Keith Thurman is about to return from a 22-month absence from boxing, but he already has his fellow welterweight champions Errol Spence Jr., Terence Crawford, Shawn Porter and Manny Pacquiao beat in one category — talking. And by sheer volume alone, it’s not even close.
Whether it was the international media conference call Tuesday, media workout Wednesday or final fight press conference Thursday, “One Time” had plenty of time this week to spill his thoughts about his own career and trendy topics throughout boxing.
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Just like he told Sporting News last month and again this week, Thurman said that he’d like to save a mega fight with Spence or Crawford for 2020, adding that such an eventual clash “isn’t worth one title, it isn’t worth two titles … it should be worth three titles, baby, so we’re going to set it up like that.”
Thurman said that at Gleason’s Gym Wednesday, as he held court in the middle of a pool of reporters huddled around him before his media workout. But when the WBA titleholder stepped between the ropes to begin his workout shadowboxing, he wasn’t done talking yet. In fact, he was just getting started.
About a possible matchup with Pacquiao now that the boxing legend is also with Premier Boxing Champions, Thurman said, “I know he could pray,” referring to the deeply-religious "Pac Man," “but I’m praying too.”
On Crawford signing up to defend his WBO welterweight strap against Amir Khan on April 20, Thurman said: “I made the fight. I made the statement earlier this year — ‘Terence Crawford, he ain’t even fight an Amir Khan’ — and here comes the contract. Do I get five percent? I think I deserve five percent of that.”
Thurman’s thoughts on Mikey Garcia moving up two weight classes to fight Spence on March 16? “It looks like [Garcia’s] face lines up with [Spence’s] right hook,” he said, adding that Crawford would’ve been a better fight for Garcia to take.
When further pressed about fighting Spence and sooner than later, Thurman retorted, “Do you pull a chicken out of the oven before it’s time to eat?”
In fact, Thurman talked non-stop through his entire workout, while shadowboxing and jumping rope for an hour, without visibly breathing hard once.
Perhaps, he described it best by saying, “This isn’t a media workout … this is me working out with the media.”
True, indeed. And if you sifted through his laundry list of soundbites, you saw that Thurman laid out his fighting blueprint for the next two years — a plan that will go in effect Saturday night.
Thurman says he wants to have two fights this year, including his bout against Lopez. A convincing win over “Riverside Rocky” and the 30-year-old Thurman wants to shift his sights to either recapturing his WBC belt or fighting Pacquiao. Each option presents its respective lure for the Clearwater, Florida native.
After all, "One Time" never lost his WBC title — he vacated it last April, while continuing to recover from his 2017 elbow surgery and the hand injury he suffered in camp last March. That paved the way for Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia to fight for the title last September, with Porter winning by unanimous decision to leave Brooklyn with the strap in tow. Thurman defeated Porter and Garcia in succession, before his 22-month absence. Porter defends the WBC gold against Yordenis Ugas on March 9 and Thurman expects “Showtime” to emerge victorious.
If that happens, we could see a heated rematch, but one that’s a title unification between Porter and Thurman later this year.
“You taking a strap and you didn’t even take the strap. You taking a strap, but you did not take the strap,” Thurman barked ferociously about Porter claiming the title he vacated. “And don’t worry, I know you got it … and I’ll take it right back.”
He added: “I rattled his cage a few times in the first fight. I don’t see why if I don’t put in the hard work and dedication, I can’t put the icing on the cake the next time.”
Or if those plans don’t come to fruition — something that inflicts boxing often — the timing for a fight with Pacquiao definitely matches up, with "Pac Man" just beating Broner and Thurman fighting Saturday, a week apart.
Keith Thurman was never able to get in the ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr., so a bout with a living legend like Manny Pacquiao might be too hard to pass up: pic.twitter.com/9AcG1jRm6K
— Sporting News Fights (@sn_fights) January 24, 2019
“Pacquiao can be on the table … I would love to see it on the table,” Thurman said following Thursday's press conference. “I never got Floyd Mayweather. To get Manny Pacquiao, he’s the last living legend in the sport of boxing in my opinion right now.
“To be a part of his legacy, to have him a part of my legacy, it would be a dream come true.”
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If successful against Lopez — as expected — and if Thurman is able to capture the WBC title or Pacquiao’s WBA “regular” strap, a 2020 showdown with either Spence or Crawford could be for three titles just as Keith says.
“In the next few years, the world of boxing will witness something that it ain’t witness in a long time and that’s called the undisputed welterweight champion of the world,” Thurman said.
Consider defeating Lopez on Saturday night, phase one. Or better yet, phase “One Time.” No doubt, Thurman will talk you through the rest.
