By Keith Idec
NEW YORK – Manny Pacquiao has responded positively to his controversial loss to Jeff Horn in July 2017.
The Filipino legend dominated Lucas Matthysse on his way to a seventh-round stoppage last July 15 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Six months later, Pacquiao decisively defeated Adrien Broner in Las Vegas to successfully defend the WBA world welterweight title he won from Matthysse.
Keith Thurman still isn’t overly impressed.
The WBA’s true champion at 147 pounds cannot envision the 40-year-old Pacquiao beating him when they meet July 20 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Thurman, 30, has been installed as a slight betting favorite (-140/+110) two months in advance of a 12-round fight that’ll headline a FOX Sports Pay-Per-View telecast.
Thurman (29-0, 22 KOs, 1 NC), of Clearwater, Florida, discussed his advantages over Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs) following a press conference Tuesday to promote their fight at Gotham Hall in Manhattan.
“I just don’t see anything that Manny Pacquiao can do in the ring,” Thurman said. “He’s too small. They say he’s fast. To me, he’s slow. You know? His movements are predictable. This is boxing. He’s comparing me to Oscar De La Hoya. The problem is, when he fought Oscar De La Hoya, Oscar De La Hoya was the old man and he was the young buck. OK? And, you know, he’s used to fighting bigger guys, but he’s not used to fighting bigger, younger, stronger [opponents] and I believe it’s gonna show in the ring.”
Pacquiao mentioned during the press conference that he compares this fight to when he challenged De La Hoya in December 2008. De La Hoya, though roughly five years older than Pacquiao, was a heavy favorite because the former six-division champion owned a significant size advantage over Pacquiao, who’s considered small for the welterweight division.
Pacquiao basically beat up De La Hoya for eight rounds, until De La Hoya declined to answer the bell for the ninth round. De La Hoya never fought again.
Thurman is slightly taller than Pacquiao, yet 10 years younger than his upcoming opponent.
“Like I said, I’m doing to Manny Pacquiao what Manny Pacquiao did to Oscar De La Hoya,” Thurman said. “It will be his last fight.”
2023-10-23 08:56:18
