By: Hans Themistode
Keith Thurman continues to stare at his fight calendar, hoping and praying that a fight date appears. The former unified welterweight champion has sat on the sidelines for a year and a half as he nurses injuries he suffered after his last contest, a split decision loss against Manny Pacquiao.
During his absence, current unified 147-pound titlist Errol Spence Jr., has continued to dominate the competition. With the Dallas native fresh off a one-sided win over former two-division champion Danny Garcia, he now appears to be angling for a unification showdown against WBA belt holder Yordenis Ugas.
Thurman, on the other hand, continues to gaze at his empty schedule. In a perfect world, Pacquiao would be number one on his Hitlist, but if he’s preoccupied, Thurman would love a shot at the man holding the most gold.
“I’d say Errol Spence,” said Thurman during an interview on the PBC podcast. “He’s the unified champion and has the most credit.”
For as much as Thurman (29-1, 22 KOs) wants to face the Dallas product, Spence Jr. has reiterated on numerous occasions that it simply won’t happen. After spending most of the early portion of his career chasing Thurman, now that Spence Jr. (27-0, 21 KOs) is the one holding the titles, he’s in no mood to face Thurman anymore. In fact, Spence Jr. has gone as far as to say he would rather move up or down in weight than take him on.
While the decision is solely his, Thurman believes there’s no other way for Spence Jr. to prove how great of a fighter he truly is. Fighting the likes of Ugas, Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter won’t get it done either. Thurman maintains that if Spence Jr. truly wants to claim he’s on top of the welterweight food chain, then he has no other choice but to fight him.
“Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia – I beat both, he beat both. I’m superior to the fighters you’ve been fighting. Why not step up the competition. Let’s see how great you really are against Keith “One Time” Thurman.”
