Keith Thurman Hints at Potential PED Use by Manny Pacquiao Before Their Fight: ‘I Did Not Regulate Any Form of Testing in That Fight’

The former welterweight champion, Keith Thurman, entered the boxing ring against Manny Pacquiao in 2019. Many favored him to win that fight, but on the contrary, it turned out to be a distressing outing for Thurman. He succumbed to his first career loss that night and hasn’t entered the squared circle since then.

In a fresh interaction with World Boxing News, ‘One Time’ shed some light on the enigmatic dance with ‘Pacman’ and a potential PED use by the latter.

He said, “Listen, I did not regulate any form of testing in that fight. He did do the majority of his training camp in the Philippines, and his hands felt like cement.” 

Thurman continued, “I made a few bad choices, like moving straight backward when I was dominating in the first round. In turn, that caused the flash knockdown. It was an amateurish mistake.”

The fight began on a wonderful note for the Filippino Senator as he dropped his opponent in round 1 of the fight. However, Thurman collected himself and traded enough punches with Pacquiao in the subsequent rounds.

Thurman asserted that ‘Pacman’s hits seemed rock-solid to him. Although he didn’t fetch this subject much, the Florida native still felt that Pacquiao used a PED prior to this fight. Despite that loss, Thurman seemed elevated to make a cracking comeback to get his career back on track.

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Keith Thurman wants a summer 2021 return

In the above interview, Keith Thurman voiced his notion of making a stern comeback to the ring. The 32-year-old has stayed out of action for almost two years now. But he doesn’t wish to stay out of the game further. Thurman even named the opponents he wishes to fight out and reclaim his welterweight straps.

He said, “Apart from rust and dust and a little bit of hesitation, that was my downfall. Later this summer and bring them all on. Manny, Danny (Garcia), Errol (Spence), Shawn (Porter), (Yordenis) Ugas. I want my belts back.”

It’ll be interesting to see whom he gets aligned with for his much-awaited comeback.

What do you make of Thurman’s comments on Pacquiao?