Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman still hasn’t announced who his next opponent will be for his August comeback fight. The former WBA/WBC welterweight champion Thurman (29-1, 22 KOs) said last month that he would be returning to the ring in August for the first of what he hopes is two fights in 2021.
In a recent interview, Thurman sounded like a disengaged dreamer, talking about how he would fight twice in 2021 and take over the 147-lb division.
Thus far, there’s no word from the 32-year-old Thurman, who hasn’t fought since his 12 round decision loss to Manny Pacquiao in July 2019.
It makes ‘One Time’ Thurman look bad that the 42-year-old Pacquiao has beaten him to the punch in setting up a big money fight against IBF/WBC welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr on August 21.
That’s a fight that Thurman had been hoping t get against Spence, but his inactivity has hurt his case for getting the match.
Unfortunately, Thurman has fallen into the same trap as Mikey Garcia, a fighter that hasn’t shown interest in fighting top contenders and is just looking to strike oil with a big fight against one of the top fighters.
“I’m looking forward to coming back this summer, and it’s something I’m looking forward to,” said Keith Thurman to PBC Podcast.
“I’m coming back to dominate the welterweight division. I want to get back no later than August,” said Thurman.
At this point, it might take a minor miracle to get Thurman off his sofa so that he can resume his stalled boxing career.
Thurman’s career was humming along up until 2016, which is when he stopped fighting frequently. Since 2016, Thurman has fought just four times in the last five years.
It’s sad how Thurman has wasted his potential. Is it the money that did it or the injuries? Some believe Thurman’s problems returning to the ring are a combination of injuries, lack of motivation, and the money he’s made.
Thurman’s last six fights:
- 2019 – Manny Pacquiao
- 2019 – Josesito Lopez
- 2017 – Danny Garcia
- 2016 – Shawn Porter
“I want to step into the ring twice this year. I want to stay moving and active, and two fights a year, especially if the first one is this summer,” said Thurman.
It’s not looking good for Thurman to fight in August, let alone twice this year. If Thurman is going to fight a live body in August, you would think the match would have been announced by now.
Thurman says he’d be open to fighting WBA welterweight champion Yordenius Ugas for his title. That might not be a good idea for Thurman because he’s been too inactive for him to take on a top guy like Ugas. Sure, Thurman can probably get the fight with Ugas, but it would be a mistake.