Manny Pacquiao becomes the oldest welterweight champion to beat Keith Thurman at 40.
40 year-old Manny Pacquiao becomes the oldest welterweight champion in boxing history after out-punching WBA Super champion Keith Thurman, handing him his first career defeat.
Thurman - previously undefeated - had promised to send the 40-year-old Fillipino into retirement, but was knocked down in the first round before a thrilling fight went the distance.
The 30-year-old had been looking for his 30th straight win.
Two judges scored it 115-112 to Pacquiao, while the other gave it 114-113 to Thurman.
Pacquiao - a world champion at eight weights - was fighting for the 71st time in a stellar career that has seen seven defeats, but with four of those losses coming in his past 11 fights before the meeting with Thurman.
Afterwards, Pacquiao said he felt "blessed" and he will return to the Philippines to resume his work as a senator before deciding his next move.
Thurman had a height, reach, weight and age advantage over Pacquiao, but was chasing the fight from the beginning and started to bleed from his nose in the fifth round.
He recovered in the middle of the contest, but Pacquiao stormed back to take the last few rounds.
Manny Pacquiao reaction after the fight:
“It was fun,” Pacquiao said. “My opponent is a good fighter and boxer. He was strong. ... I think he did his best, and I did my best. I think we made the fans happy tonight because it was a good fight.”
Keith Thurman reaction after the fight:
"I wish I had a little bit more output to go toe to toe," Thurman told US broadcasters. "I felt like he was getting a little bit tired, but he did have experience in the ring. My conditioning, my output, was just behind Manny Pacquiao. It was a great night of boxing. I'd love a rematch.
"I want to thank the fans. I want to thank everybody for coming out. Manny Pacquiao is a great, truly great champion."
0 Comments