Immediately after defeating Josesito Lopez back in January, WBA welterweight champion Keith Thurman(29-0, 22 KOs) called out Manny Pacquiao(61-7-2, 39 KOs), and now, he will get his wish. Thurman will battle Pacquiao on July 20 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas(FOX PPV).
Pacquiao, 40, fights with such frenetic energy. He goes in and out, and back and forth, and while Thurman did not look that great against Lopez, he still believes he has the style to handle Pacquiao.
“All Manny does is hop around in the ring; I’m not going to lose to a bunny rabbit,” Thurman said at a press conference on Thursday. “He’s not Tupac, but he does a little hip hop, and he’s not going to stop until he gets dropped.
“Manny is a world-class fighter, not a world class boxer. I’m going to trip him up in the ring, and he won’t know what direction to turn to. I know who I am as a fighter, and it will be proven come July 20.”
When Thurman, 30, first came on the scene, he called out all the champions, and he believed if he would have gotten Pacquiao five years ago, the result would be what it is going to be on July 20, and that is a Thurman victory.
“This is a big fight as far as the stage goes, but it’s a big fight against a little guy,” Thurman said. “He’s a veteran, and I’ve dismantled veterans in the past. I believe I would have destroyed Manny Pacquiao five years ago. I’ve always been ready for this fight. He’s never fought someone like me with this kind of lateral movement, speed, and power. I’m coming for him.”
In the end, Thurman expects to end Pacquiao’s career.
“I’m destroying the legend of Manny Pacquiao. His legacy ends on July 20 and mine begins. He’s an inspiration to many people throughout the world, and everyone respects him, but I’m respectfully going to finish him.”
Photo: Sean Michael Ham/Mayweather Promotions
