Senator Manny Pacquiao will likely fight American boxer Keith Thurman Jr. this July 20 in Las Vegas, media reports said.
Boxing insider Mike Coppinger tweeted yesterday that both camps are “closing in on a deal” for a welterweight title bout.
FOX pay-per-view will likely be the carrier of what could be a “big-time fight this summer,” Coppinger added.
If the deal pushes through, it will be a battle between two welterweight champions. Pacquiao is the WBA regular champion while Thurman is the WBA super champion.
“There doesn’t apper to be any big hurdles to clear in completing deal,” Coppinger said.
Thurman, nicknamed “One Time” is considered one of the hardest punchers in the welterweight division.
He is 10 years younger than Pacquiao, with 29 wins and no loss.
Pacquiao’s former trainer Freddie Roach said Thurman would “not be an easy opponent” for the Pacman although he initially thought Danny Garcia would be a more competitive fight.
“I thought were gonna fight (Floyd) Mayweather, well i guess not,” he told Fight Hub TV in Los Angeles.
