Unbeaten welterweight world champion Keith Thurman faces eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao this Saturday Night from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The PBC on Fox pay-per-view event pits Thurman against the legendary Pacquiao in a match that could cement Thurman’s legacy in the sport and the two had their final press conference Wednesday. Thurman sees this match as a changing of the guard and predicts a finish on Saturday night.
“I’ve been saying it over and over again,” Thurman said at the press conference, “don’t be surprised if Manny Pacquiao goes night-night.” Thurman believes he already made boxing history when he defeated Danny Garcia when he defended his WBA title and won the WBC title in March of 2017. However, when it comes to his legacy, Thurman does not think that was enough. “I don’t think it’s enough to really solidify a legacy,” he said of the win over Garcia. “So, I do need the victory to further my own personal legacy come Saturday night.”
Beating someone like Pacquiao is certainly on way to make an argument for his legacy, and being 10-years younger than Pacquiao; his confidence has come with a lot of trash talk towards Pacquiao. “Manny [Pacquiao] isn’t going to do anything,” Thurman said about how he sizes up against Pacquiao. “With the little ‘T-Rex’ arms,” Thurman continued, “He’s about to get beat up. I get to punch a Senator in the face and he’s going to feel it. If he’s upset about it, he can do something about it Saturday night. It’s called swing, swing, swing baby.”
It does not seem that Pacquiao is upset over it. “That’s Thurman’s style to talk a lot,” Pacquiao said of Thurman’s comments. “Like I said, it gives me more motivation to focus, and it has helped me a lot leading up to this fight.” While Pacquiao is not predicting a knockout, he does think he and his training camp have well prepared well to give fans what they want.
Do you think Thurman will finish Pacquiao Saturday night?
