Manny Pacquiao Beats Keith Thurman and Father Time to Win WBA Super Welterweight Title

Posted on: July 22, 2019, 01:05h. 

Last updated on: July 22, 2019, 01:05h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More

Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

Manny Pacquiao didn’t just beat Keith Thurman on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He also beat Father Time to claim the WBA Super Welterweight title.

At age 40, when most boxers have long since been retired, Pacquiao, the only fighter to ever claim titles in eight divisions, remains among the sport’s elite. Saturday’s win, his 19th in a title fight, made him the oldest welterweight champion and the fifth-oldest boxer to win a world title in any division.

To do so, he took 192 punches from his younger opponent, the most CompuBox has recorded in the 43 Pacquiao fights its tracked. Pacquiao landed just 113, but he delivered the key blows in the match, including a body shot in the 10th round that made Thurman shudder.

In the post-fight press conference, Pacquiao (62-7-2) ranked it among his top performances.

Legendary trainer Freddy Roach, a long-time member of Pacquiao’s camp, said the champion prepared well in leading up to Saturday’s bout.

“It was a great win,” Roach said. “I thought he did really well in the fight.”

Pacquiao entered the flight a slight favorite in the sportsbooks, but oddsmakers initially made Thurman the favorite when the fight was announced earlier this year.

Winning the Fight Early

Pacquiao won the fight by split decision in going all 12 rounds, but he won it in many people’s eyes early. In the first round, he used a stirring combination to knock down Thurman for the first time in the 30-year-old’s career.

The start was the exact opposite of what Thurman touted leading up to the bout. In fact, he said on camera that he would bet on himself knocking out Pacquiao early.

Instead, Thurman ended up losing for the first time in 30 professional bouts.

I’ve always said I’m not afraid to let my 0 go, if you can beat me — beat me,” Thurman tweeted after the bout. “@MannyPacquiao beat me tonight. Hats off to the Senator on a great performance.”

Thurman did recover from the first-round knockdown and seemed to win at least a couple of the middle rounds. However, the fact that he won the fight in the eyes of judge Glenn Feldman seemed to shock most pundits and fans.

He scored it 114-113 for Thurman, while the other two judges scored it 115-112 for Pacquiao. Boxing uses a 10-point scoring system, where judges give the boxer 10 points for each round they won. Typically, the opponent gets nine points in a losing round, although judges deduct a point for each knockdown.

“It’s certainly NOT the first time veteran boxing judge Glenn Feldman has been on the ‘odd’ side of judging a fight,” tweeted Chris Maathuis, sports director of KLAS-TV in Las Vegas. “But he gave 6 of the last 7 rounds to Thurman. I don’t think Thurman’s corner gave him 6 of the last 7.”

Up Next for Pacquiao?

Pacquiao isn’t just a fighter. He’s also an elected official serving in the Senate in his native Philippines. That’s where he plans to spend the next few months, he told reporters after the match. However, that doesn’t mean his boxing career is close to wrapping up.

“I can give a good fight,” he said. “I can entertain the fans.”

Pacquiao told reporters he would attend the fight at The Forum.

There’s also the possibility of fighting Amir Khan, although initial reports about a fight happening in November appear to be premature.