Manny Pacquiao took down the undefeated Keith Thurman by split decision to win the WBA (Super) welterweight title on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday.
An eight-figure payout will make Pacquiao's night even sweeter.
Per Nevada State Athletic Commission figures cited by Dan Rafael of ESPN, Pacquiao will make $10 million guaranteed. As for Thurman, he will bring home $2.5 million. Both fighters are also set to make "many millions more," per Rafael.
The win wasn't easy for Pacquiao, who emerged victorious despite one judge scoring the bout for Thurman:
Mike Coppinger @MikeCoppinger114-113 for Thurman, 115-112 for Pacquiao and 115-112 for Manny Pacquiao, who grabs an age-40 victory for the ages. Still adding to his legacy. One of the all-time greats #PacquiaoThurman
ESPN5 @Sports5PHTake a look at the Judges’ official score card for #PacquiaoThurman bout.
A first-round knockdown helped Pacquiao's cause, with all three judges scoring the opening three minutes 10-8 in his favor:
Bleacher Report @BleacherReportMANNY DROPPED THURMAN IN THE FIRST ROUND #PacquiaoThurman
Pacquiao largely continued his dominance through the fifth round, although Thurman dominated during that frame until the challenger made the champion bleed:
Kevin Iole @KevinIThurman bleeding from nose and mouth. I think Manny steals that round in the last 20 seconds with some big shots. 10-9 Pacman, making it 50-44 for him on my card. #PacquiaoThurman
Undeterred, Thurman stormed back and enjoyed a dominant seventh round:
FOX Sports: PBC @PBConFOXWBA Champ @keithfthurmanjr gettin' loose in the 7th đź‘€ Eight-division World Champion Manny Pacquiao faces World Champion Keith Thurman for WBA supremacy! BUY NOW:
It looked as though Thurman had a chance to come back and win the fight after largely controlling events from Rounds 6 through 9, but the 10th belonged to Pacquiao:
FOX Sports: PBC @PBConFOX.@MannyPacquiao with a massive body shot in the 10th! Eight-division World Champion Manny Pacquiao faces World Champion Keith Thurman for WBA supremacy! BUY NOW:
The match ended in Pacquiao's favor, but both fighters were sensational. ESPN posted Thurman's Compubox accuracy stats as an example of the losing fighter's prowess in the ring Saturday:
ESPN5 @Sports5PH.@keithfthurmanjr displayed solid punching accuracy despite losing to Manny Pacquiao. #Respect #PacquiaoThurman
Mike Coppinger @MikeCoppingerKeith Thurman landed 192 power punches in the fight, the most ever by a Manny Pacquiao opponent in the 43 fights of his tracked by @CompuBox #PacquiaoThurman
Thurman said post-fight he would love a rematch. And if Saturday's events are any indication, fans would favor that as well.
