Keith Thurman: The last fight of Manny Pacquaio

By Jake Donovan

It has been more than two years since Keith Thurman proved to be at the top of the welterweight category.

His adopted musical theme suggests a state of mind aiming not only to reaffirm his place, but also to bring out a living legend.

"We are ready … because we are ready … for Pacquiao," Thurman said before his opening statement at Tuesday's press conference in New York, to announce his next clash with the champion of eight divisions, Manny Pacquiao.

The battle for the consolidation of the welterweight title will take place on July 20 at the top of a pay-per-view TV event broadcast live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. A two-city press tour began on Tuesday, but Thurman has already fully embraced archie Eversole's nearly 20-year-old classic jam before achieving what he sees as the biggest fight of his professional career.

"It's just a dream come true," admitted Thurman (29-0, 22KOs), a 2008 US Olympian replacement who has held at least one welterweight title since March 2015. "I've worked hard to be a champion and I wanted to face the biggest names in the sport of boxing.

"Years ago, I wanted Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Floyd is gone, Manny is here and I'm ready to challenge a legend. On July 20, he will disappear. He is a legend and we will always remember him in the sport. But I'm going to tell Manny Pacquiao what he did to Oscar de la Hoya. "

Thurman refers to the remarkable performance of Pacquiao, who went from the boxing star to the world-renowned superstar. Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39KOs) – who had already won major titles in five weight divisions at the time – moved from lightweight to welterweight dominating the Hoya in eight innings.

The event took place in the same MGM Grand Arena which also hosted Pacquiao's American debut in 2001 and where he will fight for the 15th time in his illustrious career. The fighting politician – currently a senator in his homeland, the Philippines – played the role in his last appearance in the ring, a 12-round victory over Adrien Broner last January.

His next opponent insists that this is the last victory Pacquiao will win or fight.

"Oscar de la Hoya has never beaten after fighting Pacquiao … and Manny Pacquiao will never fight again after his clash with me," says Thurman, who is 4-0 at MGM Grand, including a 12-lap win over Robert Guerrero in March 2015 to become a welterweight champion at the very first Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) event.

Floridian, undefeated, helped launch the PBC primetime model on NBC, ESPN and CBS, and became a favorable draw for television. The wins over Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia, both of whom live in prime time on CBS, have helped to establish his place as the best welterweight in the world, as a result of consecutive injuries that kept him out of the competition. ring for almost two years.

A unanimous and radical victory over Josesito Lopez last January allowed the 30-year-old boxer to get back into the ring. Now, 'One Time' insists he's really ready for the big game and at the expense of one of the biggest stars in the game today.

"On the 20th of July he goes at night, wishes of Thurman. "On July 21, we will not talk about revenge. Even if there is a revenge clause in the contract, he will not want it.

"This will be Manny Pacquiao's last fight. In the welterweight division, the legendary Floyd Mayweather is gone. The legendary Manny Pacquiao, he is still there. On July 20, he will be in the ring. Come July 21, notice my words, he will be gone.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox