Manny Pacquiao v Keith Thurman: WBA welterweight championship – as it happened

That’s all for now. Thanks as always for following along with us and be sure to check out the full report below.

“He’s a good boxer, he’s strong,” says Pacquiao, who becomes the oldest holder of a major welterweight title in boxing history. “I was blessed tonight.”

The 40-year-old says he is planning on fighting again in 2020, possibly against the winner of the 28 September fight between Errol Spence Jr and Shawn Porter.

Thurman, upbeat in defeat, calls Pacquiao “truly great” as says he would love a rematch.

“I wish I had a little more output to go toe to toe with him,” Thurman says. “My condition, my output was just behind Manny Pacquiao.”

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Glenn Feldman scores it 114-113 to Thurman, while Dave Moretti and Tim Cheatham both had it 115-112 for Pacquiao. (The Guardian scored it 115-112 to Pacquiao.)

Round 12

Pacquiao not taking any chances in the 12th, confident he’s ahead on the scorecards. He’s circling Thurman, picking away with punches but not pressing for a knockout. Thurman tries to come forward and throw punches, but he’s absorbed too much punishment (especially to the body) and doesn’t appear to have much left. Close round with 30 seconds to go. Pacquiao gets tagged by a right hook, but comes back with a cobination off the ropes that’s enough to give him the round. Now the wait for the official scores ...

Guardian’s unofficial score: Pacquiao 10-9 Thurman (Pacquiao 115-112 Thurman)

Round 11

Thurman hurts Pacquiao with a hard right over the top early in the round then follows it up with an uppercut. Pacquiao is doing enough to keep the round competitive but Thurman is scoring with straight rights and jabs. Thurman takes the round but he will need a knockdown in the 12th to force a draw on our unofficial scorecard.

Guardian’s unofficial score: Pacquiao 9-10 Thurman (Pacquiao 105-103 Thurman)

Round 10

Pacquiao needs a big round to halt Thurman’s momentum and he’s coming for it early! A devastating body shot by Pacquiao has Thurman hurt badly and the Filipino is rushing in for the finish! Looks like there was a head butt but referee Kenny Bayless does not intervene. Thurman looks gassed and hurt. A body shot then an uppercut by Pacquiao. High drama in the 10th. A big shift in momentum here with Pacquiao putting Thurman into full retreat.

Guardian’s unofficial score: Pacquiao 10-9 Thurman (Pacquiao 96-93 Thurman)

Round 9

Thurman lands some big shots early in the ninth and Pacquiao, whose legs do not look great, is slowing down. The bounce that powered him to the early lead on the cards is gone. Thurman is coming forward and pressuring his opponent, finally getting the jab to click while working the body. Pacquiao is able to come off the ropes late in the frame to back up Thurman with a quick combination but it’s not enough. This fight is getting very interesting.

Guardian’s unofficial score: Pacquiao 9-10 Thurman (Pacquiao 86-84 Thurman)

Round 8

Pacquiao tattoos Thurman with a combination. Then another. He’s back on the balls of his feet and circling Thurman to find new angles of approach and keep his opponent guessing. Great in-out movement from the 40-year-old. Thurman is holding his ground, however. More sharp counters from the American. It’s a close round – maybe the closest of the fight so far – and Thurman may have done enough with a flurry of punches in the last 10 seconds to nick it.

Guardian’s unofficial score: Pacquiao 9-10 Thurman (Pacquiao 77-74 Thurman)

Round 7

Thurman slips a left hand by Pacquiao and comes back with a big counter right. Another good one-two combo by Thurman. Pacquiao snaps Thurman’s head back with a massive uppercut, but Thurman responds with more effective combinations and deft counterpunching. Great work by Thurman from bell to bell and he’s taken advantage in a drop in Pacquiao’s pace to win back-to-back rounds and scratch his way back into the fight.

Guardian’s unofficial score: Pacquiao 9-10 Thurman (Pacquiao 68-64 Thurman)

Round 6

Pacquiao continues to bust up Thurman, whose face tells the story. But Thurman contines to push forward. He backs up Pacquiao with a big right hand but Pacquiao takes the punch well, following up with blinding combinations of his own. The pace slows for the second half of the round and Pacquiao appears to be resting up a bit, enough to give Thurman the round. Thurman is doing his best work when he’s boxing behind an active jab and keeps his foot on the gas. More of that, please.

Guardian’s unofficial score: Pacquiao 9-10 Thurman (Pacquiao 59-54 Thurman)

Round 5

Thurman catches Pacquiao with a right is starting to pour on the punches, pressing Pacquiao back against the ropes and not letting him off the hook like before. Another big right by Thurman, whose nose is now bleeding. Now Pacquiao hits back with a series of combinations to the body. This is a dead-even round with about 30 seconds to go, but Pacquiao lands a series of big shots in the final seconds – including a massive right hand that rocks Thurman – to take the round. Thurman is bleeding from the nose and mouth and looks unsteady as he walks back to the corner.

Guardian’s unofficial score: Pacquiao 10-9 Thurman (Pacquiao 50-44 Thurman)

Round 4

Thurman is doing his best work of the fight early in the fourth, letting his hands go a bit and backing Pacquiao up. He gets Pacquiao up against the ropes but Pacquiao explodes towards the center with a flurry of punches. Pacquiao now throwing punches from all different angles. His activity is overwhelming Thurman, who’s already looking a bit tired and gunshy, curling himself up in a tight guard. Pacquiao just too busy and creative for the younger champion.

Guardian’s unofficial score: Pacquiao 10-9 Thurman (Pacquiao 40-35 Thurman)

Round 3

Pacquiao is moving great early in the third as Thurman continues to measure up the target in front of him. Pacquiao stings Thurman with a stiff jab, then follows up with combination. It’s a vintage display of speed and power. Thurman lands a few good body shots then connects with a big right hand upstairs. A great inside uppercut by Pacquiao. Every time Thurman attempts to throw a jab, Pacquiao is right on top of it with a quick counter. A less busy round for both fighters but Pacquiao is in control.

Guardian’s unofficial score: Pacquiao 10-9 Thurman (Pacquiao 30-26 Thurman)

Round 2

Thurman was not badly hurt by the flash knockdown but Pacquiao looking great to start the second round, flummoxing the American with his hand speed. He’s letting his hands go with combinations, many of which are being parried or blocked by Thurman but which may register with the judges. Thurman briefly turns southpaw but switches back. Pacquiao is landing a lot of power shots here. Pacquiao lands a big left hand upstairs in the final 10 seconds and dances his way to the corner after the bell. Thurman’s body language as he makes the longer walk to his corner is not so good. He looks out of his depth early on.

Guardian’s unofficial score: Pacquiao 10-9 Thurman (Pacquiao 20-17 Thurman)

Pacquiao comes out fast and throws a big right hook that misses. Thurman lands a straight lead right. Thurman standing his ground. Thurman lands a nice right-left combination. Another good right by Thurman and it’s been a good start for the younger, primer fighter. They’re trading punches in the corner. And a big right hook directly by Pacquiao on the chin has dropped Thurman with 20 seconds left in the round! He caught Thurman backing up with his hands down! They’re going to war as the bell sounds. What an opening round!

Guardian’s unofficial score: Pacquiao 10-8 Thurman (Pacquiao 10-8 Thurman)

The fighters have been announced by Jimmy Lennon Jr. They’ve met at the center of the ring for the final instructions from referee Kenny Bayless. The seconds are out and the opening bell is moments away. We’ll pick it up with round-by-round updates from here!

And here come the fighters! First it’s Thurman, who jogs from the tunnel to Archie Eversole’s We Ready in a red, white and blue robe. He’s playing to the fans and looks in good spirits. Then comes Pacquiao, all smiles as usual in a red robe with gold, white and blue trim to Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger, one of his old standards.

Now the national anthems of the Philippines and the United States. Big chant of “Man-ny! Man-ny” ring out from the sold-out crowd of 14,236.

Yordenis Ugas has beaten Omar Figueroa Jr by a unanimous decision in the final undercard fight. All three ringside judges scored it 119-107 (as did the Guardian). A comprehensive beatdown that, frankly, should have been stopped by the referee before going the full distance. Ugas will likely angle for the winner of the fight between welterweight alpha dog Errol Spence Jr and Shawn Porter, which has been made for 28 September at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Next up: Manny Pacquiao v Keith Thurman. The fighters will make their entrances any minute now.

Pacquiao and Thurman are hitting the mitts in their dressing rooms waiting for the final undercard bout to finish up. Ugas and Figueroa are in the 10th round and it’s been a one-sided affair from start to finish with Ugas in total command from the opening bell. The main event should be under way in about 20 minutes.

Make what you may of this: Floyd Mayweather Jr has taken his seat at ringside at the MGM Grand ahead of tonight’s main event. Has it really been four years since he and Pacquiao met in this very room in a superfight that shattered all revenue records? Rumblings of a rematch that no one is particularly interested in seeing but which would generate boatloads of cash have persisted in the years since, even in the last year. It makes you think.

What a difference two years makes. Back in 2017, Thurman was on the fringe of the pound-for-pound conversation after unifying welterweight titles against Danny Garcia, while Pacquiao appeared on his way out of the sport after a shock defeat to the unheralded Jeff Horn. Since then Thurman was sidelined 22 months, first by right elbow surgery and then an injured left hand, and was hurt badly by a B-level opponent in a January comeback fight, while Pacquiao has rolled back the years in back-to-back victories over Lucas Matthysse and Adrien Broner.

Consequently, Pacquiao enters tonight’s fight as a slight betting favorite, though we’ve just heard the MGM has taken a six-figure wager on Thurman in the last few hours.

“It’s been a build up and a progression my whole career toward this moment on Saturday night,” Thurman said this week. “This really is the outcome of an individual living out their dream.”

Hello and welcome to the MGM Grand for tonight’s WBA welterweight title fight between Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman. It’s a main event offering an intriguing matchup between the 40-year-old Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs), an eight-division champion in the winter of an all-time great career, and the 30-year-old Thurman (29-0, 22 KOs), one of the sport’s young lions with an opportunity to secure the signature win of his career. Both enter the fight with versions of the WBA’s welterweight title which makes it a unification fight in its own special way.

The co-main event, a 12-round welterweight scrap between Omar Figueroa Jr vs Yordenis Ugas, is about to start. Which means Pacquiao and Thurman should make their ringwalks in about 45 minutes.

Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s Ron Lewis’s report from the heavyweight happenings at the O2 earlier today.