By Dan Ambrose: Despite fighting only twice in 2015, WBA “regular” welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman (26-0, 22 KOs) has been named Premier Boxing Champions ‘Fighter of the Year.’ According to Fight News, Thurman beat out Deontay Wilder, Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter and Leo Santa Cruz to get the award.
There was not much in the way of competition for Thurman in winning the award, it would seem. None of those fighters had great a great year in terms of the fighters they faced. Wilder was a little busier than the rest of the bunch in beating Bermane Stiverne, Eric Molina and Johann Duhaupas.
Thurman defeated Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero and Luis Collazo in 2015. Those are not journeyman level fighters yet, but they also are not major players in the welterweight division.
Guerrero has not looked good in a long time, and it is hard to understand why Thurman was matched against him instead of somebody much better. Collazo came into his fight with Thurman having been beaten badly by Amir Khan in 2014. Many boxing fans are waiting for Thurman to start getting matched against better fighters like Errol Spence Jr. and Shawn Porter. The fans want to see if Thurman is any good or not.
They know that Thurman can beat fringe level guys like Collazo and Guerrero, but they don’t know if Thurman can beat the actual quality fighters in the 147lb division. Beating Collazo and Guerrero proved nothing for Thurman. Those guys would likely lose to many of the top contenders in the welterweight division.
Thanks for naming me PBC's 2015 Fighter of the Year. I promise even bigger things to come in 2016! #OneTime pic.twitter.com/Nuop6sLq5W
— Keith Thurman Jr. (@keithfthurmanjr) December 20, 2015
The fact that Thurman is still fighting that level of opposition while holding down the WBA welterweight title is troubling and sad. It gives some boxing fans the impression that Thurman is milking his WBA title rather than looking to fight the best in the division.
“This year has been spectacular, opening up for two networks – NBC and ESPN – and we’re (Team Thurman) truly looking forward to 2016. I’m happy to be champion, I look forward to defending my title for years to come,” Thurman said via Fightnews.com.
In the Guerrero fight, Thurman had promised to stand in the pocket and trade with him rather than use movement all night long like he’d done against 40-year-old Leonard Bundu in their dull fight in December 2014. Never the less, Thurman was forced to start moving in the 4th round after taking a lot of heavy shots from Guerrero that resulted in him getting a large lump on his forehead. Thurman spent the last eight rounds running around the ring and making it less than thrilling to watch.
“Boxing is getting so exciting for the fans, and for people that have been tuning in, we’re into the next generation and Keith “One Time” Thurman represents part of the next generation. 26-0 with 22 KO’s, not afraid to fight anybody. I want to see how far I can go in the world of boxing,” Thurman said.
One criticism that the fans have about Thurman, besides his weak opposition, is the fact that he does not seem capable of standing in the pocket. Thurman has a hit and run style of fighting that is hard on the eyes. While guys like Floyd Mayweather Jr. was known for being a mover during his career, Thurman takes it to another level by constantly hitting and retreating rather than standing in the pocket.
Mayweather was able to stand in the pocket for long stretches against top quality fighters without getting on his bike. Thurman does not seem capable of doing this. Some boxing fans think Thurman cannot stay in the pocket because he has a chin problem. Other’s think it has to do with Thurman’s defense not being that great.
Whatever the case, it’s disappointing to see Thurman constantly using his hit and run style of fighting instead of him attacking his opponents with his superior punching power. There has not been a fight yet that Thurman was involved in where he did not have the punching power advantage. That is why it seems so odd that he uses a hit and run type style of fighting. It would make more sense for Thurman to be attacking his opponents rather than hitting them and then dashing off quickly to avoid being hit.
I hope that in 2016, Thurman will start to face quality opposition finally instead of continuing to fight guys like Guerrero, Bundu and Collazo. Shawn Porter and Errol Spence both want to fight Thurman and take his scalp, but thus far they’ve not been able to get him to agree to a fight.
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