Keith Thurman is expecting that a victory against WBC super welterweight champion Sebastian Fundora on March 28 will etch his name into the Boxing Hall of Fame.
“This will definitely solidify me as a Hall of Famer,” Thurman said from his training camp. “This is just a beautiful opportunity. The last time I held a world title was in 2019. I don’t think anyone from that generation has a story like this. Boxing loves great comeback stories and this is a modern-day story right now. This is what boxing movies are all about. It’s been done, it can be done, and it’s gonna be done again. I’m looking forward to solidifying my place in boxing history.”
Thurman (31-1, 23 KOs) aims to become a two-weight world champion eleven years on from when he was elevated to WBA welterweight titlist. The Florida native would unify the division with the WBC belt by defeating Danny Garcia in a close split decision in March 2017, but would be stripped of the Green and Gold belt due to inactivity. A first career loss to Manny Pacquiao soon followed in 2019. The 37-year-old has only had two professional fights since: a unanimous decision victory over Mario Barrios in February 2022 and a third-round stoppage win over Brock Jarvis in Australia last March.
“Fundora wasn’t a big name when he was first coming up and I was yet to enter the division,” Thurman explained. “He’s so tall that you weren’t sure if he was going to be moving up to other weight classes. It didn’t really cross my mind until he took my spot when I got hurt before the Tim Tszyu fight. I knew that I wanted to win a world title and once he won his rematch, I knew my path to the world title was gonna go through Fundora.”
Thurman and Fundora collide at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on March 28, courtesy of Premier Boxing Champions, broadcast live on Prime Video. The pair were originally scheduled for last October, but it was delayed due to Fundora injuring his right hand. It followed a number of rescheduled and canceled fights for Thurman.
“At the time, it just felt like it was hard to catch a break,” Thurman said. “But I know how to be patient. Now the fight’s happening and they say good things come to those who wait. The only thing I did after the delay was take my daughter to eat ice cream every day for a week. Might as well enjoy it for a second before we got back on track for this matchup.”
Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KOs) stepped in for the injured Thurman to face Tim Tszyu two years ago to become the WBA and WBC world champion, and has since defeated Chordale Booker and Tszyu in a rematch.
“March 28, the world is gonna see one of the best fights of the year,” Thurman added. “Fundora really comes to fight and I truly come to fight. There’s a lot of potential for some great back and forth. I’m gonna look to set traps, drop those heavy hammers on him, and hopefully go home early. Fundora’s never seen anything like this.”
