LOS ANGELES – Keith Thurman will be making a big mistake if he thinks he can fight toe-to-toe with Manny Pacquiao eight days from now.
This was Freddie Roach’s message to the reigning WBA “super” welterweight champion, the undefeated fighter who also loves to go for knockouts.
Of Thurman’s 29 victories, 22 came by way of knockout. He might aggressively try to get his 23rd stoppage win when he steps on the ring against Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas next Saturday (Sunday Manila time).
And if Thurman indeed tries to slug it out with Pacquiao, that will be his downfall, according to Roach.
“Manny is in great shape right now and if Thurman wants to trade with us, he will get knocked out,” Roach said in a boxingscene.com report.
Pacquiao, in contrast, will not dare to land a homerun punch to end things quickly.
Roach said if the knockout comes, it comes.
“Someone asked if we were looking for the knockout. We never look for a knockout,” added the bespectacled trainer.