Manny Pacquiao Beats Keith Thruman on a Split Decision

Manny Pacquiao became the new welterweight champion, after bating the undefeated Keith Thruman on a split decision. The 40-year-old continued to amaze the fans 24 years after his professional debut. And it seems that he isn’t going to stop anytime soon.

Although the opponent was much younger, and without a single loss in his career, Pacquiao showcased why he is considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in history. Whenever Thruman started to increase the tempo, he responded with the same measure, not allowing the American to dictate the intensity of the battle.

Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) won according to two judges, Dave Moretti, and Tim Cheatham 115-112, while Glenn Feldman’s scorecard said 114-113 in Thruman’s favor. Following the match, the champion from Philipines stated that his rival performed very well, praising his skills and strength.

“It was fun. My opponent is a good fighter and boxer. He was strong,” Pacquiao said. “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.”

Lmao you could already see how done Manny Pacquiao is to end the fight sooner 💀pic.twitter.com/cPn5v0JNFt #PacquiaoThurman

— k. (@tonklinton) July 21, 2019

The opening round was very exciting, with both fighters accepting an aggressive style of fight, but in the late part of the same, it was Thruman who fell on canvas. At that point, MGM Grand Arena exploded. Though, he stood up very quickly and was ready to fight again. As the action continued, both the American and the Philippine had their periods of domination, but it needs to be said that neither stood above the other.

Thruman (29-1, 22 KOs) however admitted following the fight that he couldn’t track Pacquiao’s pace but stated that the difference wasn’t too big at all, which was the truth.

“I knew it was close,” he said. “He had the momentum because he got the knockdown in round one. … I wish I had a little bit more output to go toe to toe. My conditioning, my output was just behind Manny Pacquiao’s tonight. Tonight was a blessing and a lesson.”

Fresh of his first professional loss, @keithfthurmanjr breaks down his performance against Pacquiao, and what’s next for the former champ. pic.twitter.com/qN7M7IiNCz

— FOX Sports: PBC (@PBConFOX) July 21, 2019

Thruman’s trash talk was very interesting before the fight, as the American insulted Pacquiao on several occasions. He spoke about his short arms calling the rival “T-Rex,” and also promised to retire the Philippine. But that didn’t happen. Pacquiao, who didn’t want to enter the verbal war, spoke in the ring, and as usual, saved his best for that.

“I’m not that kind of boxer who talks a lot. We were just promoting the fight,” Pacquiao said.

Thruman had more punches 210-195 and a higher percentage of clean hits 37-28, but despite all these numbers, he didn’t dominate in certain periods like his rival. The American did hurt the opponent, but he too suffered a bloody nose and a lot of punches which swell his face. There is one interesting fact regarding his productivity last night. Thruman’s 192 power hits are the most ever Pacquiao suffered in the previous 43 matches, which tells a lot about his performance in MGM Grand Arena.

.@MannyPacquiao with a massive body shot in the 10th!

Eight-division World Champion Manny Pacquiao faces World Champion Keith Thurman for WBA supremacy! BUY NOW: https://t.co/AeIXwbC2Dr pic.twitter.com/zkBRF3Uc2G

— FOX Sports: PBC (@PBConFOX) July 21, 2019

He stated that he would love to have a rematch with the new champ, and a chance to reclaim his throne, but that won’t be possible in the near future. Pacquiao’s plans are involving different opponents. Although he didn’t say it officially, he intends to clash with the winner of the fight between Errol Spence Jr. and Shawn Porter. The veteran champion only said that he plans to watch that fight in person on September 28.

Until that event, Pacquiao plans to go back to the Philippines and to assess what ate his options, and which date would be the best for the next spectacle.