Keith Thurman enters his bout on Saturday against Manny Pacquiao with an unblemished 29-0 record that includes 22 knockouts. In a fight that could represent a changing of the guard in the welterweight division, Thurman will look to take down one of the most well-regarded boxers in history. Pacquiao is the only eight-division champion and will look to add to his illustrious resume with a victory against Thurman in Las Vegas. This highly-anticipated bout gets underway from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET. Despite entering Saturday's fight with an undefeated record, Thurman is a slight underdog at +135 (risk $100 to return $135), up from an open of +120. The latest Pacquiao vs. Thurman odds show Pacquiao as the -155 money line favorite (risk $155 to return $100). With Vegas constantly updating odds ahead of Saturday's start time, you'll want to see the Pacquiao vs. Thurman picks from SportsLine boxing expert Peter Kahn before you make your own predictions.
A fight game veteran with over 20 years of experience as a manager, promoter and adviser, he has his finger on the pulse of what's going on inside and outside the ring. He can be heard weekly as co-host of "The Fight Guys" podcast on the SB Nation Radio Network, and he just did a long sitdown interview with Thurman.
This is the same expert who nailed Pacquiao's last two fights, delivering huge profits. Kahn told readers last summer to back Pacquiao at +550 to knock out Lucas Matthysse. The result: Pacquiao knocked him out in the seventh round. Then, Kahn told his followers to bet Pacquiao over Adrien Broner. Pacquiao dominated in a lopsided, unanimous decision, and anyone who followed Kahn's lead hit it big.
For Thurman's last fight, even though it was a mismatch versus Lopez, Kahn told readers to back the fight going the distance at +170. "After 22 months off, it doesn't matter who you are, there's no amount of sparring that could replace real rounds during a real fight," Kahn wrote about Thurman's pre-fight layoff. "It's going to take some time for Thurman to shake off the ring rust even against a carefully selected opponent who not going to give him any trouble." Thurman won a majority decision and Kahn's followers scored again.
Now, Kahn has broken down Pacquiao vs. Thurman like only he can and released his best bets. You can only see them at SportsLine.
Kahn has taken into account that a victory over Pacquiao will be a career-defining moment for Thurman. Saturday's bout against Pacquiao will be Thurman's second fight since returning from a layoff that lasted nearly two years. In January, he made his first appearance in the ring since March 2017 and beat journeyman Josesito Lopez with a majority decision.
The 30-year-old will look to use his past experience and length to avoid Pacquiao's forceful body shots. And while his reach is an advantage, it's Thurman's power that could land him his most impressive victory to date. Thurman has faced talented competition as well and likely won't be fazed by staring down Pacquiao. Over his career, he has defeated Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia, and Robert Guerrero, just to name a few.
Kahn also knows that Pacquiao, like many of the all-time legends, has been able to refine his style late in his career. Many pundits wrote Pac Man off after back-to-back losses to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012.
Perhaps realizing the days of consistent knockouts were over, Pacquiao has mastered his pacing and technique in recent years. Since going down in the sixth round against Marquez, Pac Man has pushed every other fight the full 12 rounds, with the exception of his TKO of Lucas Matthysse last July. In that span, his only losses have been to Floyd Mayweather Jr., a fight Pacquiao believes he should have won via decision, and a highly-controversial defeat via decision to Jeff Horn.
Kahn is highly confident he has the Pacquiao vs. Thurman winner, and he also locked in a prop bet that pays 20-1. He's sharing his confident Pacquiao vs. Thurman predictions, along with his unmatched analysis, over at SportsLine.
So who wins Pacquiao vs. Thurman? And which prop bet should you back for a 20-1 payout? Visit SportsLine now to see Peter Kahn's best bets for Saturday's megafight, all from the boxing insider who's nailed three straight Pacquiao and Thurman fights.
