Former world champion Keith Thurman, who fought Manny Pacquiao in 2019, has offered his take on the Filipino’s rematch with Floyd Mayweather.
The two Hall of Famers will square off in a professional contest on September 19, headlining a Netflix event at the Sphere, Las Vegas.
Their first encounter took place in 2015 and, even back then, many believed that both multi-division world champions were a far cry from their primes.
Pacquiao, in particular, seemed to lack the explosive power and speed he once possessed in spades, with Mayweather ultimately claiming a unanimous decision victory.
But despite the disappointing nature of the fight itself, it is still, statistically, the most lucrative boxing event of all time, based purely on its eye-watering gate receipts and pay-per-view sales.
Because of this, Thurman believes that their second encounter is likely to generate considerable interest, especially with Mayweather putting 50-0 (27 KOs) record on the line.
In that same breath, though, the 37-year-old has told FightHype that he envisions their showdown being an even less appealing contest than it was the first time around.
“I think the story of [Mayweather-Pacquiao 2] is really the same story as always: Is today the day Floyd Mayweather loses in the ring?
“I think that’s a big selling point that certain people are going to want to see, but I didn’t see the same Manny Pacquiao [that Thurman fought] against Mario Barrios.
“But they’re both older, so I’m not sure what we’re going to get. But I believe we’re going to get lesser of a fight [when compared to their first encounter].”
After claiming a split decision victory over Thurman, Pacquiao lost a unanimous verdict to Yordenis Ugas and, just under four years later, boxed to a contentious draw against then-WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios last July.
Mayweather, meanwhile, has not fought professionally since 2017, back when he scored a 10th-round finish over Conor McGregor.
