Justin Fortune has some big things to say about the upcoming Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman fight. The Australian strength and conditioning coach believes that it will be one "good fight."
In a recent interview, Fortune calls Keith Thurman "very, very, very dangerous." The American fighter will battle Manny Pacquiao for the WBA welterweight supremacy on July 20 in Las Vegas.
Thurman already has claimed his win and vowed to send the 40-year-old Manny Pacquiao into retirement. The American has so far been undefeated in 30 fights and is a decade younger than the Filipino champ. Some would say that Thurman was disrespectful and too bold in predicting the result of the pay-per-view event.
"Come July 20, He (Pacquiao) will disappear," Thurman said. Meanwhile, Manny Pacquiao maintains his calm and collected demeanor and said he's "not intimidated."
Fortune things that this type of claims is a usual thing Pacquiao opponents do.
Fortune had gotten used to hearing such words from Manny Pacquiao's opponents. "They all say it. They've said it before and they'll keep on saying it again," the former boxer said. But things will change inside the ring, Fortune is sure.
"When Pacquiao hits you, things change. Once Manny hits Thurman, he'll run and he'll box," he said.
True, it's what the other Pacquiao opponents did in the past. You don't want to be get hit by Pacquiao way too many times, according to the Australian strength coach, because the "combinations (expletive) hurt."
Pacquiao, who has always been unperturbed by many of his opponents' claims, sure is looking forward for his fight with Kieth Thurman. In an interview with The Manila Times, the boxing champ said he "haven't felt this motivated since the Oscar De La Hoya fight."
Since suffering a controversial twelve round decision loss to Jeff Horn in 2017, Manny Pacquiao defeated Lucas Matthysse last year and then dominated Adrien Broner over twelve rounds back in January.
Pacquiao also revealed that he's working on his footwork and hand speed, and is already expecting an aggressive offense from Thurman.
Keith Thurman has opened up as a slight favorite to win the contest. Pacquiao has not been the underdog since May of 2015, when he clashed with Floyd Mayweather - and prior to that the Filipino star was the underdog against De La Hoya in 2008.
For his July 20 fight, Manny Pacquiao says he will be a "warrior" and "show Keith Thurman what it's like to be in the right with me." Indeed, Thurman can only prove his words inside the ring.
