Manny Pacquiao vs Keith Thurman: Filipino aims to defy sense once more and avoid bad ending to the Pacman story

The veteran champion looks to halt ‘One Time’ and land another shot at Floyd Mayweather Jr

Manny Pacquiao left home because his father cooked his beloved dog to feed his hungry family and Keith Thurman left boxing to walk through the Himalayan wilderness in search of the snow leopard.

On Saturday night at the MGM in Las Vegas they meet for the WBA’s welterweight title, a trinket of increasingly confusing heritage, in a fight that is far more than just a potential goodbye for Pacquiao. There have been too many of those over the years.

Thurman is ten years younger, a career welterweight, unbeaten in 29 fights, fresher in every single way and still Senator Pacquiao of the Filipino parliament, who often looks older than 40, is the real attraction.

His career has long been about defying sense, some improbable wins, shocking losses and as he enters its 24th year – this will be his 71st fight – there is the seemingly endless promise that he is not done just yet.

Freddie Roach, his trainer and often his sensible mouthpiece for most of his championship career, is suddenly convinced that Pacquiao has “three or four fights” left. Roach was dropped in 2017 after a loss to Jeff Horn when his suggestion that it was time to walk away angered the Senator; peace and common sense prevailed, egos were tucked away behind fat cheques, and the pair might just end up being boxing’s greatest trainer-fighter pairing.

Their partnership extends far beyond sweet Freddie adjusting Pacquiao’s feet to connect cleanly, and many in the old fight game have been fooled by their smiling, mumbling, rumbling and odd relationship in the corner.

Manny leans heavily on Roach in a crisis and there have been many, most overcome in nearly 20 years of world title fights. However, in 2015 Pacquiao finally met Floyd Mayweather after a disgraceful delay of five years and it was a horrible, forgettable night for both Roach and Pacquiao. The money did little to make Pacquiao, who fought injured, accept the loss on points after a dismal fight. There was a lot of harsh criticism at the time.

On Saturday it is easy to see one more bad end for Pacquiao, a night when his backers fear defeat based solely on physical realities and not something that has seriously hindered him in private; Thurman, like so many, will have height, reach, youth and power on his side.

Pacquiao and Thurman clash on July 20 (AP)

Pacquiao has been in the same position so many times, peering up at a boyish face during the introductions, touching gloves with a man cut from rock and then the bell sounds and advantages vanish in a blur, grown men fall short, their faces often registering shock and pain at the same time. Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Antonio Margarito, all bigger, dangerous men, suffered that Manny moment, left blank-eyed, cut or sleeping from fists so tiny they look like they could weave a rat’s beard.

Thurman is a good fighter, the holder of the WBA’s ‘super’ version of the welterweight championship – Pacquiao has the ‘regular’ version – and could box his way sensibly to a win on points. He was out of the ring for nearly two years after a defence in March of 2017, walking in Nepal, marrying a local woman and letting his elbow and wrist heal. His exile ended in January of this year against Josesito Lopez with an unimpressive but crucial hard twelve rounds to defend his title, slip the ring-rust shackles and get ready for Pacquiao.

Manny Pacquiao looks to roll back the years vs Keith Thurman (EPA)

Pacquiao was over 40 pounds lighter when he won his first world title in 1998, a skinny teenager, still a crazy dream or ten away from the bright lights of Las Vegas and the fights, riches and respect he now has. An impressive position in the Filipino government, and his ring success, would have been an even crazier dream for the tiny boy who left home after his dad roasted his pet mutt.

The Pacman story, with genuine presidential talk and the glory fights, the movies, the pop songs and his status as an idol is not quite finished yet. He wants to punish Thurman for insults and then somehow persuade Mayweather to fight him again for hundreds of millions of dollars. In the world of Manny Pacquiao, it seems, anything is possible.