Former two-belt welterweight champion Keith Thurman is ready to make his mark at 154, fighting Tim Tszyu on March 30th on Amazon Prime PPV.
During Thursday’s virtual press conference, Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) revealed that he could have chosen other fighters but wanted Tszyu’s name to make a bigger statement.
Defeating what many boxing fans believe is now the #1 guy at 154 would give Thurman the validation he wants. Tszyu’s WBO junior middleweight title won’t be at stake for the fight, but Thurman feels a victory would still give him the fame that he’s looking for.
Thurman is definitely the underdog in this fight, and it’s unknown what he’s got left after another two years out of the ring since his last fight against Mario Barrios in February 2022.
Coming off a two-year layoff to face Tszyu won’t be a picnic for Thurman, as this is a bigger, stronger fighter than anyone he’s faced during his 17-year professional career.
Thurman: Tszyu Fight Holds Strategic Value
“Tszyu is trying to make this his era, but I’ve done great things in boxing. I’m coming to make a big splash against this Aussie shark and take him into deep waters on March 30,” said Keith Thurman today during the virtual press conference for his fight against WBO 154-lb champion Tim Tszyu.
Taking Tszyu into deep waters might not be the ideal way for Thurman to win this fight, given that Tim tends to get stronger as the fight progresses. If Thurman is going to go for a knockout, he needs to do it early before Tszyu, a slow starter, gets ramped up.
“I had other fights I could have taken, but I feel like a victory over Tim Tszyu, with all the work he’s put in to build his name, is the perfect statement,” said Thurman.
The two fights that stand out on Thurman’s resume are Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia, but those matches took place a long time ago. Porter was never more than a true gatekeeper and Danny was fighting outside of his natural weight class of 140 when he lost to Thurman in 2017.
Analyzing Tszyu’s Threat
“Tim has a very unique style with the way he throws his right hand. He’s going to be knocking at the door all fight trying to have the highlight of the night, so we’re paying attention to that,” said Thurman.
