By Dan Ambrose: WBA World welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman (26-0, 22 KOs) has less than a month before he faces Shawn Porter (26-1-1, 16 KOs) on June 25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The two fighters sparred together three years ago, and Thurman supposed spent much of the time running from Porter to keep from getting hit.
Thurman, 27, has a different perception of what took place during the sparring sessions, which he says took place over a three to four week period. Thurman says he wasn’t running from Porter, he was “dodging” him and making him hit air. It’s understandable why some people might interpret dodging as a form of running because what it means is that Thurman wasn’t staying in the pocket against Porter. He was moving to keep from getting hit.