Keith Thurman suffered the first defeat of his professional boxing career to Manny Pacquiao, but he’s all class after the fact.
Thurman put the WBA Super welterweight title on the line against Pacquiao last night (July 20) inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. After 12 rounds of action, which saw Pacquiao drop Thurman in the opening frame, “Pac-Man” was awarded the gold via split decision.
Keith Thurman Owns Up To His Defeat
It’s been widely agreed upon that Thurman didn’t deserve to win a scorecard despite one judge scoring the fight 114-113 in his favor. Speaking to Heidi Androl for FOX Sports, Thurman agreed and accepted the loss (via Bloody Elbow’s Milan Ordoñez).
“The body shot was a terrific body shot. I even took my mouthpiece out of my mouth just so I could breathe a little deeper,” he said. “We stayed on our feet, we kept fighting. It was very unexpected once again.
“That’s why my name is ‘One Time.’ It’s always those one punches in a round that really can change the pace of a round. One time isn’t just something I do; One Time is something that could happen to me. I got a few more times than one time, maybe about two good shots in this fight.
“I tried to retaliate, but Manny held his composure,” he added. “I know that I got his respect in the ring, but he held his composure well, he held his hands up well, and he’s just a more relaxed fighter with all the experience he’s had nowadays.”
With the loss, Thurman’s record falls to 29-1, 1 NC. As for Pacquiao, he adds yet another major boxing title to his mantle. Speculation is already running rampant of a potential rematch with Floyd Mayweather.
