Philippines, 10 Oct 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Pacquiao wins 'The War of Two Kings' against Thurman


PhilBoxing.com




LAS VEGAS- Manny Pacquiao weathered a late surge from fellow champ Keith Thurman and scored a hard-earned Split Decision victory to win the World Boxing Association?s welterweight crown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Pacquiao, 40, the regular champ of the 147 pound division, snatched the younger Thurman?s (30) super welterweight title belt with scores of 115-112, 115-112 and 113-114, in an exciting championship fight that settled the question of who truly reigns the prestigious weight class.

The legendary fighter from the Philippines showed that age is just a number when he almost stopped Thurman Jr. early in the fight. Pacquiao sent Thurman Jr. down with a right hand in the opening round and the sold-out arena of 14,356 went wild.

A stunned Thurman smiled while he was on his butt, stood up, recouped and finished the round.

Pacquiao battered Thurman in the succeeding rounds. His jabs were on point and his right hand was very effective. He countered effectively against Thurman who was trying to even up the score.

In the 5th, Pacquiao bloodied Thurman?s nose with a another hard right. The undefeated champion retreated as blood oozed from his nose.

But Pacquiao?s age showed in the second half of the intense fight. He slowed down midway in the 6th and Thurman closed the round with a combo that found its mark.

Thurman stepped up his performance in the 7th, he perfectly timed his punches and hit Pacquiao plenty of times with head-twisting shots but the Filipino icon took his opponent?s shots well.

In the 8th, Thurman was again bleeding from his nose as a result of additional punches from Pacquiao but he did not back down and traded punches with his hard hitting counterpart. He finished the round with straight rights that landed squarely on Pacquiao.

In the 10th, Pacquiao took charge of the fight again. He hurt Thurman with a body shot and the previously unbeaten champion retreated once again - this time in obvious pain. Pacquiao pursued him but the American fighter was able to evade additional attacks to the torso by moving fluidly and by punching back.

Both fighters tried to finish the final two rounds on a strong note. Thurman went on the attack and Pacquiao countered and pivoted out of Thurman?s reach.

The fans yelled and cheered the two fighters in what has been q tense bout to determine the real WBA welterweight king.

It took Jimmy Lennon some time to declare the winner of what has been a close contest. The wait for the final decision added to the anxiety of an already tense night.

The crowd erupted in cheers when Lennon disclosed the scores and the winner - Manny Pacquiao. The 40 year old icon is now the new and the only WBA welterweight champion.

?I got him in the first round and that?s the key. That?s the turning point of (me) being the winner tonight,? said Pacquiao in the post-fight conference.

?He is very tough.? Pacquiao describes Thurman. He is heavy handed unlike the other opponents that I faced before. He can fight.?

The losing Thurman conceded his defeat to the fighting senator from the Philippines. He was meek and modest this time. It was a stark contrast to his brazenness before their duel.

?Like I always said, I got an 0 and I?m not afraid to let it go. I was beaten tonight and that?s the sport of boxing. I?m not going nowhere and I?ll be back.?

The humbled loser relinquished his crown, surrenders his belt and conceded the throne that he?s held for seven years to winner of The War of Two Kings - the legendary Manny Pacquiao.


You can reach the writer at rrmaze24@aol.com and @Freemazon910 on Twitter.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • DAVE ALLEN VS ARSLANBEK MAKHMUDOV SHEFFIELD PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
    , Fri, 10 Oct 2025
  • HANOI OPEN DAY TWO: CHUA, GORST, BIADO, SHAW AND DUONG CRUISE INTO LAST 64 IN HANOI
    , Fri, 10 Oct 2025
  • BOSTAN AND FAWAZ TRADE VERBAL BLOWS IN SHEFFIELD CITY CENTRE FACE-OFF AHEAD OF TITLE REMATCH – LIVE ON DAZN
    , Fri, 10 Oct 2025
  • Yoelvis Gomez Set to Face Unbeaten Antraveous Ingram in Title Clash on DAZN
    , Fri, 10 Oct 2025
  • Dante Kirkman Set to Make Southern California Debut Against Power Puncher Wesley Vanderlinden on October 23 at Fight Club OC
    , Fri, 10 Oct 2025
  • 8th AQ Prime FIDE Standard Open chessfest slated
    By Dong Secuya, , Thu, 09 Oct 2025
  • A Filipino and an American Homecoming
    By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, , Thu, 09 Oct 2025
  • Tragedy Strikes Again: Arturo Gatti Jr., Son of Boxing Legend, Found Dead at 17 in Mexico
    By Dong Secuya, , Thu, 09 Oct 2025
  • Golden State Making a Bid for NBA Title
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Thu, 09 Oct 2025
  • JOHANN CHUA LAUNCHES TITLE DEFENCE WITH DOMINANT START IN HANOI | 2025 HANOI OPEN POOL CHAMPIONSHIP
    , Thu, 09 Oct 2025
  • RED-HOT CUBAN MIDDLEWEIGHT YOENLI HERNANDEZ: “I’M READY WILLING AND ABSOLUTELY ABLE TO FACE THE BIG NAMES IN MY DIVISION.”
    , Thu, 09 Oct 2025
  • BOOTS ENNIS GOES HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH LIMA AHEAD OF 154LB DEBUT – LIVE ON DAZN
    , Wed, 08 Oct 2025
  • ALLEN AND MAKHMUDOV MEET FOR FIRST FACE-OFF IN SHEFFIELD AHEAD OF HUGE HEAVYWEIGHT SHOWDOWN – LIVE ON DAZN
    , Wed, 08 Oct 2025
  • Amateur Boxer Tyrone Welch Dies After Match in Saginaw
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 08 Oct 2025
  • AJ Lim Captures Fourth PCA Men’s Singles Title, Extends Dominance in Philippine Tennis
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Wed, 08 Oct 2025
  • THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 18: JOE FRAZIER VS. GEORGE FOREMAN FIRST ENCOUNTER - THE SUNSHINE SHOWDOWN
    By Maloney L. Samaco, , Wed, 08 Oct 2025
  • 5th Zhengxing Cup Philippine Xiangqi Rapid Open tournament on October 12
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Wed, 08 Oct 2025
  • Joey Canoy back in training; preparing to face IBF champ Beaven Sibanda in February
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Wed, 08 Oct 2025
  • RED OWL BOXING ANNOUNCES BROADCAST TEAM AND FULL FIGHT CARD FOR THIS FRIDAY NIGHT’S “BOXFEST XVI”
    , Wed, 08 Oct 2025
  • Tyson Fury back in 2026?
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Tue, 07 Oct 2025
  • THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 6 OCTOBER 2025: Cecilia Braekhaus Retires After Defeating Ema Kozin
    By Eric Armit, , Tue, 07 Oct 2025
  • SAVE THE DATE: MATCHROOM BOXING ANNOUNCES MONTE-CARLO SHOWDOWN VI FOR SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6 – LIVE ON DAZN
    , Tue, 07 Oct 2025
  • Team Cebuana Lhuillier Finishes Strong in PCA Men’s Team Tennis Championship Finals
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 07 Oct 2025
  • Three Heavyweight Champs Were Ringside for the Thrilla Event
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Tue, 07 Oct 2025
  • Cutman Excellence Shines in Dubai: Denis Kolesnir and Jose Mohan Lead Groundbreaking Cutman Seminar
    By Carlos Costa, , Tue, 07 Oct 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.