His credentials boldly paint WBA welterweight champion Keith Thurman as a genuine world title owner.
The unbeaten Thurman, 30, is listed as the WBA super welterweight titlist, with a 29-0 record, including 22 knockouts.
Thurman, who had his last fight in January following a two-year layoff due to injuries (hand and elbow) was anything but super against the obscure Josesito Lopez, a 16-1 underdog who got off from a second-round knockdown to give Thurman hell—close to stopping the lethargic WBA super belt owner. Thurman was lucky to have survived and go home with a majority decision.
Latest reports say a Thurman fight against eight-division world champ Manny Pacquiao is just waiting for the final details and signatures of the main protagonists.
Pacquiao is the regular WBA welterweight champion who also had his last bout in January.
The Pacquiao-Thurman WBA unification fight is being calendared for July.
It will be a pay-per-view event. Both Pacquiao and Thurman are now with the Premier Boxing Champions of the influential Al Haymon.
Thurman was not figuring prominently in the derby to fight Pacquiao; but he suddenly sprinted up front and moved past Danny Garcia, who had a sensational previous stoppage victory.
Thurman also happened to own a big tactical win over Garcia much earlier.
Thurman, however, had a hard time figuring big in the race to fight Pacquiao, mainly because of his underwhelming performance against Lopez in January. In that bout, Thurman was hapless and unenthusiastic. He was hopelessly rusty, a shaky statue of his old combative self.
After that bout, Bob Arum readily remarked that Thurman was totally through with serious prizefighting.
Of course, Thurman continued to undergo repairs and remedies in his damaged system. (There was one report saying the most serious injuries were caused by a car crash).
As expected, experts were one in saying mere patch-ups would be of no help if and when he ends up face-to-face with the perpetually fiery Manny Pacquiao.
If anything, Thurman, once fabulously known as One Time, will definitely be no Adrien Broner, who made a fool of himself in his last pay-per-view clash with Pacquiao.
Thurman, a cerebral warrior, should be able to pull some surprises.
He’s young and there’s a whole world of prizefight possibilities awaiting him.
Forget about the dreadful last fight, the dirty details have been aptly swept under the rug.
Pacquiao should not be demeaned with a useless foe, or a shaky and rusty statue for an opponent.
The boxing world—Pacquiao himself—wants to see a genuine new super WBA champ in Keith Thurman.