Keith “One Time” Thurman gave EsNews a thorough (and animated!) breakdown of what Manny Pacquiao will have to do against Floyd Mayweather to give himself the best shot at success.
“I expect to see the ‘jackrabbit’… that’s what I call Manny Pacquiao, I call him the ‘jackrabbit’ (Thurman then mimicked Manny’s signature jittery style)… and then hopefully 4,5,6 punch combinations come out of’em.”
Thurman then went on and explained how Manny should attack should Floyd decide to lay on the ropes as he has been more willing to do in his most recent fights.
“What I’d really like to see from Manny Pacquiao is come awkward overhand right hooks and left uppercuts because sometimes when you get Floyd on the ropes he likes to duck down to his right, if he ducks down to his right, Manny can come with an uppercut.”
Keith Thurman also believes feints should also be a big part of Manny’s arsenal:
“I think it’s gonna be in Manny Pacquiao’s favor to throw as many feints as possible when Floyd is on the ropes.”
Don’t get too excited though. Although Thurman believes that Manny has tools to work with, he still believes Floyd will do what he has always done.
“How does Floyd wanna win? If Floyd wants to win hands-down, he’s gonna win hands down. If Floyd wants to make it controversial, he’ll make it controversial… If Floyd wants to not get touched, he won’t get touched. He’s not gonna be on the ropes; he’s not gonna give Manny Pacquiao a shot. Manny’s gonna have to work for everything come May 2nd.”
As with many of the breakdowns we have heard from fighters, it seems as though Thurman is a believer in the popular theory that Floyd is an untouchable boxing God. I illustrate that theory as follows: Not only can Floyd Mayweather beat any and all competition, but he can actually choose the style in which he feels like beating them on any given night. His opponent is of no consequence.
I am still on the fence about who my final pick will be, but I certainly believe this is going to be a much closer fight than most believe it will be. I have never bought into the “Floyd got hit because he wanted to entertain the fans” nonsense. These are two elite fighters whose strengths line up perfectly with the other’s weaknesses. Floyd may win, but if he does it will be in spite of things not going exactly as planned.
