VIDEO: Manny Pacquiao Defeats Keith Thurman By Split Decision to Win WBA Welterweight Title
By Mark Powell
Manny Pacquiao, at the age of 40, is the welterweight champion of the world. As improbable as that might sound, the veteran boxer and Philippines senator punches far younger than his age may suggest, and moves around the ring like a man half his age. While he faced an undefeated opponent in Keith Thurman, the 30-year-old had never faced competition quite like this.
It took only one round for Manny to make his presence felt, delivered some critical punches during the so-called feeling out process. Come the second round, Pacquiao displayed his defensive prowess, dodging punches near the end of the allotted time and showing off some moves just after the bell tolled.
Come the middle rounds, Pacquiao delivered some body shots to Thurman which very clearly impacted him. Yet, Thurman's ability to overcome adversity displayed heart and toughness the casual boxing fan likely didn't know he had.
Despite suffering his first career defeat, Thurman still has a bright career ahead of him. Losing to a legend is nothing to be ashamed of, and there's plenty to learn from in this decision.
Pacquiao landed the majority of power punches, and even though the fight was far more competitive towards the later rounds, we're thankful the majority of the judges got this one right.
One question remains, however: will Floyd keep running?