 record on top of 39 knockouts.
Due to inactivity, he got stripped of his super WBA welterweight belt by the world boxing sanctioning body and was declared "champion in recess."
The 33-year-old Crawford was still active in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, stunning former champion Kell Brook with a fourth-round knockout win for his fourth title defense to remain undefeated at 37-0 slate with 28 KOs last November.
READ: ESPN commentator fears Crawford might knock out Pacquiao
Spence, 31, for his part, is also unbeaten at 27-0 record with 21 KOs, the latest win coming from Danny Garcia by way of unanimous decision in December last year while Mikey Garcia last saw action in February last year with a unanimous decision victory against Pacquiao’s former foe in Jessie Vargas to climb at 40-1 card with 30 KOs.