Keith "One Time" Thurman wants to fight Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao next. The American Thurman returned from a 22-month layoff to retain his WBA "super" welterweight by eking out a majority decision against Joselito Lopez.
Thurman's win against Lopez extended his winning streak to 29 (22 KOs/1 No contest) and set him up with a possible dream match against the Filipino ring icon. Pacquiao also successfully defended his WBA "regular" welterweight belt by routing Adrien Broner last week.
Long-considered as one of the hardest punchers in the welterweight division, Thurman showed little to no rust in his title defense against Lopez (36 wins/8 losses/19 KOs). The 29-year-old Thurman got off to a fast start and knocked down Lopez in the second round.
Lopez, however, came back and peppered Thurman with a seventh-round barrage which had the champ in trouble. While Thurman didn't go down, all judges at ring-side scored that round 10-8. Thurman weathered the storm and regained control of the match.
While some experts conclude that Thurman was not at his best during the fight, others believe that he would have a chance against Pacquiao. And Thurman himself admits that he wasn't at 100-percent. "I said you wouldn't see the best Keith Thurman tonight, but you'd still see a world-class performance, and I gave you that tonight," Thurman declared during the post-fight conference.
And if Thurman wasn't at his peak during the Lopez fight, it would be frightening to see him fight Pacquiao at his best. Thurman would likely need a better performance if and when he gets his dream matchup against the Filipino living legend.
At 40-years-old, Pacquiao remains one of the biggest draws in the world of boxing. The Filipino senator has been solid in his last five fights after he lost to Floyd Mayweather in 2015. Since then, Pacquiao racked up wins against Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Lucas Matthysse, and Adrien Broner and lost one highly-controversial decision against Jeff Horn.
Against Broner, the world's only boxer to win world titles in eight different weight classes showed that he is still an elite fighter and proved that he still has plenty left in his tank. While Pacquiao is targeting a return mega-fight with Mayweather, Mayweather is reportedly not interested in making a comeback.
Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, shot down a Pacman-Mayweather rematch before it got traction and instead listed Keith Thurman among the possible boxers who could face Pacquiao next. Meanwhile, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is of the opinion that Thurman is past his prime.
Arum, who was also Pacquiao's long-time promoter before the latter signed with Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions, said that Pacquiao can beat Thurman. Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's long-time trainer and the chief architect of Pacquiao's rise to fame, agrees with Arum.
Still, Pacquiao is 40-years-old. No matter how you put it, his age and his political duties in the Philippines must be wearing out the Filipino champion. So it would be interesting to see who comes out in a battle of WBA welterweight champions.
Both Thurman and Pacquiao are represented by Premier Boxing Champions and a fight between the two world champions would be relatively easier to set up. If Thurman-Pacquiao happens, Thurman would have his dance with a legend and would try to prove the world that he is still a force in the welterweight division.
