By Edward Chaykovsky
WBA 'regular welterweight champion Keith 'One Time' Thurman is doing well after Saturday night's twelve round decision victory over Robert 'The Ghost' Guerrero at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The fight was the main event of the debut edition of Premier Boxing Champions on NBC.
Thurman suffered a bad hematoma on the left side of his forehead after a clash of heads in the third round. The injury was treated at a hospital in Las Vegas. Some of the blood flowed down his left eye and caused it to swell.
"It may two weeks to three weeks to fully recover, for the blood to work itself out. We had no factures. Nothing wrong with the skull, nothing wrong with the brain. We're good. We're happy. This is what comes with the game. It's the pain game," Thurman told .
Thurman felt Guerrero tasted his power early and then became very selective in picking his moments to engage.
"I just felt he was real hesitant and was being real cautious and smart when it came to picking his shots. I'm just happy that I was a man of my word that I hurt him and knocked him down in the ninth round because I said I was coming to hurt him. It was a great fight," Thurman said.
Regarding the knockdown, Thurman thought Guerrero was going to stay down but then once he rose to his feet, Thurman felt the referee gave him a little too much time to recover.
"I did [he would get up] but didn't [think he would] for a few seconds. It looked like he may not. I felt that when he got up...the referee gave him a whole extra ten seconds. You know what I'm saying? The referee was just looking at him, talking to him and then asking him to step forward. Then he really didn't do that and [the referee] asked him to do it again. If he really wanted him to box, then he should just let me jump back on him. It is what it is. I stormed on him anyway once the referee said box. He came back very desperate [in the following round]. He came back like a true warrior. It was a great fight," Thurman said.
And his next opponent, Thurman is ready for all comers.
"Whoever wants to fight the champ, that's who I want to fight. Ask Haymon Boxing, as Brad. Whenever they propose me with a fight, I never hesitate. You can call me the 'yes man' because I always say yes," Thurman said.
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