Keith Thurman can relate to the generation of fighters calling out his name. (photo by Ryan Hafey)
There was a time when the former unified welterweight titlist was a rising prospect and contender, taking the same exact approach to invade the title stage. He is now at a point where he hopes to become a two-time champ, though at a time when the division’s young guns are eager to remove him from the mix.
“It’s whatever. I was young and hungry, young and starving at one point. I know what it is to bark,” Thurman told krikya360.com. “You have to make sure your voice is heard. Make sure they know you’re in the top ten for a reason. I had to let the world know that I could beat any world champion, any ex-champion.
“I was the guy calling out Floyd Mayweather. Now I’m the one that these other guys are calling out. At the end of the day, it’s respect. They try to be calling out other fighters if they wanted to. But they know Keith Thurman has respect in this game. They want that too. So, I really do understand it.”
Thurman (30-1, 22KOs; 1ND) was a contender on the rise at a time when Mayweather (50-0, 28KOs) ruled the welterweight division. Both are advised by Al Haymon, which Thurman hoped would help pave the way to a career-defining opportunity. He instead had to settle for carrying the torch upon Mayweather’s exit from the game in 2015, going on to win the WBA and WBC titles, only for injuries to slow down his career.
Just three fights have come since 2017, spanning two separate comebacks including a return to the ring with a win over Mario Barrios this past February 5 in Las Vegas. The hope was to fight three times and work his way back toward the title stage, with all of the belts owned by Errol Spence (28-0, 22KOs; WBA/WBC/IBF welterweight) and Terence Crawford (38-0, 29KOs; WBO welterweight).
Eager to remove him from the mix are the division’s young guns, fighters such as Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (29-0, 27KOs; 1ND), Vergil Ortiz Jr. (18-0, 18KOs) and Conor Benn (21-0, 14KOs).
“I can put myself in someone else’s shoes,” noted Thurman. “I put myself in their shoes and I see why they mention my name. Even with Errol Spence, they’re saying he doesn’t want to fight me. I put myself in his shoes—look, I lost my world title. I remember when Paulie Malignaggi lost his title, I just stopped saying his name.
“Sometimes it’s not as disrespectful as it comes off as. It’s just that we have our eyes set on certain things, and your name just gets dropped from that list. We all know that Thurman versus Spence is a world class fight. After my last fight, he finally said that I’m a potential opponent. That’s what I am now, a potential opponent for these world champions even if I’m not currently a champion. So, he finally put some respect on my name.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox