Tim Tszyu’s WBO junior middleweight title won’t be at stake for his clash against welterweight Keith Thurman on March 30th on Amazon Prime PPV in Las Vegas. Tszyu vs. Thurman will still take place in the headliner, but it’ll be at a 155-lb catchweight.
Mike Coppinger reveals that the WBO said no to Tszyu fighting Thurman for his next title defense.
Why the No-Sanction?
The WBO has declined to sanction the fight for their 154-lb title for obvious reasons. Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) isn’t ranked in the WBO’s top 15 at junior middleweight, and he’s never fought in the weight class during his long 17-year professional career.
If the WBO had sanctioned the Tszyu-Thurman fight for their 154-lb title, there would have been a huge uproar from fighters ranked in their top 15, promoters and the fans.
It would have looked blatantly unfair, similar to how Francis Ngannou is fighting Anthony Joshua for the chance to compete for the undisputed at heavyweight.
Fans on social media believe the WBO made the right move by not sanctioning the fight for Tszyu’s 154-lb title because Thurman needs to earn the shot like other hard-working contenders if he wants to compete for a world title.
If Thurman is serious about wanting to fight for a world title at 154, he needs to beat one or two of these contenders in the WBO’s rankings to earn the shot: Xander Zayas, Erickson Lubin, Vergil Ortiz, or Brian Mendoza. The chances of old ‘One Time’ Thurman beating any of those guys are slim, and none at this late stage of his 17-year pro career.
It’s fine that Thurman was a world champion many years ago when he was still an ambitious go-getter, but he’s let his career sink by the wayside by sitting inactive, and he’s completely undeserving to fight for a world title in any division at this point, particularly at 154, where he’s never competed during his career.
The 35-year-old Thurman hasn’t fought in two years since February 2022, and he’s making one of his rare appearances by coming back for the payday opportunity to headline against the unbeaten Tszyu (24-0, 17 KOs) on Amazon Prime PPV.
Catchweight Clash to the Rescue
The good news for fans is the show will still go on between Thurman and Tszyu, with the match taking place at a 155-lb catchweight. Keith and Tim can still show off their talent to the fans.