Keith Thurman is determined to bounce back following his loss against Manny Pacquiao.

Keith Thurman showed heart in the ring against Manny Pacquiao, and that heart stayed with him following the outcome. “One Time” may no longer hold the WBA (Secondary) welterweight title, but maintained the attitude of a champion.

Rather, the loss against Pacquiao served a good purpose for Thurman.

“It was a blessing to be here at the MGM Grand, to be forming my first ever pay-per view fight,” said Thurman. “To have such a tremendous fight. Even without the outcome coming my way. I promised you guys that this would be one of the most exciting fights of the summer.”

Thurman (29-1, 22KOs) had trouble with Pacquiao’s punch output early on, with a knockdown in the first round raising the alarm. After taking punches unlike any other of his career, Thurman minimized the damage during the second-half of the fight and boxed well.

His own offense began to find it’s mark against “The Pacman.” It was this determination which turned around the momentum, and made a seemingly one-sided fight much closer. In the end, Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39KOs) won by split decision; handing Thurman the first loss of his career.

But the former unified welterweight champion has seen the top, and knows what it takes to get back there.

“I will be back at the top of the sport of boxing,” said Thurman. “And, you know, I mean you gotta go with the flow. You gotta take the punches as they come. And you get knocked down, you lift yourself back up. That’s what champions do.”