Manny Pacquiao insists he will prove his ‘time is not over yet’ when he takes on Keith Thurman on July 20.
Pacquiao will challenge for Thurman’s WBA ‘Super’ welterweight title in Las Vegas this summer with the champion undefeated in 30 professional bouts.
‘One Time’ spent the best part of two years sidelined through elbow and hand injuries before returning to the ring in February, defending his world title in a hard-fought majority decision win over Josesito Lopez.
A month earlier, Pacquiao proved he remains a force in the stacked welterweight division by comfortably outboxing Adrien Broner.
While he may be coming to the end of an illustrious career, 40-year-old Pacquaio insists he still has plenty to offer boxing, choosing to fight Thurman to prove exactly that.
“I chose Keith Thurman because he’s undefeated and I want to prove that at age 40 I can still beat a great fighter like Keith,” Pacquiao told a press conference on Tuesday.
“My time is not yet over. My journey is continuing. I’m going to prove that and more on July 20 against Keith Thurman."
He continued: “I will work hard for this fight. I haven’t felt this motivated and excited since the Oscar De La Hoya fight. I feel like I’m back against the best fighters in the world."
While Thurman says a meeting with the eight-weight world champion is ‘a dream come true’, he has vowed to end his career the same was ‘Pac-Man’ retired Oscar De La Hoya 11 years ago.
Many predicted De La Hoya was past his prime when he agreed to fight Pacquiao, then regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
They were proved right with the Filipino dominating the former champion, forcing his opponent’s corner to stop the fight in the eighth round with the ‘Golden Boy’ subsequently retiring from the sport.
While Pacquaio has shown this year he is still a contender, Thurman has promised a reality check is coming this summer.
"I believe boxing has come to a new era. Floyd is gone. Pacquiao's here. Come July 20, he will disappear,” Thurman said.
“He's a legend. He will always be remembered, but I'm going to do to Manny Pacquiao what he did to Oscar De La Hoya. Oscar De La Hoya never fought again."
July’s meeting with unify the WBA welterweight titles, with Pacquiao currently holding the ‘regular’ title, which is outranked by Thurman’s ‘Super’ belt.
