Thurman calls out Pacquiao: ‘I’m ready to put hands on him’

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Thurman calls out Pacquiao: ‘I’m ready to put hands on him’
The undefeated, unified welterweight titleholder Keith Thurman wants to settle the debate about who the top fighter is at 147 pounds

Keith Thurman may be the unified welterweight champion, but even he knows there’s one name he has to beat to truly become the top man at 147.

The American knockout puncher Thurman, 28, told TMZ that he wants to fight Manny Pacquiao, 38, a fight that would unify 3 welterweight titles and could potentially make Thurman a star.

“It’s kinda ironic that I’m the only welterweight in the world that holds two world titles and he’s still ranked above me,” he said, referring to ESPN’s ratings. 

The Ring magazine has Thurman, who defeated Danny Garcia last month to unify the WBC and WBA titles, rated atop the welterweight division, followed by IBF titleholder Kell Brook, then former Thurman opponent Shawn Porter, with WBO titleholder Pacquiao at number 4.

Thurman (28-0, 22 knockouts), known as “One Time” for the number of punches he has to land to score a knockout, had previously dismissed Pacquiao as a relic, saying “he’s kind of dying out because we’re getting flooded with all this young talent in the welterweight division and it doesn’t really seem like Manny Pacquiao is trying to compete with the rest of the herd.”

Thurman is aligned with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions, and few of Pacquiao’s opponents this decade have come from outside Top Rank, the promotional company he’s signed with. 

Keith Thurman throws a left hook against Danny Garcia in their welterweight title unification bout last month which Thurman won by split decision. Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images/AFP

Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs) will be back in action on July 2 when he faces unbeaten Australian Jeff Horn in Brisbane. With Brook lined up for a dangerous mandatory against Errol Spence Jr on May 27, and Floyd Mayweather Jr no longer interested in boxing against boxers, Pacquiao remains the last remaining attractive option for Thurman at welterweight. 

“At the end of the day we want that Pacman fight. I can’t wait to negotiate that fight. Shoot, he can pick the date, he can pick anything he wants because I’m ready to put hands on him.” – Rappler.com

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