Welcome to the roundup of must-see sports news from Saturday, highlighted through Manny Pacquiao beating formerly undefeated Keith Thurman in action-crammed combat to assert the Welterweight name and Irishman Shane Lowry’s spherical of a lifetime at Royal Portrush main him to the top of the leaderboard at the Open Championship.
All this and more as we get you up to speed with the sports activities international this summertime Sunday!
40-year-old Manny Pacquiao proved on Saturday night that he could go toe-to-toe with the world’s first-class boxers. Pacquiao (62-7-2) defeated formerly unbeaten Keith Thurman via a cut-up decision in an action-packed fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena to take the WBA Welterweight title. Two judges scored the combat 115-112 in Pacquiao’s preference, while the third scored it 114-113 for Thurman.
Pacquiao knocked down Thurman in the first round with a proper hook; however, Thurman might hold his personal within the fight that ended up going the gap, out-touchdown Pacquiao in punches 210-195, consistent with CompuBox. In triumphing the fight, boxing’s only 8-department international champion has become the 5th-oldest male boxer to win a global name.
Thurman, who had entered Saturday with a 29-0-0 report, spoke about wanting a rematch following the combat. “I want a bit more output to go toe to toe,” stated Thurman. “I felt like he was getting a touch bit tired. However, he did have to enjoy inside the ring. My conditioning and my output turned me just behind Manny Pacquiao. It changed into a first-rate nighttime of boxing. I’d love a rematch.”
The Republic of Ireland’s Shane Lowry had the day of his profession on Saturday at the Open Championship, putting himself in a position to raise his first Claret Jug. Lifted with the aid of a boisterous, electric-powered Northern Ireland crowd at Royal Portrush, the 32-12 months-vintage Lowry shot a tournament-satisfactory for this week, 8-beneath par 63, and in doing so, opened up a 4-shot lead at 16-below par heading into Sunday’s very last round.
Lowry’s general rating of 197 through the primary three rounds marks the bottom rating following 54 holes inside the 148-year records of the Open Championship. The Irishman has been right here before in chief, having to lead the 2016 U.S. Open by way of four strokes at Oakmont heading into the final spherical. Lowry would move directly to shoot a 76 and completed three strokes in the back of eventual champion Dustin Johnson.
“I suppose I found out a few things that day about gambling inside the very last round of a chief with the lead, which you want to cling in until the very last minute simply,” Lowry stated. “You never understand what can manifest. And I’m going to do the identical day after today.”
Lowry can have outstanding support behind him on Sunday. Despite having misplaced their countrymen Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke to overlooked cuts, the Northern Ireland crowds have rallied in the back of Lowry, who’s from a city in the Republic of Ireland, 180 miles from Portrush. For some time on Saturday, it appeared we had been headed for a Sunday that’d function as a stacked leaderboard of stars only a few shots aside. However, Lowry’s ascent distanced him from the sphere.
The closest chaser to begin the final round could be England’s Tommy Fleetwood, who is four strokes at Lowry’s back and will play alongside him in the last pairing. Fleetwood, who shot a bogey-free 5-below-par 66 on Saturday, might be seeking his leap forward win on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
Sitting in 0.33, 6 strokes lower back is the 36-hole co-leader, American J.B. Holmes, who fired a 2-beneath par spherical on Saturday. Should the leaders falter on Sunday, principal champions Brooks Koepka and Justin Rose, who are seven strokes lower back at nine-underneath par, will look to make a charge and make up the floor.
The weather may want to lead to a wild last round, with the forecast calling for continual rain and wind gusts as much as 35mph. With negative weather looming, the R&A made the selection to transport the tee instances up for the very last round. The final pairing of Lowry and Fleetwood is now scheduled to go off at 8:47 a.m. ET.
