Keith Thurman has become the subject of derision from certain quarters, after seemingly going life and death with Josesito Lopez last Saturday night and failing to fulfil his bombastic pre-fight promises.
After starting the fight in promising fashion, Thurman found himself in trouble in the seventh round after absorbing a powerful combination from his in-ring counterpart, despite managing to ultimately survive the round and finish the fight strongly to retain his WBA welterweight championship via majority decision.
Yes, fans could be forgiven for presenting his latest showing as clear evidence that Thurman is undergoing something of a decline, after the Clearwater native was sidelined for eighteen months with injuries following a successful unification against Danny Garcia in 2017.
However, boxing fans have very short memories, and while some may argue that a fighter is only as good as their last performance, Thurman’s exploits in 2016 and 2017 – successive victories over his foremost rivals in the division – should remind fans of his fistic capabilities in addition to the fact that he can still be reasonably deemed as the man to beat in the division, despite the emergence of Errol Spence and Terence Crawford into the welterweight championship scene.
What many of Thurman’s detractors fail to appreciate also is that Thurman, like most fighters, has shown vulnerabilities in previous fights – Collazo being a prominent example – and the fact that he was able to overcome these at the time alongside his bombastic personality and penchant for smack talk, are reasons why his drawing power remains strong among boxing fans.
In relieving Garcia of his WBC belt – incidentally, a belt that Thurman never lost in the ring; indeed, he has never lost in the ring – Thurman also showed why he is much more than what his ‘One-Time’ nickname suggests.
It was an impressive performance against the Philadelphian by Thurman, who was assertive in the early rounds in the process of mounting a seemingly unassailable lead on the scorecards, before showcasing intelligent movement towards the later stages to see out the fight and secure a historic victory.
Although Thurman certainly did not make the statement he wanted to make against Lopez, we shouldn’t be so eager to forget his skills. With his intelligent approach to fights coupled with his explosive qualities, it is fair to say Thurman, on his day, is capable of beating anyone in the division.
Article by: Navi Singh
Follow Navi on Twitter at: @DarkMan_______