Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao vs. Keith Fitzgerald Thurman Jr. airing on FS2/IB's standalone RBR card

Just under a fortnight away from its 2 year anniversary. About midway into the broadcast; Figueroa vs. Ugás just underway. Opportunity for those (like myself) who missed it to watch & score the main event.

 

Probably a bit on the side of his dad, Keith Sr., yeah, which means he's ultimately of less than half African descent. His mom is Hungarian & Polish.

 

Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao vs. Keith Fitzgerald Thurman Jr., 12 rounds @ welterweight


Round 1

Hard to argue with a cleanly scored KD. Good start for the middle aged politician. Brilliantly executed combination, diving left on the belly to a) carry him inside and b) limit and brace his momentum to let him get off that right hook that kerplunked One-Time. Lennox Lewis is correct - Thurman thought he could backstep in time with it, but was wrong. Pac quicker than he dared dream. Would have been a tight and uneventful opening frame otherwise.

IB: 10-8 Pac
Goossen: 10-8 Pac
@CST80: 10-8 Pac
Villegas: 10-8 Pac

Round 2

First today into southpaw experimentation by Thurman. Not sure I approve of this. It doesn't do anything positive for him; he's best advised sticking to the known and not reinventing the wheel with such a dangerous and experienced foe. Southpaw is Manny's department - and he shows it, belting Keith with a left late laying him against the ropes to put punctuation on a strong round.

IB: 10-9 Pac, 20-17 Pac
CST80: 10-9 Pac, 20-17 Pac
Goossen: 10-9 Pac, 20-17 Pac
Villegas: 10-9 Pac, 20-17 Pac

Round 3

Thurman with nothing but a smattering of isolated, brief body combos. Scoring recently when he tries but this work rate isn't going to cut it. Pacquiao also fighting in spurts by his own standards but busier, regularly landing jabs and hooks with the right hand at least partially as Thurman skates around him.

IB: 10-9 Pac, 30-26 Pac
CST80: 10-9 Pac, 30-26!Pac
Goossen: 10-9 Pac, 30-26 Pac
Villegas: 10-9 Thurman, 29-27 Pac

Round 4

Thurman's strongest start yet, bumping in some overhand rights; in fact Dan Goossen had him winning 90 seconds in.! Pac heated up in the second half though and got Thurman backing straight up under fire from fast combos, snatching it back.

IB: 10-9 Pac, close, 40-35 Pac
CST80: 10-9 Pac, 40-35 Pac
Goossen: 10-9 Pac, 40-35 Pac
Villegas: 10-9 Pac, 39-36 Pac

Round 5

Thurman outworked by a lot and hurt late.

IB: 10-9 Pac, 50-44 Pac
CST80: 10-9 Pac, 50-44 Pac
Goossen: 10-9 Pac, 50-44 Pac
Villegas: 10-9 Pac, 49-45 Pac

Round 6

Keith finally breaking Manny's monopoly on coming forward. Quietly mounting a resurgence as the commentators idly chit-chat about everything but the action in the ring (particularly Thurman's work). Nice slip-and-counter work from Thurman, although Pac is still setting a fiery pace and scoring some himself.

IB: 10-9 Thurman, close, 59-54 Pac
CST80: 10-9 Thurman, 59-54 Pac
Goossen: 10-9 Pac, 60-53 Pac
Villegas: 10-9 Thurman, 58-55 Pac

Round 7

Facial damage showing on both, a bit worse on Thurman. Pacquiao laughs off some huge rights from Thurman, who is maybe no Cuevas or Trinidad but still a serious puncher at welter and putting mustard on these. Thurman doing good work with the jab and the lead right/left hook combo from mid-range, taking his lumps but giving better than he's getting.

IB: 10-9 Thurman, 68-64 Pac
CST80: 10-9 Thurman, 68-64 Pac
Goossen: 10-9 Thurman, 69-63 Pac
Villegas: 10-9 Thurman, 67-65 Pac

Round 8

Both fighting well, give & take, still just edged by Thurman's crisper and neater work and body shots catching Pac when reaching. Pac aggressive, leading with fast right jabs and hooks but Thurman ducking, rolling out sideways and coming up firing.

IB: 10-9 Thurman, 77-74 Pac
CST80: 10-9 Pac, 78-73 Pac
Goossen: 10-9 Thurman, 78-73 Pac
Villegas: 10-9 Pac, 77-74 Pac

Round 9

Thurman's fourth round in a row with a statistical edge in connects over Pac and fifth in a row comfortably outlanding him with power shots (apparently starting in R5, though it didn't seem like one that he ought to have won to me)...by a 2:1 margin in the 6th and 7th. Thurman in a groove now, looking confident, lots of sinuous movement while bending his waist and sniping with counters for a spell, then rushing in with jabs and body combos when Pac slows down.

IB: 10-9 Thurman, 86-84 Pac
CST80: 10-9 Thurman, 87-83 Pac
Goossen: 10-9 Thurman, 87-83 Pac
Villegas: 10-9 Thurman, 86-84 Pac

Round 10

Thurman comes out a little flat, guess that surge from the 5th or 6th through 9th cost him some gas. He goes southpaw again, wtf are you doing there Keith? He gets caught and hurt by a simultaneous inadvertent headbutt on the left ear and body shot from Pac while awkwardly transitioning from southpaw back to righty. Thurman backing up listlessly, letting Pac play whack-a-dreadlock and walk him onto the ropes. Disastrous round for One-Time, spoiling all that nice momentum he had.

IB: 10-9 Pac, 96-93 Pac
CST80: 10-9 Pac, 97-92 Pac
Goossen: 10-9 Pac, 97-92 Pac
Villegas: 10-9 Pac, 96-93 Pac

Round 11

Digging deep, One-Time pulls out one more big-time round. Mostly keeping Pac at bay with the jab, he sits down on pinball-launcher and uppercutting right hand leads. Nice gut check round to rebound from that awful tenth.

IB: 10-9 Thurman, 105-103 Pac
CST80: 10-9 Thurman, 106-102 Pac
Goossen: 10-9 Thurman, 106-102 Pac
Villegas: 10-9 Pac, 105-103 Pac

Round 12

Pac closes the show, emptying the reserves of his tank and drowning Thurman in volume, popping him with some nice catapult lefts. Thurman favoring his rear hand, shaking it the few times he uses it as Lennox observes, possibly a minor injury. Pac just imposing his will until the final bell, sticking the right jab in Thurman's face galloping after him.

IB: 10-9 Pac, 115-112 Pac
CST80: 10-9 Pac, 116-111 Pac
Goossen: 10-9 Pac, 116-111 Pac
Villegas: 10-9 Pac, 115-112 Pac

 

I'm surprised there's never been much clamor for a rematch. It was close AND fun.

 

I love his attitude/corny jokes..

 

I don't think a rematch has to be a black mark against him, nor a suggestion that he wasn't the better man on the night. More just acknowledgement that it was close enough that maybe on a different night it swings the other way.