BIG CHANCE: Thurman gets the golden ticket
Photo: ANDY SAMUELSON/PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS
KEITH THURMAN won the race to become Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent and will therefore benefit from the kind of payday superstars of Pacquiao’s ilk are capable of gifting their opponents. And unlike many of the Filipino’s rivals, the Floridian will also start as favourite.
The fight, set for July 20, will headline a Fox Sports pay-per-view event at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand. It will be a unification of sorts, what with Thurman bringing the WBA super-welterweight title to the table and Pacquiao bringing the WBA ‘regular’ belt, but the less said about that mess the better. Essentially, it will upgrade and scrap the nonsense secondary belt – momentarily – and for that we should all be thankful. Thurman, 29-0 (22), has been blighted by injury in recent years and, despite his undoubted punch power and offensive qualities, hasn’t registered a stoppage win since halting Luis Collazo in July 2015. Last time out, he laboured to a majoritydecision win against Josesito Lopez, dropping the Californian in the second round but walking into trouble himself later on. It didn’t paint Thurman, 30, in the best light, yet it’s worth remembering it was the American’s first fight in two years as problems with his hands, shoulders and elbows have wreaked havoc on his progress. The kind of injuries that are always exceptionally hard to truly recover from.