By Dan Ambrose: Keith Thurman says he would have fought Errol Spence or Terence Crawford next if they’d failed to negotiate their welterweight mega-bout on July 29th on Showtime PPV.
The former WBA & WBC 147-lb champion Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) wouldn’t have been difficult to negotiate with to put together a fight against Spence or Crawford.
With that said, Thurman’s inactivity in the last six years is the primary reason he’s not gotten to fight those two welterweight champions.
If Thurman had stayed relevant, he could have forced Spence & Crawford to fight him by becoming their mandatory if needed. Why would Spence & Crawford want to fight Thurman?
Without any help from anyone, old ‘One Time’ has sabotaged his career by letting laziness set in, which some boxing fans believe was a result of Thurman being more interested in playing his flute & reading books than in fighting.
He’s become the forgotten man due to his choosing to sit inactive for years at a stretch, showing a lack of work ethic needed to be worth fighting.
The 34-year-old Thurman admits being a little bitter at seeing Spence-Crawford meeting in a monstrous fight, and he’s left out in the cold as a bystander, unable to enjoy the attention that fight is generating.
Insteed of Thurman fighting those stars, he’s in talks to face 36-year-old former WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas in August in a battle between two aging 147-lb champs.
Ugas (27-5, 12 KOs) hasn’t fought in over a year since his stoppage loss to Spence in April 2022. But unlike Thurman, Ugas has an excuse for his inactivity due to suffering an eye injury in that loss.
Thurman has just been kicking back, enjoying the money he’s made from his fights, and being forgotten by the boxing public.
Thurman would have “popped right in”
Brian Custer: “After Spence Crawford fell apart that first time, there was talk that we were going to get Errol Spence Jr and Keith Thurman finally fighting one another. How difficult and disappointing was it for you to step aside now that they’ve, you know, obviously got a deal and going to fight now?” said Brian on his Youtube channel.
Keith Thurman: “Yeah, you can put a little salt. It was a little salty taste. You know, it wasn’t sweet, but I pride myself on making the biggest fights happen, and let’s be honest, man. If this fight didn’t manifest, we would call some shenanigans.
“‘There’s Shenanigans! What’s happening?’ It took five-six years for Floyd-Pacquiao to manifest to make the drama & make the people want it, salivate, make them hungry, and make them thirsty. ‘I’m starving. I want to see the greats.’ I get it, but here is the time and the moment.”
Why should Thurman be bitter? He’s the one that decided not to keep his career float by continuing to fight after his war with Danny Garcia. Thurman has fought just three times since that bout against these guys:
- Josesito Lopez – 2019
- Manny Pacquiao – 2019
- Mario Barrios – 2022
If Thurman does fight Ugas, his chances of losing will be high because the Cuban fighter is not the type of guy you beat when you’re semi-retired like ‘One Time.’
“There was no reason for extra hesitation, but if they were going to if they were going to keep clashing and not come up with a deal, Thurman would have popped right in because I’m not hard to negotiate with,” said Thurman.
That sounds like a pipe dream on Thurman’s part, him believing that he would have gotten a fight with Spence. That wouldn’t have happened because Errol wouldn’t have wanted to throw a bone to the down & out-idle form champ.
“I’m a former champion, not a current champion. I know my place in the sport,” said Thurman. “‘You get this percentage, I get that percentage, and we throw hands.’ So I think this was just something that happened. Two big egos collide, respectfully, at the highest level, the highest degree of boxing, and it just took a little bit of time, political issues, and things.
If Thurman wants Crawford & Spence, he’s going to need to follow them up to 154 after they complete their two fights this year because that’s where they’re heading.
That’s dangerous territory for a fighter that rarely fights like Thurman because he’s too old, small, and inactive to compete with the sharks at junior middleweight.
If Thurman has to work for a fight with Spence & Crawford by going through Tim Tszyu or Brian Mendoza, he’s going to come undone.
“It looks like everybody worked it out,” said Thurman. “We’re all looking forward to it in Las Vegas. It’s history in the making, without a doubt. Hall of Famer, whoever wins, they’re both guaranteed in the Hall of Fame anyway, but somebody’s going to have a few more sentences underneath their name when they get handed that plaque.”
