DUBAI: Sen. Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao’s split-decision victory against WBA Super champion Keith Thurman got the world’s major media outfits asking: “What just happened back there?”
Indeed, from British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) to Business Insider, Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) down under, Reuters and CBS, there was no shortage of awe at how a 40-year-old boxer whose opponent, WBA Super champion Keith Thurman,10 years his junior and who promised to bring him to kingdom come retirement, turned things around, in the first round at that, to dominate the match and emerge a victor.
“Normal boxers shouldn’t be doing what he’s doing, aged 40,” said a Business Insider account of the fight.
“Pacquiao shouldn’t have such good movement, and the combination of intuition and eye-to-hand-coordination to land absurd punch combinations, zipping in and out of danger having landed his fast shots, often without you knowing.
“But that is exactly what he did in the very first round against Saturday opponent Keith Thurman, a man 10 years his junior, and an undefeated fighter to boot.”
“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,” said BBC.
The ABC had this to say: “Pacquiao (62-7-2) dropped his previously unbeaten opponent with a combination late in the first round, and the Pac-Man dominated the opening rounds with a combination of flair and power that recalled the incredible prime of the only eight-division champion in boxing history.”
Reuters described the fight “electrifying.”
And CBS Sports: “Nearly a quarter century into his legendary career, Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao isn’t done thrilling fans and winning world titles. Far from it.”
It added: “The 40-year-old Pacquiao out-dueled unbeaten champion Keith Thurman over 12 all-action rounds on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena to capture the WBA title in a thrilling split decision. The instant classic saw two judges score the fight 115-112 for Pacquiao while the third had it 114-113 for Thurman.”
But by all indications, The Pac-Man appears not done yet. “I think I will fight next year,” he told BBC Sport.
