MANILA, Philippines – Keith Thurman is raring to prove that his last fight was a fluke, promising to return to his devastating form against Manny Pacquiao when they lock horns on July 20 (July 21 Manila time).
The last time Thurman stepped on the ring, he almost got the shock of his life against an unheralded Josesito Lopez.
That fight, which was held only last January in Brooklyn, saw Thurman almost out on his feet in the seventh round after getting repeatedly tagged by a limited but determined Lopez. He had earlier floored Lopez in the second round, but the challenger proved to be a tough nut to crack.
Fortunately for Thurman, he recovered and did just enough for the rest of the bout to escape with a victory via majority decision, retaining his WBA “super” welterweight champion in the process.
Worth noting was the fact that prior to the Lopez clash, the undefeated Thurman was coming off a two-year layoff to recover from an injury. He had won all 28 fights before taking on Lopez, with 22 of those wins coming by way of knockout.
He admitted that the long hiatus was a factor in his performance against Lopez.
"I was really nervous about making weight after walking around at 182 for the past two years," Thurman said in a recent boxingscene.com report.
Now, the fighter out of Clearwater, Florida will try to erase the bitter memory of that mediocre outing when he stakes his crown against Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
“I'm trying to be that great, devastating champion once again, and come July 20, I will prove that I am," added Thurman, referring to the version of him that pulled off notable wins against Robert Guerrero, Luis Collazo, Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia.
Initially installed as the favorite against Pacquiao, Thurman has now become an underdog against Pacquiao, who at 40 years old remains a world-class fighter capable of putting on great performances.
Beating an ageing Pacquiao is still a tall order nowadays, but for Thurman, losing is not an option. He even seeks to win by emphatic fashion.
"Of course, I'd like to get the knockout or TKO, but either way, you're going to see a world-class performance that has me standing alone on top of a division that has so many great fighters,” he continued.
Thurman believes his fight with Pacquiao — the WBA’s “regular” 147-pound champion — will be an intriguing one and is bound to answer questions.
"Does Manny belong in the ring with a fighter in his prime? Is Keith Thurman still Keith 'One Time' Thurman after some vulnerability against Josesito Lopez?" he said.