By Miguel Rivera
Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao is very confident of victory in the upcoming clash with Keith 'One Time' Thurman.
At 40-years-old, Pacquiao feels in excellent condition, and said he was willing to erase all doubts about the level of his abilities at this point in his career.
Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs) and Thurman (29-0, 22 KOs) will meet on July 20 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for the WBA welterweight championship.
When the fight was first announced, Thurman was the betting favorite, but now the Filipino superstar has been placed as favorite.
"There are a lot of people who are doubting my abilities at 40, so I feel I have something to prove, I still feel hungry, I still enjoy training, boxing, I'm still giving my best," Pacquiao said to ESPN Deportes.
"This is going to be an interesting fight, I have not so focused for a fight like I am right now, his words even made my mother angry, that's why I'm motivated and focused."
Pacquiao ruled out that at 40 he feels old, in fact, he said he felt better.
"The reality is that I have not noticed my age, God has blessed me with good health, I could continue fighting," Pacquiao said. "I feel more experienced, my style has not changed, but my timing, my intelligence, my foot movements, everything is better."
Pacquiao guaranteed that if he sees an opportunity to knock Thurman out, he will take advantage of it.
"If there is the opportunity (to knock him out) I will take advantage of it," said Pacquiao. "Thurman has a style like that of Ricky Hatton, but I will not take him lightly. He will come well prepared because he will not be fighting with (Josesito) López, he will be fighting with Manny Pacquiao, so I hope he has worked hard and reached 100 percent."