INCHEON – Former unified world champion Keith Thurman was perhaps, among the few who anticipated Manny Pacquiao and Mario Barrios fighting to a draw in their welterweight championship fight over the weekend.
And for that, the 36-year-old American came out with a huge smile like the cat that swallowed the canary.
Thurman said he bet on a Pacquiao-Barrios draw for $500 and ended up collecting $8,000 at the MGM Grand.
READ Thurman on Pacquiao: 'He looked good, he didn’t look great'
The 12-round fight that marked the Filipino boxing legend’s return to the ring after a four-year absence ended in a majority draw, allowing Barrios to retain his World Boxing Council crown.
Max DeLuca had the champion winning on his scorecard, 115-113, while Steve Weisfeld and Tim Cheatham both had it even at 114-114.
“I god paid and I was happy with the draw,” said Thurman, who later showed his betting ticket as proof that he did make the right call.
“Easy work. I don’t know. Maybe I know boxing. Maybe I don’t.”
A draw result had an odds of 16/1, meaning a $1 bet would earn $16.
Pressed further on what made him think it will end in a draw, Thurman had an honest reply.
“The casino doesn’t want to let Manny lose. And I knew it was rare right, because Mario Barrios just came off a draw. And man I don’t know why,” he added.
Prior to taking the Pacquiao fight, the 30-year-old Barrios also ended up with a split draw against Abel Ramos (116-110, 112-114, 113-113) in his first title defense last November.
Thurman faced both Pacquiao and Barrios in bouts with contrasting outcomes.
He lost his World Boxing Association welterweight crown to Pacquiao in 2019 where a first-round knockdown proved to be the deciding factor in a split decision win for the eight-division world champion.
Upon his return following the close loss to Pacquiao, Thurman dominated Barrios to win by unanimous decision in a 2022 non-title match.
Thurman said Barrios didn’t panic and used his lethal jab to ward off Pacquiao coming in.
“What I tell everybody is that Mario Barrios has a good jab, and his strength is his poise. He stayed poised and composed the whole time. His jab was really good,” stressed Thurman.
“And he needed to make the old man use those legs. And he did.”
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