Keith Thurman gets caught with ‘hands down’

LAS VEGAS – American Keith Thurman said he got “caught with my hands down” and paid the price.

It was the knockdown in the opening round of his fight against Manny Pacquiao last Saturday at the MGM Grand that did Thurman in.

“That knockdown when he went springing at me while I was moving backwards,” said Thurman, who was undefeated in 30 fights (including one no-contest).

Until he faced a boxer the caliber of Pacquiao.

“Oh, he was fast and he was strong. The short stabs. He has a lot of it still left in him,” said Thurman.

At 40, there’s supposed to be less or little left of Pacquiao. But his performance inside the ring Saturday suggests otherwise.

“I can still fight. I can still entertain. It’s the ability I have that God gave to me,” said Pacquiao.

After the first-round knockdown, Thurman slowly picked up the pace, and started to land his own shots.

“I felt he was getting a little bit tired in the later rounds. But he kept his hands up. He’s been to many wars that now he knows what not to do,” he said.

What he had hoped Pacquiao would do was lower his guard the way he did against Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012.

That led to a horrific knockout defeat for Pacquiao.

Thurman said Pacquiao had learned to utilize his defense “a little bit better” and that makes it even more difficult to beat the latter.

Even at his age.

Thurman admitted that there were things he should have or could have done of which he didn’t.

“But it was a great fight. I felt that I tested him and myself,” he said.

Thurman is coming home with his head held high.