A Keith Thurman vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Arnold Barboza Jr. vs. Frank Martin doubleheader is being “scheduled” for October. Thurman (31-1, 23 KOs) will be taking on WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Jr. (23-0, 21 KOs) for his belt.
Barboza Jr. vs. Martin Preview
On the undercard, Barboza Jr. (32-1, 11 KOs) and former lightweight world title challenger ‘The Ghost’ Martin (18-1, 12 KOs) will be fighting in a light welterweight contest. Both fighters are coming off losses.
“Attention! I hear Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Keith Thurman and Arnold Barboza Jr. vs. Frank Martin are being scheduled for October. It will be a GBP vs. PBC event,” said JuliusJulianis on X
It’s a double-header that will attract a lot of interest. The fight that fans will be eager to watch is Ortiz Jr-Thurman fight. Former WBA and WBC welterweight champion ‘One Time’ Thurman used to be one of the biggest names in the welterweight division from 2015 to 2017. Injuries and a lack of motivation have stalled Thurman’s career, resulting in him fighting just twice since 2019.
Thurman’s Boxing IQ
Recently, Thurman came out of the woodwork after three years away to knock out Australian Brock Jarvis last March in Sydney, Australia. Keith still looked powerful, but slower than he’d been during his best years. He still has the boxing IQ that could make up for his diminished speed and reflexes.
The Golden Boy-promoted Vergil Ortiz Jr. wants to stay busy, get some more fights under his belt before potentially fighting Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis in a PPV fight in 2026. Using Thurman, 36, as an opponent is an excellent fight to stay sharp, make money, and get some more experience.
The only thing with Thurman is whether he’ll get through training camp without suffering some kind of physical breakdown that will cause him to pull out of the fight and need many months to heal.
If Thurman starts suffering injuries left and right, Golden Boy should have Vergil Jr. move on and fight someone else because there’s no telling how long it’ll take for Thurman to get healthy enough to fight. This is assuming he suffers an injury in the first place. Obviously, coming events cast their shadows before.