Keith Thurman: ‘Don’t Be Surprised If Manny Pacquiao Scores A Knockdown’

Welterweight champion Keith Thurman believes that if there is one fighter who can score a knockout or a knockdown in the upcoming fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, it will be the eight-division Filipino world champion. Even though Thurman pictures Pacquiao scoring a knockdown against Mayweather, he, however, thinks that the Filipino will not take home the victory.

Pacquiao, 35, will enter the ring to face Mayweather on May 2 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a super fight that took almost six years to finalise, a bout which many believe will surely determine who between the two should be hailed as one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters of all time.

In his recent fights, Pacquiao hasn’t been able to drop his opponents in the same fashion as he did in his younger days, but Thurman reckons that the Filipino, who has a career record of 57 wins (38 KOs, five losses, and two draws) is still capable of delivering a knockdown punch.

“I’ve told people before talking about this fight, don’t be surprised if Manny Pacquiao scores a knockdown,” Thurman said in an interview with On The Ropes Boxing. “You got to understand that scoring a knockdown doesn’t always mean that the guy was really-really-really hurt, it just meant that you caught him at the right time, his feet were a certain way, and the dude fell over when you hit him, that’s a knock down.”

Thurman added that Mayweather hasn’t had for a knockout victory in over three years since the undefeated American’s fight against Victor Ortiz in 2011. As for Pacquiao, the Filipino has also not scored a knockout since stopping Miguel Cotto in 2009.

Still, Thurman bets his money on Mayweather to win the May 2 fight. According to him, Pacquiao would need to score at least “two knockdowns” to be declared as the winner of the richest bout in the history of boxing.

The southpaw fighter has troubled many opponents in the past. Pacquiao has had some of boxing’s greatest knockout victories including his fights against Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Cotto.

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach has previously told Boxing Scene that Pacquiao might knockout Mayweather because his Filipino protégé has never had such dislike towards an opponent in the past. While many say that Pacquiao is no longer the same fighter as he was a few years back, Roach seemed confident that his prize pupil will stop Mayweather via knockout in the welterweight title unification bout.

“I feel we’ll light this guy (Mayweather) up because Manny knocks out guys that he doesn’t like,” Roach said. “That’s how he has been since day one so I’m betting a knockout.”

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