Keith Thurman responds to Terence Crawford’s comments

Keith Thurman responds to Terence Crawford's comments
By Jeepers Isaac - 09/12/2023 - Comments

Keith Thurman has reacted to Terence Crawford’s negative social media post from today, letting him know that he’s still interested in fighting him, and he wanted to face him in the past, but the timing wasn’t right.

Thurman let Crawford know that he didn’t beat a real champion with his victory over a shot-looking Errol Spence Jr. last July and that he wasn’t the same guy he’d been in the past.

That version of Spence would have lost to Shawn Porter and many other welterweights that night, says Thurman. Thurman says he would have beaten Spence as well because he didn’t look right.

Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) posted on Twitter today, saying that he’ll “never” fight the former WBA/WBC welterweight champion Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) or Danny Garcia because neither of them wanted that “smoke” from him long ago when he was pushing for a fight.

Crawford is now popular, currently the undisputed welterweight championship, and only interested in big-money fights against Canelo Alvarez & Jermell Charlo before he sails off into the sunset to retire with his massive wealth.

With Crawford moving up to 154 for his next fight against Errol Spence Jr., he’s not expected to return to 147, which means that even if he was interested in fighting Thurman, it would have to take place at junior middleweight.

“I ain’t mad about it. I don’t know if Danny said anything to spark that,” said Keith Thurman to Fight Hub TV, reacting to Terence Crawford’s Twitter message from today in which he said he will “Never” fight him.

“A few things. You didn’t beat up a champion,” said Thurman, making light of Crawford’s win over the weight-drained-looking Errol Spence Jr. last July.

Spence looked like a shell of the fighter he’d been from 2016, and it’s pretty clear that the combination of weight loss, two car accidents, and his wars against Yordenis Ugas, Porter, and Yordenis Ugas took a lot out of him that wont be coming back.

“I don’t think that Errol Spence would beat Shawn Porter. God blessed you, kid. Everybody knows in boxing that it’s timing.  There’s an old saying. ‘One day you got it, the next day you don’t.’

“This is for athletes in general. It happens. It’s one of those phenomena that occurs in sports. Not just in boxing but in sports. For the first time ever, when Errol Spence did his last performance, I think we all saw it.

“The fighter you are today, the fighter that you were yesterday. I don’t think it’s his fault. Injuries and life caught up to the kid. I don’t think it’s his fault. It just happens like that.

“Ben Getty told me this while growing up. ‘One day you got it, one day, you don’t.’ They get beat up and used as an opponent. Their real career is over.

“A lot of people know. Thurman against that Spence, the same scenario.

“We could have fought in October, but you fought some nobody,” said Thurman about Crawford fighting David Avanesyan last year. “Were things political when you were over there with [Top Rank promoter] Bob [Arum]? Yeah. Are you king of the hill now? Yeah,” said Thurman.

Crawford can’t be called king of the hill at 147, because he’s left the division and has already refused a fight with Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.

At 154, Crawford starts from scratch, so you can’t call him the king of the hill for that weight class until he proves it, and he won’t stay around long enough to face all the killers.

“You didn’t beat up a real champion, kid. Everybody knows that if you put Thurman in the ring on that night, Thurman wipes that Spence, that Errol. He gets wiped by many people,” said Keith.

The way Spence looked against Crawford, Thurman would have beaten him as well, and so would Porter, Jaron Ennis, and Eimantas Stanionis.

“You put me in there with you on that same night in Vegas. It’s not the same fight,” said Thurman. “Do what you want with your career. If you don’t want to fight me, fine. Spence never really wanted it. You don’t ever really want it, that’s fine.

“Do what you want to do with your career. Go after Canelo. Make history, be big. Don’t fight Danny, don’t fight Thurman. I’m still an active fighter. I still love looking for the best fights. It’s not my fault that you’re the best fight out there.

“Like I said, there was some political stuff when you were back with Bob. You’re not with Bob no more. You fought PBC fighters, but you still haven’t seen the one that is just the dog,” said Thurman.

 

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