LAS VEGAS: Father Time may be undefeated, as the old boxing saying goes, but Manny Pacquiao is not going down without a fight.
The 40-year-old Filipino legend wrote another improbable chapter in his glittering career on Saturday, with an age-defying split decision victory over the hitherto unbeaten Keith Thurman.
Pacquiao, a full decade older than the 30-year-old Thurman, rolled back the years with a vintage performance that had a sold out crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena roaring in delight.
It was the Filipino’s 62nd win of a 71-fight career that has spanned 24 years. Veterans at ringside described the performance as Pacquiao’s best since his dazzling win over Antonio Margarito in 2010.
Thurman, who had returned to boxing in January after a 22-month layoff, admitted he had not been able to cope with Pacquiao’s relentless energy.
Post-fight statistics told the story, with Pacquiao outpunching Thurman by 686 to 571.
A weary Thurman later said he had been chasing the fight from the moment he was sent crashing to the canvas by a stunning combination in the first round.
“He had a lot of momentum from that point,” Thurman said. “I ended up paying attention to the number of rounds. By the time we got to the seventh I was like ‘Damn, we’re in the seventh already’.”
Pacquiao’s experience and conditioning had proved crucial at key moments, Thurman added.
“He’s been in so many wars, he just knows what to do at the right time,” he said. “I had a good training camp but I felt like I needed a better output to go toe to toe with Manny Pacquiao.”
Thurman wasted no time after the fight in requesting a rematch.
While fans would happily line up for a sequel to what is a strong candidate for the fight of the year, Pacquiao’s camp were more circumspect