Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman Go 12 Entertaining Rounds, Pacman Snags Split Decision

Thanks alot Pacman.

Setting the bar for a 40 year old at that level, well, that's not easily replicable for us mortals.

Eh, we won't take it personally, we will instead marvel at your output and the skill set remaining at this point in your fighting life.

The reflexes were solid, explosiveness and stamina were present to a pount that two of three judges saw Manny the victor on Saturday night at a sold out MGM Grand in Vegas, over a Keith Thurman who was sent to the mat in round one, and didn't have anything resembling a smooth session timing the Senator, or finding the pathway to obviously win rounds.

Glen Feldman loved the work of the Floridian, seeing it 114-113 for Keith, who had promised he'd stop Manny, would be on him like a pitbull on a postman with a side gig at Burger King, but Tim Cheatham and Dave Moretti outvoted him. They saw it 115-112, both of them.

I scored it 7-4-1, for Manny, with an extra point for the knockdown, which came on a nifty and unexpected combo, a right hook smashing down Thurman after he was stabbed in the belly by a left hand. That was in round one. And we wondered if MP would get a rubout, he'd punish the 30 year old for bringing up religious imagery in describing the manner in which he'd take out Pacman.

But Thurman hung in…He didn't go the “Run Time” route, he hung in the pocket plenty. And he was timing his right hand to good effect off an on, enough so you can pull together a compilation of Thurman solid hits over the course of 12.

Here are the stats according to the eyes of the CompuBox crew:

Manny Pacquiao threw more punches than Thurman on July 20, 2019.

All told, the best thing about this fight was this: it had ebb and flow, and it held your attention to entire 12. In other words, it was a PPV that didn't leave really any buyers wishing they'd not ponied up to watch. That's a win…and Pacman won for being so fit and fierce at 40…and Thurman won for giving a rock-solid showing, and staying the path after being sent to the floor early. No, he's just not “One Time” anymore, you saw the contrast when Manny would RIP shots, truly invest in the attack, while Keith more so looked to place his punches. But, no negativity, boxing has enough of that. This was an entertainng prize-fight, congrats to the combatants.

End note: Extra point to Thurman, for being a classy sportsman after losing.