By Kenneth Friedman: Tim Bradley was shocked to see WBA World welterweight champion Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman (29-1, 22 KOs) lose for the first time last July to 40-year-old Manny Pacquiao 62-7-, 39 KOs) in a fight that he SHOULD have won. Bradley says that Thurman, with his “gambling thing,” needs to get his mind right.
Even though Thurman, 31, had taken just one tune-up against Josesito Lopez before facing Pacquiao, he was still expected to win on youth alone. Most importantly, Pacquiao is well beyond his prime, and he’s not supposed to be beating the young lions like Thurman.
‘One Time’ is getting older now, and he’s fighting better opposition. Thurman’s injuries, lousy eating habits, and his lack of focus on boxing are starting to catch up to him.
Can Thurman turn his career around?
Bradley was surprised as everyone to see Thurman suffer his first career loss, and he’s at a loss for words in trying to figure out what he needs to do to return to where he once was.
A lot of boxing fans wonder if Thurman has lost his love for the sport of boxing, and now more into reading books and playing the flute. Also, Thurman got married not too long ago, and who knows how much that has impacted his career. Some people when they get married, it can change them.
With Thurman, his situation is complicated. He’s had injury problems, and he’s made a lot of money. According to Networthdiscover, Thurman’s net worth is approximately $8.5 million. When you’ve got that kind of money, you can see how it might lead to Thurman not showing the same hunger he had earlier in his career.
The guys that Thurman will need to be able to beat for him to turn things around might be a little much for him. We’re talking about Vergil Ortiz Jr., Errol Spence, Shawn Porter, Terence Crawford, and Danny Garcia. Although Thurman beat Danny and Porter, that was a long time ago. Thurman isn’t the same fighter he once was in 2016 and 2017.
It’s unrealistic to assume that Thurman will be able to return to the form that we saw when he was considered the #1 welterweight. What Bradley isn’t saying is that Pacquiao is naturally more gifted than Thurman, and his dedication greatly surpasses his own. You don’t see Pacquiao ballooning up in weight in between fights like Thurman does.
Thurman wasn’t supposed to lose to Pacquiao
“I just saw a hungrier, Pacquiao. He wanted it,” said Bradley to Fighthype on Pacquiao’s win over Thurman. “He was a dog. I picked Thurman to win the fight. Thurman was supposed to win the fight. This is a 40-year-old Pacquiao now. This is not a prime, seasoned Pacquiao.
“You saw in the second half of the fight what Pacquiao did. He then pulled back a little bit with conditioning, you know? With mouth wide opened. Thurman did a great job of going down to the body of Pacquiao, but he wasn’t consistent,” said Bradley.
Either Pacquiao has found the fabled Fountain of Youth at age 41 or ‘One Time’ Thurman is on the decline at 31. It can sometimes happen with fighters when they hit their early 30s. They start losing it slowly, especially when they make a bundle of money in a big fight.
Thurman got two nice paydays against Porter and Danny Garcia, and that was the beginning of his problems with inactivity. The money that Thurman made fighting Pacquiao on Fox Sports Pay-Per-View last July could be even more of a problem. Will it be the final nail in Thurman’s career?
Thurman was supposed to be losing weight, but in a recent interview two weeks ago, he’s still looking well-fed, and that’s not a good sign. For example, when you see fighters like Shawn Porter working hard staying in shape during the lockdown, it’s troubling to see Thurman still looking rotund.
Bradley: Thurman has to get his mind right
“Do you know what I’m saying? Pulling back each time, getting hit with those shots,” said Bradley. “He got hit with a jab. Come on, a jab? Bro, come on now. And the whole gambling thing. Bro, you’ve got to have your mind right. Seriously.
“He [Thurman] shouldn’t have lost that fight. He’s bigger, he’s stronger, and he’s the longer guy, he can box, and he has good legs,” said Bradley.
What Bradley might not realize is Thurman has always pulled straight back in his fights, but he’d gotten away with it in the past. His feet were fast enough for him to pull straight back quickly enough to keep from getting hit.
When Thurman’s opponents would come right at him while he’s pulling back, he would stop and throw a left hook. Thurman has always done this, and it’s worked most of the time for him.
Against Danny Garcia, Thurman took some big shots when he was backing up. Initially, Thurman did well in landing some big punches in the first part of the fight and then backing away when Danny would come forward.
Once Danny figured Thurman out, he was able to avoid his left hook when he pulled straight back. Thurman took a lot of hard shots in the second half of his fight with Garcia.
It could be beyond the point of no return for Thurman. It’s been such a long time since he looked good in a fight, and he may not be able to get to the level he once was.
