American boxing rivals Errol Spence Jr. and Keith Thurman are going back and forth on social media regarding a long-speculated showdown involving the Al Haymon fighters.
Between them, they’ve dominated the US landscape over the years.
The 36-year-old Spence fought nothing but world title fights from 2017 to 2023, beating Mike Garcia, Shawn Porter, and Danny Garcia in a particularly impressive three-fight welterweight run more than five years ago, and only coming unstuck when he met Terence Crawford in an all-time great 147-pound spectacle in 2023. He’s not boxed since but has been linked with a return, per Boxing Social sources.
Thurman, 37, was prominent in a similar era, besting Porter, Danny Garcia, and Josesito Lopez in a three-fight run that led to a Manny Pacquiao fight in 2019. He returns to the ring on March 28 and has a tall task on his hands having to out-think and out-fight the 6-foot-7 Sebastian Fundora at super welterweight.
Victory could open other doors for Thurman. He’d re-announce himself as a force for boxing, capable of, perhaps, luring Terence Crawford out of retirement. Or, even, taking on Spence.
“I don’t understand what this kid is emotionally going through,” Thurman recently told Naji Chill on the Cigar Talk podcast.
Thurman then recalled an incident in which he confronted Spence in the hallways of one of boxing’s iconic Las Vegas venues.
“He has a right to have feelings but let’s be honest — the truth is, the day I met that boy at the back of the MGM Grand, I told him to his face, ‘I look forward to fighting you one day,’ right? I don’t have to say nothing like that, don’t have to acknowledge him.”
Spence seems to think differently.
Spence shared a clip of Thurman saying, “Guess what, I’m not ready,” to perhaps indicate there have always been levels between the fighters.
“It’s in black and white, man,” Spence then says in his clip. “He didn’t want the fight.” In other segments within the montage, Spence said he’d been calling for the Thurman fight since he was 14-0.
Watch it right here:
It is unclear against whom Spence could return against, though he has been linked with a date against Aussie fighter Tim Tszyu.
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