Tim Bradley believes that Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman “can shock the world” to pull off an upset against WBC junior middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora next month in their headliner on October 25 at the MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Will Thurman Find His Magic?
Bradley thinks Thurman can dazzle Fundora with his footwork and then eventually nail him with a big left hook to score a knockout win. It sounds more like something out of a movie than a scenario that will play out in real life on October 25. Thurman isn’t young, and he’s not prepared to fight someone like Fundora.
In Thurman’s recent comeback after a two-year layoff, he looked slow and rusty in his fight against an obscure fighter, Brock Jarvis, on March 12. Although Thurman still knocked him out in the third round, he got hit a lot by this guy. Jarvis had been stopped in the first round by light welterweight contender Liam Paro in 2022. Thurman wasn’t taking any chances of fighting a contender and being exposed.
The commentator Bradley says it could be “the last time” for the 36-year-old Thurman (31-1, 23 KOs) to get a world title shot if he loses to Fundora (23-1-1, 15 KOs). The chronic periods of inactivity that Keith has had make it almost impossible to see him winning against Fundora.
A Business Decision, Not Merit
Ideally, Thurman should have had to fight WBC interim 154-lb champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. or #1 WBC contender Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis to earn the title shot against Fundora. But this fight is more about business, so Thurman is being allowed to fight for a world title just because of what he did many years ago.
He stopped being a serious fighter years ago and is now viewed as a fighter who only occasionally competes to replenish his bank account, allowing him to then disappear for another two to three years.
Thurman didn’t earn this title shot after fighting just twice in the last six years since 2019. He was given the world title shot based on what he’d done in his prime from 2012 to 2017.
‘One Time’ Thurman’s career evaporated after his victory over Danny Garcia on March 4, 20017. Dealing with injuries and family life, Keith has fought just three times since the Garcia clash.
The Last Chance Saloon
“I hope Thurman has that ‘One Time’ in him, because this could be his last time fighting for a world championship,” said Tim Bradley on his channel, analyzing the Sebastian Fundora vs. Keith Thurman fight on October 25.
“He has a good chance of upsetting [Fundora]. He has the perfect style. He can move, create, and he’s explosive with his combinations. He can confuse Fundora. He’s going to have to weather the storm early,” said Bradley.
I wonder if Bradley actually believes what he’s saying about him thinking Thurman can upset Fundora. If you caught Thurman’s last fight against Jarvis, you have to think he has very little chance of beating Fundora, and it’s going to take a beating similar to the one Erickson Lubin took against Sebastian if he doesn’t fold early.
Boxing isn’t a part-time sport where you can take 2-3 years off between fights and then challenge for a world title after beating a scrub.
