Tag Archives: keith

Posted on 09/08/2020

By: Kirk Jackson

Exiting the scorching months of the summer and entering the fall, the recent talk of significant welterweight match-ups in the making, features the combination of talents ranging from current WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford (36-0, 27 KO’s), former unified WBC and WBA welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman (29-1, 22 KO’s) and former IBF welterweight champion, Kell Brook (39-2, 27 KO’s), also known as “Special K” or simply “The Special One.”

As of last Friday, there are talks or at least the beginning stages of negotiation between Crawford and Brook. Reportedly, an offer of 1.5 million was offered to Team Brook, for a fight against Crawford to take place at some point later in year.

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn recently revealed he’s aligning Brook to face the three-division champion Crawford.

“I had a couple of conversations with Bob Arum and Top Rank VP of operations, Carl Moretti yesterday. And I feel that’s a big fight for UK TV, so we’re trying to help out and get that over the line,” Hearn told IFL TV.

“I would love to see Kell get that fight. I think Top Rank had a conversation with Keith Thurman and obviously they wanted too much money. It’s difficult at the moment. Crawford wants a lot of money and Kell wants a lot of money. He deserves it. We’re trying to make that fight happen to assist Top Rank in getting the numbers together.”

But preceding this negotiation, were talks of Crawford potentially facing Thurman. Prior to that, there were discussions of Thurman facing Brook.

“Thurman’s people got in touch with me, but they’re out to lunch,” Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told BoxingScene.com. “They have such crazy expectations that just don’t exist anymore. Their money demands are crazy. They said they were free agents, which I’m sure they are. But again, who’s gonna pay what they’re looking for?”

However, Arum didn’t disclose the dollar amount Thurman’s representative requested, nor identify who contacted him on Thurman’s behalf. Thurman in recent interviews talked about potentially facing Crawford in the near future, but never mentioned a price tag.

Thurman is likely to return and headline a FOX broadcast later this year in December, albeit his opponent has yet to be determined.

Crawford for his part, spoke on the potential fight with Thurman in a recent interview.

“You don’t know what you want to do,” said Crawford. “Because if a contract was sent to Keith Thurman, he would find a way out. So, stop playing with my name. You’re a guy who just cries wolf.”

Thurman’s retort however, conveys the opposite of what Arum and Crawford insinuate about Thurman regarding a potential showdown between the pair.

“Right now, I want [Terence] Crawford more now, man,” Thurman stated. “He got under my skin. Errol [Spence]? That’s a timeline issue. I know how the game works. We got the same manager. That’s a timeline issue. This Crawford dude? Send a contract, bro. Tell ESPN to send some zeroes my way. They know an appropriate number. I sign on the dotted line.”

“Don’t act like I run from you. You never got respect in the game anyway at 147. You ain’t pushed the buttons at 147. You ain’t touched Shawn Porter. You ain’t touched Thurman. You ain’t touched [Danny] Garcia. You ain’t touched Spence. I’m gonna run out of fingers! I can name all my opponents you ain’t touched. I’m gonna run out of fingers, boy! Stop it, just stop it!”

Question is, why can’t Arum and company negotiate a price tag with Thurman, if the demand is that high? Negotiate with Team Thurman, like the negotiations that took place with Team Amir Khan last year.

Unless of course, a fight against Thurman is not what Arum and company truly want. Arum and Crawford for that matter, have their sights set on current WBA champion Manny Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KO’s). But with representation on behalf of Pacquiao mentioning he’ll be on the shelf for the duration of 2020, “Bud” has to set his sights elsewhere.

However within this current welterweight mix-up, exists a pairing that makes perfect sense for each participant. 

Focusing on that pairing; featuring Thurman versus Brook, makes the most sense for both fighters.

For Brook, his last three opponents since losing his IBF welterweight title to Errol Spence Jr. in May 2017, are Sergey Rabchenko, Michael Zerafa in March and December of 2018 respectively, along with Mark DeLuca in February of this year.

Nice string of comeback fights to work out the ring rust, to build confidence and tread towards the path back to the top again.

Brook is searching for that signature fight and payday before calling it quits on a pretty solid career. As mentioned in his interview with IFL TV, he wants either Thurman or Crawford and the former unified WBA and WBC champion provide Brook with what he is seeking.

Expanding on the signature fight, and more importantly the signature win aspect, Brook’s biggest fights to date were against Shawn Porter, Gennady Golovkin and Errol Spence. After securing victory in a close fight against Porter to win his world title, Brook suffered technical knockout defeats against Golovkin (In a bid for middleweight world titles) and Spence (Losing his IBF world title).

Brook has staked claim in wanting more. He wants to be known for something greater and if that’s the case, he will chase another signature win against another high-level opponent.

“Making 147 (lbs.) is something Terence [Crawford] and all these American fighters seem to love to ask me to do when it’s put on their toes: ‘Would you fight Kell Brook?’ Tell Kell Brook to make weight,’” Brook said. “It’s fine though. It shows me they respect my ability and take some sort of comfort from convincing themselves it might not happen.”

“I boxed in February. I’ve been ticking over during lockdown and I’m back in the boxing gym training. By the fall time, I’ll be more than ready, I will make the weight. Then I’ll make the wait worthwhile!”

Concentrating on Thurman, who commands strong standing and a high measure of star power amongst his contemporaries. For Thurman, suffering defeat in a closely contested championship bout against a future Hall of Famer doesn’t lower his stock. Especially considering he was exhilarating in defeat.

Any fight featuring Thurman will be on network television like FOX and will be a headliner event. Meaning, there will be a ton of promotion, high viewership and great revenue earning opportunities. If Brook is to secure a bout with Thurman and emerge victorious, that places him in great position for an even bigger fight.

It’s important to state, a hypothetical victory for Brook over Thurman would also be his biggest win to date. Due to certain variables, the fight against Thurman may be Brook’s best chance for a win against high-level and highly acclaimed opposition.

One of those variables, is Thurman’s history of injuries. Dating back to July of 2015, Thurman has only competed five times. But like “One Time,” “The Special One” has his history of unfortunate injuries.

According to his own testimony, Thurman was injured in most of his recent fights. The mental aspect of recovery and rehabilitation is a battle in itself, a battle Brook shares.

“It’s hard for someone to show me an opportunity and watch me say no,” said Thurman. “I could maybe take a tune-up. But I like great fights and significant challenges. Whoever, I fight, I know there’s going to be a following. I want to make it worth my while. Those training camps are not easy. I want my opponent to be worthy of all the pain and suffering that is involved in the whole event for it to be really worthwhile.”

What would be the incentive for Thurman to fight Brook?

Brook is a name, a former champion and a fighter with a following. Brook has the support of the United Kingdom. They have interesting styles, contrasting styles but share many traits in common. It can be argued both are entering the back-end of their professional careers and plotting for pivotal standing in a loaded division at welterweight.

Based on the quote from Thurman, Brook represents what he is seeking. They both bring great intangibles to the table and can mutually benefit from facing one another.

Fans and critics alike question if Thurman still has it and wonder if he can return to the same form that he had when capturing the WBC and WBA welterweight titles? What better way to begin his comeback trail than against a fighter in a similar position?  

Another facet to consider, a common link the two share is Errol Spence. Many observers believe Thurman visibly ducked Spence for several years, while Brook was the first active champion at the time, to provide Spence an opportunity for the world title, as Spence worked his way up to mandatory challenger. Thurman in fact told Spence to acquire a world title or two first, before he would grant that opportunity.

In recent months, Thurman claimed desires of wanting to fight Spence, while Brook has maintained his yearning for a rematch ever since losing to the Texan back in 2017. If Thurman faces and defeats Brook, that may place him in position for Spence, as they’ll then share another common opponent. For Brook of course, if he were to win the hypothetical, keeps him in the sweepstakes for a rematch.

An added benefit for “One Time” by facing Brook, is he keeps other unfavorable options on the back burner.

Thurman is a highly sought out target and may find himself fighting off a bevy of would be challengers. The aforementioned Spence was always a name pursing a clash against Thurman, Porter is seeking the rematch and Garcia stated he would like a rematch at some point as well. The Clearwater native may not be ready for those bouts when he returns in December.

There is also a crop of young talent, itching at the opportunity to get a crack at Thurman. Jaron Ennis (25-0, 23 KO’s), who fights September 19 and Vergil Ortiz (16-0 16 KO’s), fresh off his victory last month over veteran Samuel Vargas.

While Thurman would be favored in any of those match-ups, or even in other bouts against Yordenis Ugas, Egidijus Kavaliauskas, Jessie Vargas, Sergey Lipnets, Ray Robinson, etc., the risk may not warrant the potential reward. Especially if the end goal is to get the rematch against Pacquiao, or the eventual fight against Spence. Adrien Broner and Mikey Garcia would be exceptions to that rule.

For Thurman, especially if he secures the December date, not only prolongs talks of  bouts against any of the aforementioned fighters, but a win and spectacular victory at that (Hopefully injury-free) over Brook leaves him with an opportunity for a larger scale fight against some of the bigger names once the welterweight schedule clears up.

Much is at stake for Thurman and Brook, but each fighter has the opportunity to make the best of this proposed scenario and this is a great opportunity for both parties.

Will it still be KO’s for life and are chocolate brownies on the menu?

Posted on 07/17/2020

By: Kirk Jackson

Keith “One Time” Thurman (29-1, 22 KO’s) aims to not only get back on the winning track, but also targets to stake claim as top dog in this current wave of a welterweights in what is considered one of boxing’s historic divisions.

As of late, Thurman is keeping busy, barking threats at the top guy in the division.

“I’m ready to get back in with all this competition,” Thurman told boxing publication, Pep Talk UK.

“My mind mentally would love a rematch with Manny Pacquiao. I think it’s a worthy rematch and a deserved rematch. It’s an epic fight… It’s whatever doors will open. If I have to fight a Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, Danny Garcia. I’d be surprised if Errol Spence hops on the table right away, but there are so many opportunities.”

That quote featured five names, all five fighters great in their own way. But there is one fighter among the bunch that sticks out as a thorn in Thurman’s side.

Enter “The Truth” Errol Spence Jr. (26-0, 21 KO’s). The undefeated, unified IBF and WBC welterweight champion, is noted for telling foes to “Keep that same energy,” essentially stating to hold on to the same stance held before and after the action that transpires.

Spence also happens to be one of the main names linked to Thurman over the past several years.

Following the actions of Thurman, or career trajectory as far as fight selection, and the lack of the fight transpiring between him and Spence over the past several years, there may be an understanding level of skepticism, upon hearing recent proclamations from the former welterweight champion.

“Errol [Spence] going to have to give me my respect one way or another. If he doesn’t want to see me at 147, he’s going to have to leave the division.”

After all this time, does anyone believe Thurman is in an immediate rush to face Spence? With lucrative opportunities and legacy defining fights awaiting Spence in the welterweight division, why would Spence leave this weight class? What leverage does Thurman hold, to force Spence out of the division?

Is Thurman serious, or is he clout chasing?

This is the fight game and business ideally must match the needs of each respective team before opposing sides can come to an agreement, but business and politics aside, Thurman never appeared in a hurry, to face what many fans and experts considered to be Thurman’s toughest challenger.

Well that was until Thurman faced Pacquiao, in what was a highly competitive, razor thin decision in favor of the senator from the Philippines.

And speaking of Pac-Man, it can be argued for the past several years, Spence has been chasing around Thurman, Spence portraying Pac-Man and Thurman portraying one of those ghosts chased around, once Pac-Man absorbs an energizer.

Thurman like other fellow fighters, athletes and everyone generally speaking, is plagued with issues from this pandemic. But even aside from that particular problem, Thurman’s lack of activity, is apparent over the past stretch of years.

Dating back to July of 2015, Thurman has only competed five times.

Injuries have also tampered with Thurman’s reign as world champion. Questions aimed at his durability and physical health, dedication and focus to the sport, have come into question in recent years. According to his own testimony, he was injured in most of his recent fights. The mental aspect of recovery and rehabilitation is a war in itself.

“It’s hard for someone to show me an opportunity and watch me say no,” said Thurman. “I could maybe take a tune-up. But I like great fights and significant challenges. Whoever, I fight, I know there’s going to be a following. I want to make it worth my while. Those training camps are not easy. I want my opponent to be worthy of all the pain and suffering that is involved in the whole event for it to be really worthwhile.”

With inquiries relating to his history of injuries, along with data to support certain claims, some observers are wondering if he will return to the form that earned him decision wins over Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia. The same form, that enabled Thurman to hold multiple welterweight titles at one time.

It’s fairly reasonable for someone to question Thurman’s true intentions regarding his desire to face Spence.

The truth is, Thurman is a talented fighter. Thurman is intelligent, has a gift of gab and is as entertaining with his words, as he is with his punches. That is a rare, complimentary combination.

But the truth may also be, Thurman is no longer the top guy across his division and at this moment in time, not even in the conversation. Words and accomplishments from yesteryear can only carry you so far. This is a what have you done for me lately kind of business.

Although boasting close wins over Porter and Garcia, they may be positioned with greater opportunities comparatively to Thurman. Due to their level of activity, success, public perception, durability and fortune of good health, they are positioned to take fights against Mikey Garcia, Errol Spence, or even Terence Crawford.

Due to inactivity and uncertainty, some may argued Thurman has faltered below to the second tier of elite welterweight. That talented group of fighters featuring Jessie Vargas, Yordenas Ugas, Sergey Lipnets, Adrien Broner, among a few others.

An additional problem for the former champion, is another wave of welterweights may be on the way soon. Josh Taylor, Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez may move up within the next year or so adding more muscle to the division. The young guns Jaron Ennis and Vergil Ortiz are also waiting in the wing.

With this infusion of talent and additional depth added to the weight class, “One Time” may be on limited time.

As far as securing a showdown with “The Truth,” tables have turned indeed and it is Thurman allegedly giving chase to the opportunity that lies in wait with Spence.

“Everyone is gunning for him, and if he wants to stay champion, he’s going to have to answer to everybody or follow after his predecessor and dodge everybody and pick who he chooses,” Thurman said. “He’s faced some of my competition, but he’s never faced me. I did that with Errol when he fought Shawn Porter. I got a lot of people that think the way I beat Porter was better.”

Only difference is, Spence verbally expresses the interest to face his challengers and so far, is backing up his talk.

The predecessor Thurman is referring to, in Floyd Mayweather, defeated 24 world champions, won 11 world titles, five weight classes, etc.

Albeit Thurman never got his shot, Mayweather obviously faced his fair share of top-level competition. And for argument sake, Mayweather beat a younger version of the same fighter who handed Thurman his first professional defeat.

The truth is, given Thurman’s high intellect, there’s more than what meets the eye with his recent proclamations.

All roads through welterweight must eventually go through Errol Spence. Time will tell if Keith “One Time” Thurman can handle the truth.

Posted on 02/27/2020

By Robert Aaron Contreras

Keith Hunter (11-0, 7 KO) will now rematch Sanjarbek Rakhmanov (12-2-1, 6 KO) in the main event of this weekend’s ShoBox: The New Generation broadcast after an undisclosed injury forced Malik Hawkins off the card. The action takes place on Feb. 28 at Sam’s Town Hotel in Las Vegas.

News of the super lightweight shakeup broke on Monday. A matchup between Hawkins and Hunter would have paired up two of the most talented and tallest undefeated prospects in the division. After going 5-0 in 2019, Hawkins added his name to the growing list of excellent fighters out of Maryland. A group highlighted by beltholders past and present like Gervonta Davis and Jarrett Hurd.

Hunter, 27, also represents a strong cohort of boxers. Big ones too. He is the son of Mike “The Bounty” Hunter Sr., a former heavyweight contender and veteran of 35 fights, who passed along his skills to his sons. That includes Michael Hunter II, the 31-year-old heavyweight who recently battled Alexander Povetkin to a draw. Michael’s only loss remains a decision to the master-boxer Oleksandr Usyk.

Younger brother Keith last year also found himself fighting down to the wire. With none other than Rakhmanov, who he meets again on Friday.

Rakhmanov, 30, of Uzbekistan, lost the first meeting but closed out the year with a stoppage victory over an undistinguished veteran by the name of Andre Byrd, who had enough after four rounds. Rakhmanov has lost just one other time in his career, also on points, dropping a decision to Texan welterweight Marquis Taylor in 2018.

The rematch with Hunter will be Rakhmanov’s first 10-round contest. A former national champion, in addition to a first-place finish at the 2009 Asian Amateurs, he transplanted to Las Vegas upon earning a promotional contract with Floyd Mayweather’s TMT.

Hunter, born and bred in Las Vegas, met Rakhmanov in April 2019 at the exact same venue, Sam’s Town Hotel which has been a showcase for Mayweather’s stable. So it could be said Hunter was operating in enemy territory despite fighting in his hometown. Hunter would nonetheless edge out a split-decision verdict after eight rounds of tense activity.

A second-round knockdown from Hunter put the B-side up early, carrying him triumphantly over Rakhmanov’s late flurry.

Hunter, a six-foot technician, holds a considerable height advantage over the barreling Uzbek. So he was smart to continually prod out a massive orthodox jab through the first three minutes. It paid extreme dividends in the second stanza when Hunter followed it up with a right cross that buckled Rakhmanov’s knee, accounting for the only knockdown of the fight.

In the fourth round, Hunter could be seen working in an uppercut and feinting a number of bolo punches. Rakhmanov remained persistent, never giving up the center of the ring. He found some success in the opening frame with an overhand left. But was unable to score again with the wild shot until the sixth round. From there the flinging punches poured in.

Hunter had to survive big blows over the final three rounds. Rakhmanov transforming into a crouched devil. Ultimately it was not enough. One referee gave Rakhmanov a 76-75 score but was overuled by nods of 77-74 and 76-75 in the American’s favor.

Worth nothing was the terrific punches traded to close Round 7. The two men actually acknowledged their special rivalry and exchanged a friendly headbutt at the bell, as if to say they could do this violent dance again some day.

On Friday, just a year later, they get their chance to.

Hitchins, Newman Complete Tripleheader in separate bouts

Richardson Hitchins 10-0, 5 KO) is a celebrated farmhand of Mayweather Promotions and he fights in the co-main event of the night against Nick DeLomba (16-2, 5 KO) over a scheduled 10 rounds.

The 22-year-old Hitchins, is a two-time golden glove champion out of Brooklyn, who will be making his 2020 ring debut. A representative for Haiti at the 2016 Olympics, he extended his unbeaten ledger with four wins in 2019, including two stoppage victories.

Having already performed on some of the sport’s biggest stages, fighting multiple times at Barclays and once at the MGM Grand, Hitchins graduated to the 10-round distance in his last bout, also at Sam’s Town. There he decisioned another Vegas welterweight in Kevin Johnson.

DeLomba, 29, seems to have a decent record on paper. He is riding a five-fight win streak. But fighting exclusively out of Rhode Island, against limited talent, he is expected to be nothing but lunchmeat for Hitchins.

Kevin Newman II (11-1-1, 6 KO) is also under the TMT banner and he will be the first of the Showtime tripleheader to compete. Just a teenager when he began training under Jeff Mayweather, he was familiar with the Mayweather stable when he officially joined their ranks in 2014.

Newman, 28, experienced a short setback against California native Mark Anthony Hernandez in 2017, losing on points in a sixth-round undercard match. But following three consecutive victories, Newman exacted his revenge over Hernandez, defeating him last year by unanimous decision.

His opponent on Friday is Genc Pllana, a 26-year-old Kosovan super middleweight who is 2-1-1 over his last four, all against unheralded competition. 

Posted on 01/25/2020

By: Hans Themistode

Looking ahead is apart of all sports. Before the event even begins, the first question that arises is “what’s next?” 

In boxing, in particular, the thought of a big fight is always on the minds of everyone. It may sound cliché and a bit infuriating but when a boxer says “I can’t look ahead, I have to focus on the fight in front of me,” fans simultaneously role their eyes. 

This constant rhetoric used by fighters just isn’t what fans want to hear on a consistent basis, yet it is the formula that helps them carve out hall of fame level careers. 

When you look at former two division world champion Danny Garcia (35-2, 21 KOs), he’s become the poster child for this. It is difficult if not flat out impossible for anyone to get him to mention any other fighter other than the one that is currently placed in front of him.   

His trainer and father, Angel Garcia on the other hand, now that’s an entirely different story. 

On January 25th, at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn New York, Garcia will be taking on Ivan Redkach. It isn’t considered the most difficult matchup in the world for Danny. In fact, should he lose this upcoming weekend, you could make the case that this would rank amongst the biggest upsets in the history of the sport. 

The matchup with Redkach (23-4-1, 18 KOs) is an important one, but it isn’t exactly on the minds of the fans. Contests against unified champion Errol Spence Jr and WBA belt holder Manny Pacquiao are more intriguing. 

You may not be able to get Danny to say much about what lies ahead for his future but his father is an open book.

“Anyone of them. We’ll take them all,” said Angel during a recent interview. “Listen, we’re here to fight so we’ll fight anyone of them. It doesn’t even matter if we have to fight on DAZN we can work with them.”

If you believe the rumbles then you’ll understand fully that Danny has a potential matchup with either of those aforementioned fighters awaiting him should he pull off the victory this Saturday. 

The problem for Danny is that Spence was only recently cleared for boxing activities following a horrific car accident, while Pacquiao is an unknown. 

Pacquiao has done just about everything in the sport of boxing and at this point, he’s almost like the golden ticket. One win over him and you have a chance of punching your own ticket to the hall of fame, while also pocketing a career high pay day as well.

Danny has a hall of fame case in his own right and he certainly isn’t hurting for money either, but more couldn’t hurt right? Danny would love a fight with the living legend but that doesn’t mean that he’ll simply wait around or beg for it either.

“We can fight Manny that’s not a problem but the point is this. Last year we were supposed to fight Manny. We sat and waited and then he ended up choosing Thurman. So we wasted a date last year. We want to fight at least two times this year.”

Speaking of Thurman, he of course handed the first loss to Danny in his career. It may have been over two years ago but don’t think Danny or Angel forgot about it.

“We want a rematch with Thurman bad. We need that rematch so that we can avenge the L. But if we don’t get him then we’ll take any of the other top guys.”

Before any of those dream matchups can actually happen, fans will have to revert back to those words that they hate to hear. “I have to focus on the fight in front of me.” It may not be the sort of statement that the fans want to be told, but it’s what they have to live with, for now. 

Angel isn’t looking past Redkach but he does expect him to be nothing more than a speed bump on the road to big fights.

“Listen, when Danny starts throwing leather will Redkach be able to stand there and take it? I doubt it. Danny is gonna knock him out.” 

Posted on 09/22/2019

By: Sean Crose

Keith “One Time” Thurman is perhaps the most self-injurious big name athlete in the fight game. After making his presence felt through a series of dominant performances in the twenty-teens, the Florida native began suffering injuries which have removed him from the boxing ring for considerable portions of time. And, as of Friday, it is clear that Thurman will once again have to take a forced hiatus from the ring. “I recently had surgery on my left hand to deal with a nagging injury,” Thurman tweeted. “I feel great and can’t wait to get back in the ring in early 2020. My injuries have been frustrating, but thanks to your support I’m determined to become a Champ again soon… #OneTime .”

Such announcements regarding Thurman, an extremely talented and skilled 30 year old former titlist, are unfortunately not uncommon. A 2016 bout with Shawn Porter was delayed for months because Thurman had gotten into a car accident. After besting Danny Garcia in 2017, Thurman needed surgery on his elbow. He didn’t re-enter the professional prize ring for almost two years afterwards. With that in mind, it’s difficult to ascertain how these combined days away from professional fighting have impacted Thurman’s ring performance. He was seriously hurt in a return bout against Josesito Lopez last January, though that may have had as much to do with ring rust – or an impressive performance from the veteran Lopez – than it did with Thurman’s time away from the ring.

As for Thurman’s last bout, against the legendary Manny Pacquiao last summer, the previously undefeated Thurman was completely overwhelmed and outclassed by the iconic Filipino. Although physical wear and tear may have had something to do with Thurman’s ability that night, it’s hard to imagine the fight going any other way than it did, so impressive was Pacquiao. With that in mind, Thurman told Yahoo Sports that he was dealing with an injured hand through his last two bouts. “It was there in the Josesito Lopez fight and it was there in the Pacquiao fight,” he said of his latest injury. “But as a world champion, I had to fight and that’s what I did. At the end of the day, there are no excuses, but I wasn’t at my best physically in either of them. I had to fight through it.”

The good news for Thurman fans is the fact that he intends to be back in boxing business by the early portion of next year. There’s a big difference, after all, between a seven or eight month layoff and a twelve to twenty month one. “The last thing I want,” Yahoo quotes him as saying, “is to stop here and now. I have a bright future and I’m in one of the best and most exciting divisions. That helps me keep my head up high and helps keep me motivated.” Even though he was bested by Pacquiao in clear fashion, Thurman truly remains one of the top fighters at welterweight, where names like Errol Spence Jr, or even Terence Crawford might conceivably await.

Posted on 07/25/2019

By: Ste Rowen

At the weekend 40-year-old, all-time great Manny Pacquiao added yet another name to his ridiculous resume. Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman was dropped en route to a split decision loss – Glenn Feldman, try watching the fight – but defeat to the Filipino veteran shouldn’t mean the end for the former unified champion.

This time two years ago Keith had overcome the two biggest hurdles, at the time, of the 147lb division. The Floridian native had consecutively decisioned Shawn Porter and then undefeated Danny Garcia. ‘One Time’ seemed ready for pound-for-pound greatness even as 2017 came to a close, but it wasn’t to be as Keith, with a mix of injury and personal life, wasn’t seen back in the ring for almost two years when he stepped back inside with Josesito Lopez in a rough showing that saw Thurman take a majority decision, as well as some testing body shots.

And then on to this following weekend against future hall of famer, Manny Pacquiao. Keith gave Pac-Man the stare down but as Tony Montana said, ‘It’s in the eyes…’ and Manny, a fighter of now seventy-one bouts with some of the greats was hardly going to be fazed by the vacant stare of a man handed favours by the WBA.

But as the headline suggests, this isn’t a column to bash the former welterweight champion. At 30-years-old and 29-1 (22KOs), Keith, if he wants to, has a lot more to look forward to. The bruised-up American was gracious in defeat when he proclaimed, ‘‘It was a blessing and a lesson…I fell short but we’ve gotta do a little bit more. You get knocked down, you lift yourself up.‘‘ And the defeated man needs to look no further than his opponent to see how to bounce back from defeat. Manny, 61-7-2, even before this weekend’s win, was headed for Canastota – and with a Thurman victory, leaves no doubt – but with that win it leaves the 30-year-old to reflect and wonder about what he, himself can achieve after losing his 0.

The first thing Keith needs to do is get rid of the ‘One Time’ alias, Come on man, it’s been four years since your last stoppage. Secondly, and most importantly, it’s time to acknowledge WBO champion, Terence Crawford. In every interview so far Thurman has done his upmost to dismiss the P4P player, but after looking defeat in the eyes for the first time as a pro, Keith no longer has or needs an excuse to avoid Top Rank’s bogeyman. The former unified champ lost at the weekend to a true great, it doesn’t mean he can’t stand with the rest of the current 147lb crop of fighters, including the non-PBC boxer.

The quality is clearly there, even after last weekend’s decisive defeat. The real question is; is the desire there for Keith? A man once in the running for Floyd Mayweather Jr’s final fight, seemed to lose interest once he’d unified the WBA & WBC titles. No small feat, but considering his pedigree, it’s a disappointing climax if ‘One Time’ decides to call it a day early.

Thurman has hit the wall of defeat, but with the number of welterweights, both contenders and champions in play, Keith has an immediate opportunity to rise back to serious challenger status within just a few bouts. He stepped in and lost to all timer. If Thurman can learn from Pacquiao’s philosophy, one defeat can be brushed off and Keith can come again and be back with the best.

Posted on 07/23/2019

By: Kirk Jackson

“This is a beautiful night of boxing, Manny Pacquiao is a truly great legendary champion, he got the victory over me. I wish I have a little more output to go toe-to-toe,” said Keith Thurman (29-1, 22 KO’s) in a post-fight conference after suffering his first professional defeat to Manny Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KO’s)

“You gave blessings and lessons, and tonight is a blessing and a lesson, Thank you, Manny Pacquiao.”
Sometimes people want to look the part and speak the part, but ultimately, it’s extremely difficult to be the part.

Not many can do it. It’s what separates the pedestrian from the very good, the very good from the great, the great from the extraordinary and the extraordinary from legendary.

This past weekend, Keith Thurman aimed to leap towards legendary status, by claiming the head of a legend, but fell a bit short.

To quote famous American author James Weldon Johnson, “Young man, young man, your arm’s too short to box with God.”

Timing is the variable in this scenario, in which makes the tale of Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman most intriguing.

Perception is Thurman, the younger fighter at age 30, has time on his side against the 40-year-old Pacquiao.

However, Pacquiao did not look 40-years-old in the ring the past weekend. It appears he didn’t just take a sip from the fountain of youth, he dove in the Ra’s al Ghul’s Lazarus pit.

As renowned trainer and boxing analyst Teddy Atlas alluded to, in a recent post-fight interview in the aftermath of Pacquiao-Thurman, the timing of their bout favored Pacquiao, due to the inactivity of Thurman.

Atlas questioned, “Is it worse to be old or inactive? Yeah Manny is 40-years-old, but Thurman was off for two years without a fight and only had one fight back. Inactivity can make you look old.”

“Again whatever he is drinking, I want some of it. Whatever supplements he is taking, I want some of it. He’s a special combination of speed, power and tenaciousness, mental toughness.”

While bestowing credit towards the newly crowned WBA (Super) welterweight champion in this interview, there were a few shots fired (supplements reference) – albeit along with insightful analysis of the stylistic breakdown between the two fighters.

When it comes to wins, losses and the timing at when they occur, context matters right? In spite of the observations and insight from Atlas, this win for Pacquiao is arguably his greatest win due to the difference in age of his opponent.

Now if Thurman were to have emerged victorious over Pacquiao, would he have received the same measure of credit? More than likely no, but what if’s do not matter.

Although Thurman lost to a 40-year-old fighter, that fighter has a lot left in the tank.

“I really love the fans,” said Pacquiao in an interview after the fight.

Gracious in victory, the future Hall of Famer acknowledged his toughness and how he is blessed to come out with the victory.

“Thank you so much for coming here and witnessing the fight. I’m sure they were happy tonight because they saw a good fight. Even though Thurman lost, he did his best. He’s not an easy opponent. He’s a good boxer and he’s strong. I was just blessed tonight.”

What happens from here with Pacquiao? Writing and passing laws, debating bills and amendments currently in place, and other duties as senator. But what’s next boxing wise?

“I think I will fight next year. I will go back to the Philippines and work and then make a decision,” said Pacquiao.

“I hope to be at that (Errol) Spence-(Shawn) Porter fight on Sept. 28.”

Although Thurman wants a rematch, maybe a date with the winner of Spence and Porter awaits Pacquiao for a huge showdown at some point in 2020.

Or possibly the elusive bout with Terence Crawford – who’s been dying to test his skills against Pacquiao. Mikey Garcia or Danny Garcia are lucrative options as well.

And speaking of lucrative opportunities, the biggest bag would be against the money man himself Floyd Mayweather. Although the likelihood of Mayweather returning is slim to none, stranger things have happened. History indicates anything is possible, especially whenever hundreds of millions are at stake.

What’s next for Thurman? This past weekend, was the “One-Time” he suffered defeat in his professional career. And while displaying heart and a good showing for his fight against Pacquiao, he fell short and did not do the things he discussed leading up to the fight.

Talks of retiring Pacquiao and re-assuming his claim as top dog in the welterweight division.

But as a great sportsman, Thurman didn’t complain about the decision during his post-fight interview with FOX’s Heidi Androl. “One-Time” also wanted to make amends, requesting a rematch.

“I knew it was too close,” Thurman said. “You know, he got the knockdown, so he had momentum in round one. I wanna thank the fans, thank everyone for coming out. This was a beautiful night of boxing.”
“Manny Pacquiao is a truly great, legendary champion. He got the victory over me. I wish I had a little bit more output, to go toe-to-toe. I felt like he was getting a little bit tired, but he did have experience in the ring. My conditioning, my output was just behind Manny Pacquiao. It was a great night of boxing. I would love the rematch. It is what it is, baby.”

According to CompuBox’s unofficial statistics, Thurman landed more overall punches than Pacquiao (210-of-571 to 195-of-686). CompuBox counted more power punches for Thurman (192-of-443 to 113-of-340) and more jabs for Pacquiao (82-of-346 to 18-of-128).

For Thurman, his team and his supporters, there’s good and bad he can take away from the fight. There’s definitely “lessons” learned he can employ progressing forward. Even Pacquiao stated this isn’t the last we’ll see of Thurman.

It would be a mistake to condemn Thurman and write him off due to this defeat. Pacquiao is a prime example that fighters can bounce back from defeat and achieve something greater.

The biggest lesson Thurman can employ moving forward, is to never underestimate the opponent. He may have prepared his body physically to the best shape possible given his circumstances, but there were other elements that may have needed more preparation.

From a strategic standpoint, standing toe-to-toe with Pacquiao is not a good thing. From a sweet science perspective in general, the key is to hit and not get hit.

Pick spots to attack and if you’re going to face a fighter with fast hands and reflexes, you may want to have your guard up.

Far too often, Thurman placed most of his weight on his front foot, leaning in and while having his left hand down, facing Pacquiao. That’s how he got knocked down in the first round, when Pacquiao leaped in and exploded on him.

Due to these key errors and lack of preparation, he got punched more often than he anticipated.
Speaking of preparation:

Can’t tell a grown man what to do, but gambling a night before the biggest moment of your professional career is probably not the wisest thing to do.

Everything from dismissing Pacquiao’s size, to T-Rex arm comments, to using this as a “get back fight” as opposed to the most crucial test of his career, to various tactical errors – indicate the lack of respect for the game and this defeat was reminder. Thurman was only cheating himself and this may be a valuable lesson that helps him down the line.

Another lesson is be prepared for what you ask for, because Thurman got what he asked for.

The Clearwater native sought out that one opportunity, that one bright moment, for that stage to show the world what he is made of. He relished the opportunity, to live out his dream and to test a legend. He savored the opportunity, to punch a senator. It just so happens, that senator punched back and he packed quite a punch.

Posted on 07/23/2019

By: Hans Themistode

The fans at the MGM Grand arena in Las Vegas, Nevada got everything they were looking for on Saturday night. Both Keith Thurman (29-1, 22 KOs) and Manny Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) put on a show.

Thurman came up just short in his quest to dethrone the hall of fame bound Pacquiao. The notion that he has fallen off a cliff are completely false. Any talks of retirement should be shelved. If Thurman can simply stay active, he can make his return to the top of the division.

Just who exactly should Thurman take on when he makes his return to the ring? We’ll tell you.

Adrien Broner

The former four division champion continues to be the heel of boxing. At this point in the career of Adrien Broner (33-4-1, 24 KOs) it’s clear that he is not what he once was. He has a very low punch output but a granite level chin, so he should provide Thurman with a tough challenge. One that he won’t simply outclass. For all of Broner’s flaws, he is extremely durable and still does possesses some skill. This is a contest that at least on paper Thurman should win, but Broner will be in his face all night.

Sergey Lipinets

On the undercard of Keith Thurman vs Manny Pacquiao, Sergey Lipinets (16-1, 12 KOs) was busy at work making his own statement as he scored a vicious second round knockout over late replacement opponent Jayar Inson (18-3, 12 KOs). As it currently stands he is undefeated at the Welterweight division.

He also has looked very good in his short time there. A matchup with Thurman and Lipinets would be bombs away. It’s the sort of fight that could propel the winner to a title shot. It isn’t a soft touch for Thurman by any means, but if he wants to truly get back to the Thurman of old, then these are the fights that he needs to not only get but win.

Yordenis Ugas

Former title challenger Yordenis Ugas (24-4, 11 KOs) is coming off a dominant win this past Saturday night when he outclassed Omar Figueroa Jr. That contest was a WBC title eliminator, but with current champion Shawn Porter already set to face off with IBF champ Errol Spence Jr, that leaves Ugas without a dance partner. In steps Keith Thurman. Both men are eager to jump right back into title contention. A win for either of them will land them exactly where they want to be.

Posted on 07/23/2019

By: Sean Crose

“I’ve always said I’m not afraid to let my 0 go, if you can beat me — beat me. @Manny Pacquiao beat me tonight. Hats off to the Senator on a great performance. #OneTime #PacThurman”

With that single tweet, former WBA world welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman admitted outright that he was bested by the legendary and aging Manny Pacquiao on Saturday evening at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although Pacquiao was the betting favorite walking into the bout, the consensus around the serious boxing world (those who exist in or regularly report on it) seemed to be that Thurman was too young, too strong, and too big for the 40 year old Pacquiao to get the better of. The senator from the Philippians proved everyone wrong.

Employing angles, speed, and impressive power, Pacquiao literally beat the defending champion up. Not that Thurman wasn’t in the fight. Although it looked like it might be a quick evening after Pacquiao introduced Thurman to the mat late in the first round, Thurman got his act together in the middle rounds, and gave the iconic Pacquiao a true run until the Filipino icon landed a thunderous body blow late in the fight, a shot that figuratively put the nail in the coffin. Although Thurman won the match on one of the judge’s cards (welcome to Las Vegas), Pacquiao was able to carry the night with a split decision victory.

Thurman was gracious in defeat right off the bat, and has continued to be. This stands in stark contrast to the role Thurman was playing in the leadup to the bout. Usually known as a free spirit of sorts, Thurman decided to embrace the role of heavy when it came to Pacquiao. Perhaps he was simply trying to hype the fight. Perhaps he truly didn’t think Pacquiao was all that great a fighter. Or perhaps he was trying to get inside Pacquiao’s head. If the last possibility mentioned here is what motivated Thurman pre-fight, it backfired on the man explosively. Saying you’re going to “crucify” a devout Christian may get in that individual’s head. If that individual knows how to funnel anger or frustration into effective aggression, however, you may find yourself in some trouble.

Thurman had said he was going to knock Pacquiao out, that Pacquiao had “T-Rex arms,” that he was going to retire him. Now people are writing off Thurman as a serious fighter. This is ridiculous, of course. Thurman is a world class talent who performed well and bravely, despite being clearly bested on Saturday. So long as he wasn’t too damaged by Pacquiao this past weekend, a successful career may still await. No matter what happens, no one will be able to argue that Thurman hasn’t acted like a mature adult since Pacquiao took his title. “Of course, I wanted to win the fight,” the Floridian said after the match. “I fell short, but it was a blessing and a lesson because we’ve gotta do a little bit more.”

Posted on 07/22/2019

By Jonah Dylan

Saturday’s welterweight world title fight between Keith Thurman and Manny Pacquiao was, for my money, the best fight on the 2019 calendar so far. It was a true 50-50 fight that also had extremely high stakes, and with all the diluted A-side vs F-side fights we’ve seen so far this year, it was refreshing to see top guys actually fighting each other. Terence Crawford and Errol Spence are still miles away from each other, sure, but we’ll take what we can get.

It was a great fight. Thurman may not have been the same guy who beat Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia, but he came to fight and didn’t make it easy for the 40-year-old Pacquiao. The legendary eight-division champion just had more firepower than the younger fighter, and he walked away with a well-deserved victory.

Aside from Pacquiao-Thurman, we had an easy title defense for Caleb Plant (see: A-side vs F-side), a shaky performance from Teofimo Lopez and lots of heavyweight action in London, so let’s get right into it.

1. Pacquiao-Thurman is probably the Fight of the Year

With respect to Hurd-Williams and Roman-Doheny, this was the best fight we’ve seen this year. To me, the knockdown in round one mattered a lot more than most people seem to think. Thurman was winning the round and had landed a few clean shots earlier in the round, and though it was a flash knockdown, he clearly fought a much more tactical fight early on because of it. Maybe it was a footwork problem, maybe he wasn’t prepared for Pacquiao’s power, but it changed the fight.

To me, this was the most anticipated fight of the year. You could make the argument for Canelo-Jacobs, but Canelo was the clear favorite in that fight. This was the only fight that was both a high-level fight and also a real toss-up. If you want to award FOTY based on craziness and drama, then you really have no choice but to give it to the Robert Talarek-Patryk Szymanski fight that featured 10 knockdowns in five rounds.

But if you’re factoring in what the fight meant and what it was for, it’s tough to pick against Pacquiao-Thurman. To me, you could make a case for Roman-Doheny (it was a title unification) but Saturday was the rare pay-per-view that actually lived up to the hype. Both guys didn’t let up, both guys had their moments and the right guy won in the end.

2. As good as Pacquiao looked, he shouldn’t go near Errol Spence

And I don’t think he will. Spence will meet Shawn Porter to unify welterweight belts on Sept. 28 and had probably planned to fight Thurman after as he tries to fully unify the division. He’ll want the Pacquiao fight, but my guess is there won’t be much enthusiasm from Pacquiao’s side.

He’s probably headed for a fight with former titleholder Danny Garcia, which I’m fine with. Pacquiao-Garcia would be a good fight and based on Saturday’s result, Pacquiao would probably be a slight favorite. A rematch with Thurman could also be in the cards, assuming Thurman stays active and fights high-level opponents.

After Saturday, you can make the case Pacquiao is better than pretty much anyone in the division save for Spence and Crawford. At this stage of his career, there’s no reason for him to go near either one of them. He’s already proven more than enough, and he doesn’t need to take dangerous fights just for the sake of it. Fight Thurman, or Garcia, or even Mikey Garcia, and people will line up to watch.

3. Is Teofimo Lopez ready for a world title fight?

It doesn’t really matter now, because he’s about to get one. After a clear but somewhat shaky win on Friday night, Lopez – the 2018 prospect of the year – will fight Richard Commey for the IBF lightweight world title later this year. Like Lopez, Commey is a big lightweight and will make for an intriguing matchup. Lopez showed some defensive flaws on Friday and will need to correct that before his next fight.

Top Rank’s plan is for the winner of Commey-Lopez to meet the winner of Vasiliy Lomachenko and Luke Campbell for the undisputed title in 2020. Lopez against Lomachenko would be a fascinating matchup, given that Lopez can barely make 135 pounds and Lomachenko is clearly fighting above his natural weight class. There was a lot of intrigue in the fight, especially when you look at what Lopez had been doing to the guys in front of him.

People will start pumping the breaks on the Lopez train, but there’s no reason to write him off. Lomachenko would have and still would be favored in a fight, but that doesn’t mean Lopez isn’t a real contender. Everyone has a bad night, and Lopez’s bad night ended with his hand getting raised. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.

Posted on 07/19/2019

By: Sean Crose

The training camp of a serious boxer is an extraordinary thing. Perhaps the most striking aspect of a professional fighter preparing for his or her next match is the sense of repetition one gets from the photos, interviews and videos of camp life. As Tyson Fury recently indicated, a fighter must embrace the mundane in order to be properly prepared once the opening bell rings. And so fans, if they’re so inclined, can look at, watch, or read about their favorite fighters as these individuals get physically and mentally ready for their next matches by running daily, doing reps, doing more reps, and sparring round after round after round.

There is little doubt that the monotony of it all must get grueling. Manny Pacquiao recently told Sporting News that a fighter should eat the same kinds of food throughout camp. In other words, even mealtime is a repetitive activity for the fighter in training. Pacquiao knows well of what he speaks. At forty, he’s been through enough training camps to fill two full careers…and he’s just wrapped up another one at the age of forty. For Pacquiao will be facing WBA world welterweight champ Keith Thurman this Saturday evening at the MGM Grand in Vegas in a bout that will be aired live on Fox Pay Per View.

Unlike Pacquiao, Thurman isn’t an aging lion. In fact, the Florida native is a decade younger than the Filipino icon. There’s other differences to be found between these two men. One is a high ranking politician. The other, a free spirit seemingly influenced by 60s American counterculture. One is humble. The other, flashy. Perhaps most tellingly, however, one has the reputation for being the picture of dedication. The other, fairly or not, has earned a reputation for sometimes being uninterested in the sport of boxing, the profession which requires so much discipline. At the moment, however, Thurman has come across as focused in the leadup to this weekend, extremely so.

Watching footage of the man in camp for the Pacquiao fight, one can’t help but feel Thurman is buckling down, embracing the grueling repetition, and truly pushing himself through the harsh monotony of a serious training regimen. Whether he’s tossing heavy balls, on an exercise bike or whacking the pads, Thurman does not appear to be a man only half interested in his craft. Perhaps his latest scare, a near shocking stoppage loss at the gloved hands of Josesito Lopez last January, led to a reinvigorated view of the fight game. Or perhaps the drive has always been there, in spite of long absences from the ring. He did get married and need to heal from an injury, after all.

The one near certainty is that Thurman will step into the ring to face Pacquiao on Saturday thoroughly prepared. He’s been keenly tuned in to this fight, even going so far as living with his aunt during camp (it should be noted she’s also his strength and conditioning coach, one with an esteemed background, at that). Whether the fire will remain in Thurman’s belly after the weekend remains to be seen.

Posted on 07/19/2019

By: William Holmes

On Saturday night the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada will be the host site of a Fox Sports Pay Per View Offering. Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions is the lead promoter on the fight card as the Filipino Legend Manny Pacquiao takes on current undefeated WBA Welterweight Champion Keith Thurman in the main event of the night.

The co-main event will be a WBC Welterweight Title Eliminator between Yordenis Ugas and Omar Figueroa Jr. Other televised fights on the pay per view telecast include a welterweight bout between Sergey Lipinets and John Molina Jr., as well as a bantamweight fight between Luis Nery and Juan Carlos Payano.

Fox will be televising some fights before the start of the televised pay per view. The main fight on the Fox portion of Saturday’s card is an IBF Super Middleweight Title Fight between Caleb Plan and Irish Mike Lee.

The following is a preview of the co-main event and main event of the evening.

Yordenis Ugas (23-4) vs. Omar Figueroa Jr. (28-0-1); Welterweights

This is an intriguing fight between two boxers who were once considered by many to be shoe in future champions, but have since lost a bit of their luster.

Yordenis Ugas was a bronze medalist in the 2008 Olympics for Cuba, but has suffered four losses since turning pro, many against fighters he should have beaten. Figueroa turned professional at the age of 18 and is currently undefeated, but hand injuries have hindered the progress of his career. He has only fought twice since 2016.

Ugas has eleven stoppages on his record while Figueroa has nineteen. Ugas is thirty three years old and is in the tail end of his athletic prime, Figueroa is twenty nine years old and is still in the middle of his athletic prime. Ugas will have a one and a half inch height advantage while Figueroa will have a four inch reach advantage.

Ugas has been quite active the past three years. He fought once in 2019, three times in 2018, and three times in 2017. Figueroa, as stated earlier, fought once in 2019, zero times in 2018, once in 2017 and zero times in 2016.

Ugas has a significant edge in amateur experience. He’s a former world champion as an amateur and won the bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics. Figueroa turned pro at the age of eighteen and does not have the amateur accolades of Figueroa.

Ugas has defeated the likes of Ray Robinson, Thomas Dulorme, Bryant Perrella, and Jamal James. His losses were to Shawn Porter, Amir Imam, Emanuel Robles, and Johnny Garcia.

Figueroa has defeated the likes of John Molina Jr., Robert Guerrero, Antonio DeMarco, Ricky Burns, Daniel Estrada, and Nihito Arakawa.

Ugas has four losses on his record, but has gone 9-1 in his last ten fights, including a very close decision loss to Shawn Porter.

Figueroa’s lack of activity will hurt him in the ring against a veteran that has been surging as of late. This will be a close fight, but this writer expects Ugas to pull away in the later rounds.

Manny Pacquiao (61-7-2) vs. Keith Thurman (29-0); WBA Welterweight Title

Manny Pacquiao looked sensational in his last fight against Adrien Broner, but he was fighting an opponent who is known to come up short in big fights and has recently seemed reluctant to let go of his hands.

Keith Thurman does not have that reputation. Thurman is ten years younger than Pacquiao and will have a two inch height and reach advantage. Pacquiao has thirty nine knockouts in his career for a percentage of 56%, but Thurman has twenty two knockouts in his career for a percentage of 73%.

Thurman also has an edge in amateur experience. He went 101-6 as an amateur and was a US National Bronze Medalist. As most already know, Pacquiao turned professional as a teenager.

Inactivity should be of some concern to Keith Thurman. He only fought once in 2019, zero times in 2018, and once in 2017 and once in 2016. Pacquiao fought once in 2019, once in 2018, and once in 2017 but this will be his second fight in 2019. It appears Pacquiao may try to fight three times in 2019.

Pacquiao’s list of defeated opponents is extremely impressive. He has defeated the likes of Adrien Broner, Lucas Matthysse, Jessie Vargas, Timothy Bradley Jr., Chris Algieri, Brandon Rios, Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, Joshua Clottey, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya, David Diaz, Marco Antonio Barrera, Jorge Solis, Erik Morales, Oscar Larios, and Lehlo Ledwaba.

Some of his losses were to Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Timothy Bradley Jr., and a disputed loss to Jeff Horn.

Keith Thurman has defeated the likes of Josesito Lopez, Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, Luis Collazo, Robert Guerrero, Leonard Bundu, Julio Diaz, Jesus Soto Karass, Diego Chaves, Jan Zaveck, and Carlos Quintana.

However, Thurman looked a little rusty in his last fight against Josesito Lopez.

Pacquiao looks to be in incredible shape and he appears to be determined to prove he’s still a viable threat in the welterweight division. Keith Thurman could have used one more warm up fight before taking on Pacquiao, because Pacquiao doesn’t appear to have lost as much as some say he has.

Look for Pacquiao to win a close and possibly disputed decision. A fight with Errol Spence Jr. could be next.

Posted on 07/18/2019

By: Hans Themistode

There is a lot on the line for Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman isn’t there? These two will square off on July 20th, in Las Vegas, Nevada. A win for either man could propel each of their careers to new heights, while a loss would be detrimental.

That seems like a mouthful for both of these fighters. In the case of Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs) the notion of him coming up short in his showdown with Keith Thurman (29-0, 22 KOs) as a death nail in his proverbial coffin seems like a stretch. With 70 pro fights under his belt, what more does he have to prove? Nothing, to be quite frank.

The Filipino born star, is boxings first and only eight division world champion. Listing all of his accomplishments would take an absorbent amount of time. The best way to sum up the career of the fighter nicknamed Pac-Man is simple. He is an all-time great fighter.

At one point, much like Pacquiao, Thurman was considered not just the best fighter at the Welterweight division, but one of the very best fighters in the world. Injuries and long spells of inactivity have wiped Thurman away from those conversations. Still, when the undefeated WBA Welterweight champion is fully motivated, he can defeat anyone.

Both of these men have plenty to gain from winning this contest, but it is Thurman who has even more to lose.

At the age of 40, Pacquiao is thought to have lost a step or two. Sure he looked terrific in defeating Adrien Broner in his last ring appearance but, Broner has never quite lived up to the hype that had once surrounded his career. What would a loss at the hands of Thurman mean for Pac-Man?

Pacquiao is not a fighter that is looking to preserve a perfect record. His resume has already been tainted with losses, albeit to other all-time great fighters as well. Floyd Mayweather, Juan Manuel Marquez Erik Morales and Tim Bradley Jr (although highly controversial) are losses that are plastered across his record. Would a loss this Saturday night against Keith Thurman, severely damage his legacy? The answer is no.

At the age of 40, Pacquiao is still one of the elite fighters currently in the sport of boxing. You can hear the excuses already can’t you? Thurman was too big, too strong and too young for the much older Pacquiao who is 10 years his senior. Although you can expect Pacquiao too make no excuses in the event that he loses, he will undoubtedly and deservingly so receive a pass.

Should Thurman end up on the losing side of their encounter however, you can expect his critics to come out in droves.

Typically a fighters prime is consider to be in their late 20s to about their early 30s. Thurman is right smack in the middle of his. The WBA champion also has several physical advantages including height and reach. With so much already in his favor, a loss would effectively eliminate Thurman from any discussions as the best at his weight class. Let’s also not forget that at just the age of 30, Thurman is expected to do more in his career going forward. Pac-Man on the other hand is at the end of his.

Let’s put it this way. With a win, Manny Pacquiao is a lock for the hall of fame, with a loss, Pacquiao is still a lock for the hall of fame. He has done everything that you can think of in the sport of boxing. For Thurman this just isn’t the case. Win, lose or draw he is no lock for the hall when it is all said and done, but he would be banging on the door with a victory come Saturday night.

We have seen Pacquiao bounce back from devastating losses before. At this point, a loss for Thurman would spell the end for him as a championship threat and force in the division.

Thurman goes by the ring alias “One Time.” Come Saturday night, if he fails to defeat Manny Pacquiao, his career will go down the drain in “No Time.”

Posted on 07/17/2019

By: Hans Themistode

Keith Thurman (29-0, 22 KOs) has been in some big fights in his career. Two match ups against Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia pushed him to near stardom and gave him the sort of experience you just can’t buy. Those experiences however, won’t compare to what he has ahead of him as a showdown with Manny Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs) is just a few short days away.

As we get closer, more and more experts as well as fans are backing Pacquiao to get it done against the fighter nicknamed “One Time”. No matter how much he has prepared, there is just no way to get ready for someone like Pacquiao. It’ll be a tough contest for Thurman, but one he can easily win. All he has to do is follow our keys and it will surely lead him to victory.

Set And Keep A Fast Pace

Thurman always comes out of the gates on fire. In his 2017, unification contest against Danny Garcia, he set the tone for the first half of the contest by landing some huge bombs. The second half of that fight saw Thurmans pace slow down considerably. Even in his last ring appearance, after being away from the sport of boxing while recovering from injury, he still employed the same game plan. A second round knockdown and dominant first half, really set the tempo for Thurman. Yet again, the second half of the contest was a bit shaky as he was hurt several times.

If Thurman can keep his pace consistent for both the first and second half of the fight, he should be able to run right through Manny Pacquiao. At the age of 40, Pacquiao hasn’t exactly shown signs of slowing down. With that being said, it will be difficult for him to keep up a frantic pace if Thurman chooses to push the tempo for the entire contest.

Go Down To The Body

Hardly any of Pacquiao’s opponents ever go to his body. Why is that? Pacquiao uses a ton of movement when he fights. Also at just five feet five inches, his smaller, more compact body could make it difficult to successfully attack his midsection, but still, no one has really kept a consistent attack down there.

The fighter nicked named Pac-Man has been stopped three times in his career, but those should come with an asterisk attached to them. Only once has he been stopped as this current version of himself, as the other two came at an early point in his career. With 70 fights under his belt, it’s safe to say that Pac-Man can take a punch.

Moving from side to side with a continual high energy rate can be a problem for Thurman, he needs to slow his man down. As hall of famer Teddy Atlas would say “put some water in the basement.” Or in other words. If you want to slow a guy down, go down to the body. That is exactly what Thurman should do.

Stay Off The Ropes

Thurman loves to hit and move. He’s terrific at it, but he does find himself having a few issues at times. During his matches, Thurman typically finds himself trapped against the ropes and having to fight himself off of them. Laying back on the ropes is the last place that Thurman wants to be when he’s facing Pacquiao. Once there, that’s when Pac-Man does his best work, usually letting off about a ten punch combination which gets the fans behind him and looks good for the judges.

Pacquiao is already the favorite going in. The last thing Thurman needs is the perception, although it may not be true, that Pacquiao is controlling the fight. Simply put, if he stay off the ropes Keith Thurman will keep his undefeated record intact.

Posted on 07/16/2019

By: Hans Themistode

As it currently stands, Manny Pacquiao vs Keith Thurman is undoubtedly the biggest fights of the year. It also will be one of the toughest in the long career of Pacquiao as well. When this fight was first announced, Thurman (29-0, 22 KOs) was the betting favorite. The rabid fanbase of Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs) has since changed that.

Pacquiao might be viewed as the favorite going into this contest according to the odds, but make no mistake about it, he will have several disadvantages including height, speed and a decided 10 year difference in age. For any other fighter, these unfavorable circumstances would prove to be too much to overcome, but not for Pacquiao. The fighter nicknamed Pac-Man has plenty of paths to victory.

Continue reading as we highlight the three most important keys that will lead to his victory over Keith Thurman on July 20th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Cut Off The Ring

For all of Thurmans bravado coming into this contest, his natural tendencies as a fighter just does not match up with what he has been saying. Thurman has promised to bring the fight right to Manny but, if you have been watching Thurman for the entirety of his career then you will know that he isn’t exactly a knockout artist. He’s more of a boxer puncher. Thurman does have plenty of power but he would much rather use the entirety of the ring to make his opponents work.

Thurman has called Pacquiao a bunny rabbit because of his in and out nonstop movement. In actuality, it’s Thurman who moves continually during his contest. Pac-Man needs to neutralize that. If he can get his man in the corners of the ring or against the ropes then that will give him a chance to do what he does best, let his hands go.

Whether The Early Storm

The WBA Welterweight champion Keith Thurman has shown a tendency to get off too fast starts. He is a terrific fighter for the first half of fights. During the second half however, he tends to take his foot off the gas.

The reason behind this strategy is that he likes to build an early lead on the scorecards of the judges and coast to victory. When the championship rounds arrive, he’ll usually steal one of those rounds which will aide in his victory. Just ask Danny Garcia how effective this strategy is. During that unification contest which took place in 2017, Thurman dominated the first half of the action and coasted during the second half, picking up another round or two along the way which made it impossible for Garcia to win. Pacquiao needs to fight fire with fire. If the eight division world champion could at the very least battle Thurman to a draw during the first half of the fight, he should be able to dominate the back end of it.

Hurt Thurman Early

The theme of Thurmans game plan, at least the game plan he has revealed to the media, is roughing up Pac-Man. Thurman has condemned Pacquiao for struggling with the physicality of Jeff Horn. Although most of the boxing world believes that Pacquiao was unjustly given a loss during that contest, he did have a bit of a hard time with the rugged approach of Horn.

Let’s not forget that Pacquiao did almost have his man out in the ninth round. If Thurman truly intends to be physical than Pac-Man needs to get his respect early. If Pacquiao is able to buzz him, then Thurman might think twice about just trying to bulldoze the smaller Pacquiao.