Manny Pacquiao vows ‘this fight will not last 12 rounds’ ahead of Keith Thurman showdown
- Philippines icon thinks he’s a better fighter now than five years ago and he wants to end the bout quickly so he can resume his duties as a senator
- Eight-time division world champion says he’s done his own analysis and is confident the fight won’t go the distance
Manny Pacquiao doesn’t think his fight against Keith “One Time” Thurman will last 12 rounds and he wants a “quick” result because he needs to fly back to the Philippines immediately after the clash to resume duties as a senator.
“I have to go back right away [to the Philippines] after the fight because I have work in the senate,” he told Fight Hub TV.
Asked whether he would want to finish the fight quickly, the eight-time division champion laughed and said: “We’ll do our best.”
Pacquiao also feels he’s a better fighter now than five years ago when he fought the likes of Chris Algieri and Timothy Bradley Jnr, who were both defeated by the reigning WBA (regular) welterweight world champion, by unanimous decision. He also feels his phenomenal speed and power will eventually prove too much for his younger rival.
“I did my [own] analyst for this fight and there’s a big percentage that says that this fight will not last 12 rounds. That’s a big percentage. I’m not predicting the fight but that’s my analysis for the fight. The way he [Thurman] talks that he wants to go toe-to-toe with me, we’ll see,” said the Filipino in Los Angeles, where he is based for his final tune-up before the year’s biggest fight.
“That gives me more motivation. I’m not angry [about Thurman’s comments] but I’m motivated for this fight.”
Pacquiao said Thurman’s style reminded him of former foe, Miguel Cotto, who “likes to fight toe-to-toe”. Pacquiao defeated Cotto in November 2009 by 12th-round TKO.
And the Filipino great said he wasn’t worried the 10-year age difference between him and 30-year-old Thurman would be a problem in the ring.
“They think at the age of 40 you’re slowing down but the way you have seen my training, the way I am training hard, the way I work hard at this age, I might not look 40. I’m excited, I love exercise. Even when I am not fighting, I continue my exercise. I play basketball for five to five hours a day,” said Pacquiao.
“You want to push your body but your body says oh, you need to recover first. You need time to give your body recovery. In fact, the coaching staff want me to limit the rounds [sparring] and they want to limit my training,” said Pacquiao.
“I’m more experienced. I learned a lot[during the past five years] especially about body recovery, training preparation for the fight and I’m better now than five years ago,” he insisted.
“Working hard and punishing yourself is the most important thing in boxing,” he told Manouk Akopyan on his YouTube channel “Even if you’re so good a boxer and if you’re not working out and training, other boxers will overpower you. I have the drive to punish myself through hard work. That’s the key,” the Filipino boxer said.
