Manny Pacquiao Believes Keith Thurman Is Easier Challenge Than Adrien Broner

Just a few days away from his next title fight, Manny Pacquiao took another swipe at WBA welterweight regular champ Keith Thurman, saying that Adrien Broner is better than him.

A few days ago, Pacquiao made an analysis, not a prediction, that his next bout will not reach the 12th round. Pacquiao, who is not known for making such bold statements, might have hinted at him pushing hard for a knockout win. This led to reporters asking if the eight-division title holder has already made certain adjustments from his last fight against Broner.

In a recent conference call, Pacquiao divulged that his next opponent is a different challenge compared to his last. And despite the slight similarity between Thurman and Broner in terms of trash-talking, Pacquiao said that Broner is "better" than the WBA welterweight regular champ, Philstar Global reported.

"[Thurman] has a different style compared to Broner. I think this challenge is different than the Broner fight,” Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao then continued by stating what makes Broner a better fighter than Thurman. "But I know Broner is faster than Keith Thurman," Pacquiao added.

Pacquiao's longtime trainer Freddie Roach also believes that Broner is more skilled than Thurman. Being a cornerman of Pacquiao for a while now, Roach had already figured out how he and his fighter would match their opponents. In fact, in a recent talk with Fight Hub TV, Roach said that he wants Pacquiao to dominate Thurman and dictate the phase of the fight. More importantly, Roach warned Thurman to watch out for Pacquiao's uppercut, which may have been what the duo had been planning all along.

Despite Pacquiao's comparison of Thurman and Broner, the younger champ appears to be in his "best shape" ahead of the fight. Thurman's aunt, Kimberly Doehnert, just commented on his nephew's physique in a recent interview with Sporting News, emphasizing that the 30-year-old boxer's current fighting form is the best that she had seen from him.

"I will tell you right now, Keith is in the best shape that I've seen," Kimberly said.

Pacquiao and Thurman are finishing up some training sessions as the fight is just days away. Pacquiao just had his last sparring session at the Wild Card Gym where he had four rounds of light sparring with Abraham Lopez and is looking well-prepared for his next title fight as his team closed out the LA training camp.

The superfight will be held on Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.