Keith Thurman Calls For Rematch Against Manny Pacquiao
Days after his WBA welterweight title loss to Manny Pacquiao, Keith Thurman says he hopes to have another shot at the future Hall of Famer down the line.
Pacquiao emerged victorious in an entertaining title fight on pay-per-view on July 20, narrowly beating Thurman on the scorecards to become the new WBA “Super” champion at 147 pounds. The loss was Thurman’s first in the pro ranks, but even days later, he remained undeterred, at least based on his social media as he tweeted congratulations to Pacquiao and hoped a rematch can be made.
You get blessings & lessons in life & Saturday offered both. I’d like to THANK everyone involved in the FOX PPV—especially @MannyPacquiao for the opportunity. And a BIG shoutout to all the fans. I’ll be back on top soon. Manny: Let’s give em that re-match & another FOTY! #OneTime pic.twitter.com/nzJG26AICv
— Keith Thurman Jr. (@keithfthurmanjr) July 23, 2019
The call for a rematch didn’t exactly come out of left field. Thurman, gracious in defeat, said in a post-fight interview that he would like to have a rematch against Pacquiao while lamenting the fact that he got a bit tired at one point in the fight.
“I wish I had a little bit more output to go toe to toe. I felt like he was getting a little bit tired, but he did have experience in the ring. My conditioning and my output was just behind Manny Pacquiao’s. I would love the rematch,” Thurman said.
Even if Pacquiao and Thurman were to immediately have a rematch, which at this point remains doubtful, the earliest that can happen is 2020. Pacquiao said after the fight that he will likely not fight again for the remainder of the year due to his other job as a senator in the Philippines.
