Manny Pacquiao def. Keith Thurman via Split Decision (113-114, 115-112, 115-112)
In the generational battle of 40 year old Manny Pacquiao vs. 30 year old Keith Thurman, it was the elder Pacquiao who walked away with the split decision win.
Pacquiao got off to a lead early on with a round one knockdown of Thurman. That knockdown came after a clean two punch combination to the body and head that sent Thurman down. From there, he continued to control the majority of the action.
For Pacquiao, the difference maker was his foot speed and hand speed. He was frequently able to move around Thurman to both land punches and avoid Thurman’s returns. At times, he managed to put together sudden bursts of attacks, bloodying Thurman along the way. Thurman was never totally out of it though, and connected shots throughout. He particularly found success in the middle rounds, only to see Pacquiao rally late to take the final three rounds and the win.
There was some tension as the scores were read, with one judge giving it to Thurman. But with two 115-112 cards, Pacquiao took the split decision.
In the post-fight interview, Pacquiao said his next fight will likely be in 2020 and talked about next facing the winner of this fall’s Errol Spence Jr. vs. Shawn Porter fight.
Pacquiao’s record now extends to 62-7-2 (39 KOs). Keith Thurman suffers his first career loss, and drops down to 29-1.
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