Shawn Porter is picking Manny Pacquiao to defeat Keith Thurman July 20!
On July 20, super WBA welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman (29-0, 22 KO’s) will stage a personal dream fight against the living legend and WBA regular champion Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KO’s) at the MGM Grand located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The meaningful prizefight will only be Thurman’s second bout since his nearly two-year layoff.
In his first bout back, although he walked away with the win, One Time was seriously rocked by Josesito Lopez. His trouble with Lopez cast a large shadow of doubt on where Thurman’s head and abilities were at.
Ahead of this thrilling bout, the boxing world is divided down the middle in regards to who will emerge victorious. Those who are siding with Thurman are doing so due to his youth, heavy hands and nimble footwork. Along with this, numerous fight fans have highlighted that throughout his career, Pacquiao has not always excelled with boxers.
Thurman’s lengthy layoff and rocky return fight are important to note. However, it would be a silly notion to suggest the super champion is not a top-flight boxer.
Team Pacquiao
On the other side of the fence, the eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao has an army of supporters who believe in his skills regardless of his advanced age in the sport. Despite being ten years his opponent’s senior, Pacman has remained the slightly busier fighter.
In 2018, the fistic-minded politician had one extremely dominant knockout performance against Lucas Matthysse, followed by an easy win over the low volume Adrien Broner. Those on the Pacman bandwagon believe that his awkward style, past experience and powerful combination punching will be enough to topple Thurman.
Porter Picks Pacquiao
In a recent segment on Premier Boxing Champions YouTube channel, WBC welterweight champion Shawn “Showtime” Porter aligned himself with those forecasting a win for Pacquiao. Showtime did make sure to credit Thurman.
He was quick to point out that not only was One Time a magnificent fighter, he had a wonderful boxing brain. Due to this, Porter does believe that Thurman can set a number of traps for Pacman once in the ring.
Although Showtime does see a great deal of merit in Thurman’s abilities, he doesn’t feel it will be enough. In his estimation, Porter is confident that Pacquiao’s speed and explosiveness will trump the day for the aging pugilist. For whatever its worth, the Ohio native has shared the ring with both men.
“Of course, everyone’s wondering what he has left in the tank being forty plus years old. Now, me personally, I think he’s still fast enough, quick enough and explosive enough to beat Keith Thurman […] I think Keith Thurman is looking at his first loss against a living legend named Manny Pacquiao.”
Back on June 25, 2016, Porter and Thurman engaged in a wildly exciting and brutal prizefight. One Time would ultimately walk away with the unanimous decision win. Despite getting the official nod, the decision remains highly debated to this day due to many folks thinking Porter did enough to win.
Since then, Porter has been very vocal about getting a rematch.
Prior to his scrap with Thurman, he was used as a sparring partner to help Pacquiao get ready for his Miguel Cotto and Shane Mosley prizefights. With his unique perspective on the subject, it is interesting that Porter is throwing his money in with Pacquiao.
By: Bakari Simpson
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