Three reasons why Keith Thurman will retain his undefeated record against Manny Pacquiao

Thurman time

Keith Thurman and Manny Pacquiao are set to go toe-to-toe in Las Vegas in July with the WBA (Super) welterweight title on the line and boxing fans will be eagerly awaiting the outcome of the bout which promises so much. Thurman will be looking to retain his perfect record of 29-0 (1) whilst Pacquiao will be looking to show the world he still has plenty left to give, even at the ripe age of 40.

Fans can bet on Thurman v Pacquiao right now ahead of the fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, with Thurman odds on currently (8/11) and Pacquiao just over evens (11/10.) Since Pacquiao’s controversial defeat to Jeff Horn in 2017, the Filipino has won both of his fights, which indicates he is still a force to be reckoned with, but Thuram will provide stern opposition and we’ve identified three reasons why the American can come up trumps against Pac-Man.

Thurman’s time

The general feeling in the build-up to the fight will be that Thurman has more than a realistic chance of beating Pacquiao, but at the same time, Manny fans will be quick to tell you he’ll come unstuck against the Filipino. Thurman might not have looked convincing in his victory over Josesito Lopez in January, but he survived some scary moments and he’ll need that bounce back ability when he faces Pacquiao.

Thurman is ten years younger than his upcoming opponent and is renowned for having one of the hardest punches at welterweight level. If his career-defining win over Danny Garcia is replicated on 20th July, Pacquiao could be in all sorts of trouble. The general feeling is that Thurman is in his prime and with Pacquiao leaning towards the end of his career, logic says there’s only going to be one winner.

Pac crazy

Pacquiao past it?

It’ll be one of the biggest talking points as the fight edges ever closer, does Pacquiao still have it or not? Of course, somebody of Pacquiao’s talent doesn’t lose it per say, but he’ll struggle to demonstrate the bounce and zest from ten years previous. Thurman will be more than aware of this and will look to capitalise from the first bell, and with the opportunity to beat such an illustrious opponent, that should fuel Thurman’s fire enough to retain the WBA title.

Pacquiao – like Thurman – also won his last fight in January so he certainly knows how to handle a variety of different boxers. Pacquiao didn’t look at his sharpest as he beat Adrian Broner via a unanimous decision though, which could indicate he is somewhat over the hills.
Pacquiao has more to lose

More often than not, the world’s most decorated boxers end their careers with a whimper and that’s exactly what could happen with Pacquiao if he loses to Thurman. Neutrals and Pac-Man fans will likely disagree but it could become a reality in Vegas. Would a defeat tarnish his career anyhow?

Pacquiao has paid end to careers himself – just ask Oscar De La Hoya – but a defeat here doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll chuck the towel in after, although it does make it very hard to try and come back from what would be an eighth professional loss. Pacquiao will always be remembered as one of boxing’s finest and admittedly he does have more to lose in one sense, but it’ll be years before we see another pro like him.

All media inquiries can be sent to CRobinson@hustleboss.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *