LAS VEGAS -- An aging legend and a world champion in his prime will meet on July 20 in a fight airing on Fox pay-per-view. That legend is Manny Pacquiao and he will be looking to win his third fight in a row after dropping a controversial decision to Jeff Horn. The world champ in his prime is Keith Thurman who will be fighting for the second time in 2019 after being out of the ring for nearly two years. On the line in this fight will be Thurman's WBA welterweight title.
Thurman (29-0, 22 KOs) might go by the moniker 'One Time' but he has stopped anyone since 2015. He works behind an excellent jab and moves a lot, something he didn't do as much when he was younger and fighting lesser opponents. Along with his jab, Thurman also has a mean left hook and a solid right hand and he can sneak in uppercuts from time to time. At times though he tends to head hunt and he doesn't like to sit in the pocket and really unload his power punches. A young Thurman would win fights with his power. A 30-year-old Thurman wins fights by moving a lot and controlling the distance with his jab. While the younger Thurman was more exciting to watch the older Thurman is the smarter fighter.
Thurman has plenty of quality names on his resume. He's beaten fighters like Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, Luis Collazo, Robert Guerrero, Jesus Soto Karass, and most recently Josesito Lopez. His fight against Garcia came in 2017 and then Thurman, with the help of injuries, was out of the ring until 2019. His return came against Lopez and while he looked good in that fight early, things got tough late. At one point Lopez looked to be on the verge of stopping the champion and if we've learned anything about Thurman it's that he doesn't like being touched to the body. Lopez and Collazo both badly hurt him to the body and neither of those fighters are are skilled or as fast as Pacquiao.
Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs) at age 40 is still a very good fighter. While his power and killer instinct may have diminished some, his hand speed is still impressive. What's also impressive is the southpaw's ability to throw punches from such abnormal angles. His jab is still very good and he carries power in both hands. Age hasn't taken a toll on Pacquiao's stamina yet either. He still has the energy to work for all 12 rounds and do plenty of damage. Pacquiao likes to be the aggressor and he gets in and out of the pocket quickly. You might think Pacquiao is out of position and then, bam, he hits you with a shot you didn't see coming. Defensively Pacquiao has never been great but usually he's throwing so many punches that he overwhelms opponents.
Resumes don't get much better than Pacquiao's. Among his victims are great fighters like Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley and others. Pacquiao has certainly beaten better fighters than Thurman but not recently. Since losing to Floyd Mayweather in 2015 Pacquiao should be 5-0 with one knockout but the judges somehow though Horn beat him, so since 2015 he's actually 4-1 with one knockout. His two most recent fights were a stoppage victory over a washed Lucas Matthysse and a clear unanimous decision over Adrien Broner. Now Pacquiao will look to prove he still has what it takes to beat the best the welterweight division has to offer.
This fight will offer fans plenty of intrigue. It should also answer plenty of questions. Does Thurman still have the desire to be one of, if not the best welterweight? Can Thurman handle the attack and body work from Pacquiao? Is Pacquiao still a top fighter? Will Pacquiao suddenly get very old very fast? Look for Thurman to really work the jab early while constantly moving. He won't want to let Pacquaio gets inside or set his feet so expect him to play it safe early as he feels out the older fighter. As for Pacquiao, look for him to be aggressive early and try to work the body of Thurman. At the very least this should be an interesting fight that helps answer some questions about both men and how their careers will look going forward.
PREDICTION: Manny Pacquiao is old and Keith Thurman doesn't fight very often. If Thurman is the guy we all thought he was just a few years ago he should be able to beat a 40-year-old version of Pacquiao. However, even Thurman's recent wins have been very close and he's been badly hurt in a few of those fights. Pacquiao is still a very fast fighter who is capable of throwing a ton of punches. He should be able to outwork Thurman and touch him to the body enough to slow him down. It will be a close fight but Pacquiao will come out victorious by the way of majority decision.
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| Thurman, catching Shawn Porter with an uppercut |
Thurman has plenty of quality names on his resume. He's beaten fighters like Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, Luis Collazo, Robert Guerrero, Jesus Soto Karass, and most recently Josesito Lopez. His fight against Garcia came in 2017 and then Thurman, with the help of injuries, was out of the ring until 2019. His return came against Lopez and while he looked good in that fight early, things got tough late. At one point Lopez looked to be on the verge of stopping the champion and if we've learned anything about Thurman it's that he doesn't like being touched to the body. Lopez and Collazo both badly hurt him to the body and neither of those fighters are are skilled or as fast as Pacquiao.
Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs) at age 40 is still a very good fighter. While his power and killer instinct may have diminished some, his hand speed is still impressive. What's also impressive is the southpaw's ability to throw punches from such abnormal angles. His jab is still very good and he carries power in both hands. Age hasn't taken a toll on Pacquiao's stamina yet either. He still has the energy to work for all 12 rounds and do plenty of damage. Pacquiao likes to be the aggressor and he gets in and out of the pocket quickly. You might think Pacquiao is out of position and then, bam, he hits you with a shot you didn't see coming. Defensively Pacquiao has never been great but usually he's throwing so many punches that he overwhelms opponents.
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| Pacquiao, catching Lucas Matthysse with a sharp jab |
This fight will offer fans plenty of intrigue. It should also answer plenty of questions. Does Thurman still have the desire to be one of, if not the best welterweight? Can Thurman handle the attack and body work from Pacquiao? Is Pacquiao still a top fighter? Will Pacquiao suddenly get very old very fast? Look for Thurman to really work the jab early while constantly moving. He won't want to let Pacquaio gets inside or set his feet so expect him to play it safe early as he feels out the older fighter. As for Pacquiao, look for him to be aggressive early and try to work the body of Thurman. At the very least this should be an interesting fight that helps answer some questions about both men and how their careers will look going forward.
PREDICTION: Manny Pacquiao is old and Keith Thurman doesn't fight very often. If Thurman is the guy we all thought he was just a few years ago he should be able to beat a 40-year-old version of Pacquiao. However, even Thurman's recent wins have been very close and he's been badly hurt in a few of those fights. Pacquiao is still a very fast fighter who is capable of throwing a ton of punches. He should be able to outwork Thurman and touch him to the body enough to slow him down. It will be a close fight but Pacquiao will come out victorious by the way of majority decision.
I see it the same way, Manny by decision. If Manny hurts Thurman the way Lopez did, it won,t go to the cards, Manny will stop him if that happens. AND NEW …….
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