Keith Thurman pushes for rematch, says fight vs Manny Pacquiao a ‘draw’

Keith Thurman throws a punch to the body against Manny Pacquiao in the first round during a welterweight title fight Saturday, July 20, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

MANILA, Philippines—Keith Thurman is convinced that his welterweight world title fight against Manny Pacquiao should have been a draw.

Thurman, who yielded the WBA (Super) title to Pacquiao via split decision last month, also remained adamant in getting another crack at the Filipino legend.

“I’m ready for the rematch. He just got off to a good start, I was behind, and he was just a little bit calmer than I expected Manny Pacquiao to be. At his age, he’s calming down, he’s not taking chances like a young fighter. He’s smarter, he’s been through it all,” Thurman told TMZ Sports.

“I still got a lot of respect for him. I still think the fight was nothing more than a draw. I don’t really think he won the fight. I know it was hella close, sometimes it’s a coin toss. But a coin toss is sometimes 50-50 and you gotta pick heads or tails.”

The result of the bout was hotly-contested with many saw Pacquiao as the clear victor.

Pacquiao, who turns 41 this year, gave Thurman a taste of his punching power early with a first-round knockdown before threatening to end the fight in two other instances throughout the action-packed fight.

But that’s not to say that the much younger Thurman didn’t have his moments.

Thurman got going in the latter stages and showed why he was an undefeated champion heading into the bout.

A rematch, however, is unlikely to happen as it stands with Pacquiao’s camp having its sight set on either Danny Garcia or Mikey Garcia as the eight-division champion’s potential opponent.

Pacquiao is also done for the year with his next fight likely to happen in February or March 2020.