Keith Thurman Reveals 'Issue' In Loss To Manny Pacquiao, Says He Wants Terence Crawford

More than a year after absorbing his first career loss to Manny Pacquiao, former welterweight champion Keith Thurman has revealed that an injury in his hand played a significant role in him taking the split decision setback.

Thurman, an erstwhile unified titleholder in the division, bared that his hand injury has been a recurring issue that has affected his fight game even prior to his face off against the Filipino legend.

The 31-year-old was taken to a boxing clinic by the much older Pacquiao in July 2019. But while he accepted his defeat rather professionally, he now admits that the outcome of the title bout would have been different if his mental game had not been compromised by the hand issue.

“The hand is the only real issue right now, as far as mentally. It was a big mental barrier in the Pacquiao fight. You yourself should be able to point out ‘where’s the left hook, Keith?’ ...we didn’t see it that day. And I felt way too much consequence of letting go punches on my end, how I was gonna feel due to what happened to me in sparring leading up to that competition,” Thurman told Brian Custer in the Last Stand Podcast, as transcribed by SB Nation’s Bad Left Hook.

“So really, it’s just a barrier, a mental barrier. Even if I can’t throw the punch 100% ever again, I just need to know what can I do, what can I do consistently so I can perform and put pressure on my opponents and just know what I’m capable of doing so I don’t have to hold anything back. I feel 80% right now.

“I just think as we go along, as I get into my next camp, it’s just about getting as close to 100% as we can from there. That’s all.”

Thurman also delved on his plans ahead, revealing that he would want a “contract” with Terence Crawford, whom he chose over Errol Spence after he was asked on who among the two present welterweight champions he would lock horns with next.

“Hey, right now I want Crawford more, man. He got under my skin. Errol, that’s a timeline issue. You know, I know how the game works, we got the same manager. That’s a timeline issue...that’s a calendar issue. We kinda gotta work closely together to make that happen,” Thurman said.

“This Crawford dude, send me a contract, bro! Tell ESPN to send some zeros my way — they know an appropriate, respectful number, you know what I’m saying — and then I sign on the dotted line, baby.”

Thurman previously held the WBC and WBA welterweight world titles and is currently ranked No. 4 in the division by the Ring magazine. He boasts a professional record of 29 wins in 31 fights, including 22 victories by way of knockout.

Meanwhile, Crawford was said to be not too interested in entertaining Thurman’s demand with Top Rank’s Bob Arum saying that they close to securing a fight between the undefeated champion and Kell Brook in November.