LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao, boxing's only eight-division world champion and a living legend, will look to turn back the clock again at age 40 when he steps into the ring Saturday night with the powerful and unbeaten Keith "One Time" Thurman for Thurman's WBA (Super) welterweight title under the bright lights of the MGM Grand Garden Arena on pay-per-view.
Pacquiao's career has experienced a spectacular resurrection after back-to-back impressive outings against Lucas Matthysse and Adrien Broner. The Filipino senator will have his third fight in just over a year and easily his most challenging test since Floyd Mayweather Jr. as he looks to climb back into the esteemed pound-for-pound rankings.
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Across from him will be Thurman (29-0, 22 KOs, one no-contest), the former unified welterweight champion who will look to end Pacquiao's career and remarkable comeback story. Turning back the challenge of Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs) would be the biggest victory of Thurman's career, one that would catapult him back into the pound-for-pound conversation and, perhaps more importantly, the mainstream.
Both fighters will enter the ring with a ton of questions about them. Can Pacquiao really be one of the best in the world at 40? How will Thurman look after being hurt badly by journeyman Josesito Lopez in his last outing, which was Thurman's first after a nearly two-year layoff? Who wants it more?
We will soon find out.
Also, in the Fox PBC Fight Night main event, Caleb Plant will put his IBF super middleweight title on the line against Mike Lee in a showdown that has developed some serious bad blood. Plant (18-0, 10 KOs) claimed the title with a brilliant performance against Jose Uzcategui earlier this year. Lee (21-0, 11 KOs) is a face you may have seen in a Subway commercial, but the 32-year-old from Illinois is out to prove that he's not just another opponent and can snatch the title from Plant.
Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman: Live updates, results
Manny Pacquiao edges out split decision over Keith Thurman, claims WBA Super Welterweight title
Result: A hellacious battle between boxing's living legend and the future ends with Manny Paquiao taking a split decision victory with scores of 115-112, 115-112 and 113-114. A fantastic fight where the 40-year-old Pacquiao's activity and early knockdown spelled the result. He's back and he's a bad man!
Round 12 (12:57 a.m.): Both fighters looking to rally but a tremenous right hand by Keith Thurman catches Pacquiao clean. Not sure how Manny stood up to it. But it gives Thurman the round as they wail on each other until the final bell. The knockdown in the first round was the difference. 10-9 Thurman (115-112 Pacquiao)
Round 11 (12:53 a.m.): Thurman shows great resolve and catches Manny with a hard uppercut. He's fought his way back into the fight once again but needs a knockout to win. 10-9 Thurman (106-102 Pacquiao)
Round 10 (12:48 a.m.): Pacquiao tore into Thurman's body with a shot that nearly crumbled One Time. Somehow, Thurman weathered the storm but he was in big trouble. 10-9 Pacquiao (97-92 Pacquiao)
Round 9 (12:46 a.m.): Thurman's poise is excellent and crushes Manny with a well timed counter. Pacquiao tries to rumble back but he's tired. This is getting interesting. 10-9 Thurman (87-83 Pacquiao)
Round 8 (12:40 a.m.): Both fighters are wearing the damage on their face but Thurman has found a groove. Nevertheless, an outbust from Pacquiao gives him the round. But be careful. Thurman is poised and is putting in great work in a tough round to score. 10-9 Pacquiao (78-73 Pacquiao)
Round 7 (12:36 a.m.): Thurman has timed Pacquiao and rips off multiple combination and finds a home for the right hand. Pacquiao crushes him with an uppercut but Thurman continues to pile on. 10-9 Thurman (68-64 Pacquiao)
Round 6 (12:32 a.m.): Thurman's best round. He's lumped up but he lands some really hard right hands when Pacquiao tries to advance. Pacquiao didn't get off like he did in previous rounds and Thurman's jab and hook gives him his first round. 10-9 Thurman (59-54 Pacquiao)
Round 5 (12:28 a.m.): Keith Thurman was having a great round until the final minute when Pacquiao walked him into a right hand that seemingly broke his nose and daed him. Thurman is fighting much better but continues to get clipped. 10-9 Pacquiao (50-44 Pacquiao)
Round 4 (12:24 a.m.): An interesting round where Thurman found a home for the counter and worked to the body. But the Pacquiao explosions of offense are carving Thurman up. Too much Manny. 10-9 Pacquiao (40-35 Pacquiao)
Round 3 (12:20 a.m.): A better round for Thurman as Pacquiao takes his foot off the gas. But Thurman still struggles to find a home. He lands a hard counter right but Pacquiao storms in with another combination. And another. A closer round but the fight still belongs to Pacquiao. 10-9 Pacquiao (30-26 Pacquiao)
Round 2 (12:16 a.m.): Manny Pacquiao is a whirlwind that is demolishing Keith Thurman. Pacquiao lands a wicked combination and fires a right hand down the middle. Thurman is wobbled and can't seem to find a return punch. Another Pacquiao storm closes out the round but this is getting dangerous. 10-9 Pacquiao (20-17 Pacquiao)
Round 1 (12:12 a.m.): An all out war to start the fight. Thurman gets Pacquiao's respect with a right hand but makes the mistake of pulling back with his hands down and gets dropped by a right hand. 10-8 Pacquiao.
11:58 p.m.: Pacquiao arrives to a massive ovation. As always "Eye of the Tiger" is pumping from the speakers. Will the living legend prove that he's still one of the best in the world? We're about to find out.
11:56 p.m.: Main event time! Keith Thurman is heading to the ring to a chorus of boos.
Yordenis Ugas easily outpoints Omar Figueroa in WBC title eliminator
Result: It wasn't pretty, but it was effective. Ugas was simply too crafty for Figueroa, who couldn't figure out a Plan B. Right from the beginning, Ugas was picking off Figueroa's advances and throttling him with combinations. It was either that, or Ugas would make it ugly by tying up Figueroa repeatedly whenever his opponent would attempt to rush in. Ugas was a big underdog heading into the fight but staked his claim as a force to be reckoned with in the division. A clean sweep with scores of 119-107 across the board.
11:32 p.m.: Through 10 rounds, Figueroa has nothing for Ugas but heart. He keeps coming forward and Ugas is slick enough to either tie him up or take a step back and fire a counter. At times, Ugas will sit on his punches and crack his opponent with a combination. If only Ugas had significant knockout power . . .
11:22 p.m.: Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s arrival has everybody in the arena talking. Is he interested in a Pacquiao rematch should the Filipino get past Keith Thurman tonight?
11:18 p.m.: Ugas is in control in the sixth round but he was docked a point for holding. Will it make a difference? Probably not. It's not a pretty fight as the two are clinching a lot.
11:06 p.m.: After three rounds it's all Ugas. Figueroa can only fight one way and Ugas is absolutely dismantling him. He has an uppercut that can't miss and he's repeatedly countered everything Figueroa has to offer. An exchange toward the end of the third round saw Ugas land some hard hooks on Figueroa. This could get rough if Figueroa is unable to land a punch to gain Ugas' respect.
10:58 p.m.: Ugas is known for his slick style but is using Figueroa's aggression against him. A hard right hand down the middle sends Figueroa stumbling into the ropes for a knockdown in the first round. I think we've got a fight, people.
10:40 p.m.: Co-main event up next. Omar Figueroa vs. Yordenis Ugas. In his last fight, Ugas pushed Shawn Porter to the limit and lost a narrow decision. Figueroa has always had a ton of promise; will he realize his potential tonight?
Sergey Lipinets makes short work of late replacement Javar Inson
Result: To the surprise of no one, Lipinets destroyed Inson via second-round TKO. Inson was in way over his head and ate a vicious overhand left that short-circuited him immediately. Somehow, he managed to get to his feet. The lights were on but nobody was home. The time of stoppage was 57 seconds of the round. Lipinets could find himself in the mix for an important welterweight fight in the near future.
10:31 p.m.: Lipinets did what he was supposed to do against a late replacement and connected with an overhand left that caught Inson flush on the chin and sent him face first to the canvas. He made it to his feet but his brains were scrambled. The end. Second-round knockout.
10:22 p.m.: Up next, we have Sergey Lipinets facing late replacement Javar Inson. Lipinets' original opponent, John Molina, had to pull out Friday because of a back injury. Inson steps in on short notice but he's going to have a lot to prove with such a big step up in competition.
Luis Nery delivers brutal body shot to KO Juan Carlos Payano
Result: Payano made a mistake of staying in the pocket as he was keeping the fight competitive. Nery made him pay with one devastating left hook to the body that immediately sank the Dominican. He tried to get up but was unable to as the count reached 10 and Nery deposited knockout No. 24 into his account at the 1:43 mark of the ninth round.
9:58 p.m.: Just when it looked like Payano was batling back into the fight, Nery detonated a left hook to the body that rearranged Payano's intestines. Payano went down in a heap and yelling in pain. He tried to get to his feet but he was done.
9:42 p.m.: The momentum is shifting to Nery as Round 4 and 5 saw the Mexican rock Payano on several occasions with huge power shots. Payano just hasn't done enough to demand respect from Nery and is going to have a tough time until he does.
9:35 p.m.: Payano has done a great job boxing Nery and not allowing the heavy-handed Mexican to storm through him. Nery is boxing well and making slight adjustments in an effort to catch Payano with that big right hand. Will he be able to do it?
9:16 p.m.: The Pacquiao-Thurman pay-per-view kicks off with Luis Nery (29-0, 23 KOs) vs. Juan Carlos Payano (21-2, nine KOs). As always, Nery struggled to make weight and had to lose a pound after initially coming in overweight. His power is undeniable, though, and it will be interesting to see if the light-punching Payano can keep the Mexican off of him.
Caleb Plant defends title with scintillating third-round TKO of Mike Lee
Result: Plant promised to put a beating on Lee, and he looked phenomenal as he ransacked his opponent with three total knockdowns. Time of stoppage was 1:29. It looks like his next bout will be a unification fight against the winner of Anthony Dirrell vs. David Benavidez.
8:19 p.m.: A scintillating sequence in the third: Plant crushed Lee with a right hook that deposited him to the canvas. Lee rose and literally ran right into a check hook that happened so quickly that referee Robert Byrd mistakenly called it a push instead of a knockdown. It wouldn't matter because Plant continued to put a beating on Lee, sending him down again, and the fight was soon halted.
8:13 p.m.: Plant wasted little time imposing his will and looked incredibly sharp in the first round. He unloaded on Lee and dropped him with a wicked left hook. Kids, don't go to the bathroom, this won't be long.
8 p.m.: Up next is Caleb Plant (18-0, 10 KOs) defending his IBF super middleweight title against Mike Lee (21-0, 11 KOs). These two don't like each other, so expect some fireworks.
Efe Ajagba tested in unanimous decision over Ali Eren Demirezen
Result: Ajagba won a wide decision with scores of 97-93, 99-91 and 99-91, but the fight was much, much closer than that. Nevertheless, Demirezen was the right opponent for Ajagba, who will now have something to take back to Ronnie Shields to improve upon in his next fight.
7:56 p.m.: A great fight between Demirezen and Ajagba. Both landed big shots but their respective chins held up. Ajagba was a little more accurate and was excellent firing the jab. He should come away with a narrow decision but it was one hell of test for Ajagba. Will Demirezen pull off the upset?
7:46 p.m.: Demirezen's amateur pedigree has proven to be a handful for Ajagba as we enter the ninth round. Demirezen has made Ajagba box, move backward and try to counter. Ajagba has done well but he's not exactly running away with the fight. These final two rounds could determine the winner.
7:32 p.m.: Well, it's the middle rounds and Demirezen is not only still here, but he's giving Ajagba all he can handle. He's landed some heavy leather that has gotten a rise out of the crowd but Ajagba has boxed well and shown that he can set things up rather than loading for one big shot.
7:20 p.m.: We are getting things started with Efe Ajagba vs. Ali Eren Demirezen. Ajagba (10-0, nine KOs) is the guy who made Curtis Harper make an early exit before a punch was even thrown. He has menacing power and looks to make an example out of the undefeated Demirezen (11-0, 10 KOs).
Pacquiao vs. Thurman fight card
Fox PPV main card
- Welterweights: Manny Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs) vs. (c) Keith Thurman (29-0, 22 KOs, 1 no-contest)
- Welterweights: Yordenis Ugás (23-4, 11 KOs) vs. Omar Figueroa Jr. (28-0-1, 19 KOs)
- Welterweights: Sergey Lipinets (15-1, 11 KOs) vs. Jayar Inson (18-2, 12 KOs)
- Bantamweights: Luis Nery (29-0, 23 KOs) vs. Juan Carlos Payano (21-2, 9 KOs)
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Fox PBC Fight Night card
- Super middleweights; (c) Caleb Plant (18-0, 10 KOs) vs. Mike Lee (21-0, 11 KOs)
- Heavyweights: Efe Ajagba (10-0, 9 KOs) vs. Ali Eren Demirezen (11-0, 10 KOs)
- Welterweights: Emmanuel Medina (16-0, 9 KOs) vs. Peter Dobson (10-0, 6 KOs)
- Welterweights: Abel Ramos (24-3-2, 18 KOs) vs. Jimmy Williams (16-2-1, 5 KOs)
- Flyweights: Genisis Libranza (18-1, 10 KOs) vs. Carlos Maldonado (11-3, 7 KOs)
- Featherweights: John Leo Dato (11-0-1, 7 KOs) vs. Juan Antonio Lopez (13-6, 5 KOs)
Pacquiao-Thurman betting odds
(As of Saturday, July 20)
- Manny Pacquiao: -150 (5Dimes)
- Keith Thurman: +140 (5Dimes)
Pacquiao vs. Thurman latest news
— Manny Pacquiao was written off around this time last year but now he's managed to become the favorite against Keith Thurman and resurrect his boxing career, how did we get here?
— Keith Thurman isn't concerned with what you think about him because he's here to crush stereotypes and crucify Manny Pacquiao.
— If Pacquiao can beat Thurman, is a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. on the horizon?
— The real reason Manny Pacquiao has found his killer instinct? "His pay-per-view numbers sucked," according to Freddie Roach.
— Cale9b Plant has been through more than many of us can imagine and he has become a world champion. His his story on tragedy, triumph and race in boxing.
— Mike Lee's fast rise came to an abrupt halt due to a rare disease. It may have taken him longer than he expected, but he's here to shock the world and beat Caleb Plant.
