By Adam Baskin: Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman seems to be in denial about his gatekeeper status heading into a potential fight with Yordenis Ugas next month in August.

It’s got to be jarring for Thurman to own the gatekeeper label, but that’s what happens when a fighter gets old, stops fighting, and gets beaten by other older fighters.

Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) lost to 40-year-old Manny Pacquiao in his last contest against a quality fighter in 2019.

That fight showed that Thurman is not a championship-level fighter anymore, and he’s only fought since then against former 140-lb paper champion Mario Barrios.

‘One Time’ Thurman is essentially a gatekeeper at this stage of his career, and he should be fighting the top contenders Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, Roiman Villa, and Vergil Ortiz Jr so they can use him as a practice horse so they can train on.

Thurman has designs of scooping up the WBC welterweight title after the belt is vacated this year, the winner of the two Errol Spence vs. Terence Crawford fights. The World Boxing Council has conveniently installed Thurman at #1 in their organization, despite his not fighting for 17 months.

Even when you got a sanctioning body helping out a faded fighter like Thurman, it still doesn’t change what he’s become. He’s a gatekeeper, the new Shawn Porter, and if he is elevated to WBC champion after the belt is vacated by the Spence vs. Crawwford winner, he’ll be a paper champion.

“It’s still not locked in. You’re going off of side talks,” said Keith Thurman to Brian Custer’s Youtube channel when asked about an August comeback fight against Yordenis Ugas.

“It’s a great fight. He’s done big things. He beat Pacquiao, and I lost the Pacquiao fight. Pacquiao’s retired. Thurman never gets to punch Pacquiao again, but there’s a little redemption if I beat somebody who beat the guy who beat me.”

Beating 36-year-old Ugas won’t brush over the fact that Thurman lost to Pacquiao in 2019. Ugas is coming off a beating from Spence in his last fight 15 months ago, and he’s not the same guy that defeated Pacquiao in 2021. So if Thurman does beat Ugas, which is questionable, it won’t cover up his loss to Pacquiao.

“My body’s feeling great, everything’s feeling good. This year, I believe that I’m optimal, and I look forward to showcasing my skills,” said Thurman.

“Ugas’s last was Errol Spence Jr, who was the opponent I was trying to get into the ring this year with. So we get that little thing.

“It’s hard when you have ex-world champions, and then you just say, ‘He’s the next gatekeeper,'” said Thurman when told that the loser of his proposed fight with Ugas could be seen as a gatekeeper.

“Is Keith Thurman, with one loss, truly a gatekeeper? I think Ugas would be a better gatekeeper because he is a former world champion. He has fought some big names, and he has struggled against certain people. Ugas has more L’s on the record than me. So I’m not just trying to say I’m a better fighter.

“When Thurman’s done with Ugas, y’all can just sign him up for whoever,” said ‘One Time.’