Justin says Manny better than Spence

MANILA, Philippines — Australian strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune said the other day he’s convinced that super WBA welterweight champion Sen. Manny Pacquiao will crush newly-unified IBF/WBC titlist Errol Spence if ever they face off.

“Let’s put it this way, I think the Manny who beat Keith Thurman last July would take down the Spence who defeated Shawn Porter last Saturday,” said Fortune who runs his own fitness gym in Los Angeles. “I also think that Thurman would beat either Spence or Porter, that’s how good he is. Thurman was at his best when he fought Manny and he couldn’t win, meaning that’s how much better Manny is than any of those guys.”

Fortune said Spence’s win by a split decision over Porter to unify the IBF and WBC welterweight titles wasn’t too convincing. “I think without the knockdown in the 11th round, it should’ve been a draw,” he said. “Personally, I wasn’t that impressed with Spence. He’s not as strong as people think he is. For me, Manny’s stronger. It took Spence 11 rounds to figure out Porter and land the left hook for the knockdown. Still, he didn’t really drop Porter. It was a good shot but Porter came right back. Porter didn’t lose his footing but his gloves touched the canvas so the referee (Jack Reiss), who’s one of the best in the business, rightfully called it a knockdown. I also thought Porter did a good job of turning Spence around along the ropes and had better footwork.”

If Pacquiao fights Spence, Fortune said there’s no doubting the outcome. “Manny’s stronger and quicker,” he said. “If Manny fights the way he did against Thurman, it’s over. He beats Spence by stoppage or decision. Let’s keep in mind that at this elite level, it’s rare to see a knockout.”

What impressed Fortune was the conditioning of both Spence and Porter. “Down to the last bell, those guys weren’t breathing hard,” he said. “They were totally in shape. It was a heckuva fight and the fans loved it. They’re both future Hall of Famers. Boxing needs and deserves fights like that. The welterweights, the 147-pounders, are keeping boxing alive today. And Manny’s on top of them all.”

Fortune said Porter was virtually unmarked after the fight. “If you look at the faces of Manny’s opponents after they fight him, they’re bashed up,” he said. “Some of Manny’s opponents don’t even make the post-fight press conference because they’re being rushed to the hospital. But Porter didn’t show too many signs on his face that he was in a brawl with Spence. Just compare what Manny’s opponents look like after a fight to how Porter looked like after his fight with Spence and you’ll notice Spence can’t be that hard of a puncher.”

Regarding Pacquiao’s next opponent, Fortune said Mikey Garcia appears to be the frontrunner. “I heard Mikey and Danny Garcia are in the running but since Spence announced he’s fighting Danny next, it could be Mikey for Manny,” he said. “Spence actually looked ordinary when he beat Mikey (by a unanimous decision last March). A fight against Mikey would be entertaining and exciting. Mikey always comes to fight and I notice every fighter who takes on Manny seems to fight 10 times better than he usually does because of the challenge of trying to beat one of the greatest fighters of all time.”

Mikey, 31, is the brother of former IBF superfeatherweight champion and trainer Robert Garcia. He has held the WBO featherweight, WBO superfeatherweight, WBC/IBF lightweight and IBF superlightweight titles in a career that started in 2006, 11 years after Pacquiao turned pro. Mikey’s record is 39-1, with 30 KOs and his only loss was to Spence. 

Fortune said he’s busy supervising the construction of his new gym which is only a five-minute drive away from his former sweat shop in Los Angeles. “They’ve torn down every structure in the block where my old gym used to stand because the developers are building a new commercial complex so I’ve had to relocate,” he said. “Luckily, I found a place close by so I’m retaining 100 percent of my clientele. The new gym should be open by the first week of next month.”