It's a battle of experience versus youth, and Manny Pacquiao believes it's time to teach Keith Thurman a lesson.
The Filipino fighter, who is a decade older than Thurman, sports a lot of hats apart from being a record-breaking boxer. This weekend, he's adding another hat to his collection - this time, as a teacher.
"Keith Thurman has it easy. His only job is to train for this fight. I have three jobs. I am a fighter. I am a public servant, Pacquiao said in a recent interview. "And on Saturday, I am going to be Keith Thurman's teacher."
The ever-supportive Freddie Roach, meanwhile, warned that Thurman is likely to "eat humble pie" when Pacman finally defeats his opponent come weekend in Las Vegas. The Hall of Fame Coach even said he's quite shocked that sports journalists and fans chose the American fighter to defeat Pacquiao for the WBA super welterweight title at the MGM Grand.
Not a lot of people know Pacquiao the way Roach does, and the coach never shies away from letting the whole world know that he's proud of what the fighter has achieved over the years. He believes that the age gap isn't a big deal for Manny, whose "extraordinary talent and an era's worth of experience" are enough to quiet down the unbeaten American boxer.
Roach says that although a lot of people, including the media, are picking Thurman to win, Pacquiao will beat the odds, having pushed himself to the limit during his training. The coach said: "It will be One Time versus All Time."
Pacquiao has been extremely focused on defeating Thurman once and for all, he managed to namedrop Floyd Mayweather in one of his interviews. According to Pacman himself, he's not exactly looking for a rematch. To be fair, Manny has always been polite with interviewers, that he had to answer the question that involved Mayweather.
When asked if he was still hoping for a rematch of their fight in 2015 and beat Money this time around, Pacquiao simply shrugged and answered nonchalantly. He cited that Mayweather has since retired and he's still active, adding people should just let the American enjoy his retirement.
Going back to Thurman, he's still having a good time dragging Pacquiao's name in his interviews, running his mouth since the fight was announced months ago. Pacquiao appeared to have been annoyed at one point, but it seems the trash-talking only made him more motivated.
