Howard's End: Keith Thurman and the Art of the Money Grab

 

I don’t really know how good of a fighter Keith Thurman is anymore.

Don’t get me wrong, there was a time when Thurman was really good, and to say otherwise makes you blind, ignorant, and an imbecile; all the things to qualify you for a spot writing for Ring Magazine nowadays. As Thurman looks to try this boxing thing again after another long layoff against Mario Barrios, we might be left wondering what to expect, but a keen mind already knows what’s about to happen.

Thurman has been doing the media rounds lately to sell a fight so lopsided that there’s no surprise that it’s a pay-per-view. His opponent is Mario Barrios, who we last saw getting mopped up by little Gervonta Davis last summer. We will now have to pay 75 dollars to watch Thurman bop him, along with your typical garbage undercard to go along with it.

The former welterweight champion is trying to convince everyone that the fire is back, and his head is in boxing. Truth be told, this is just business as usual for Thurman, who is simply renewing his value ahead of cashing out and checking out once again in a few months time.

It’s not unlike how the WWE keeps trotting out Goldberg to win a few, then lose the big one before backing up the Brinks truck in his driveway and telling him they’ll see him in a few months.

And if you don’t think this is exactly what Thurman is doing, then you clearly haven’t been paying attention. It is pretty much 2019 all over again, just with a few adjustments to make sure there’s no issue in executing the plan.

Before Thurman’s first long layoff, he stood alone atop the welterweight ranks after back-to-back wins over Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia made him a unified titlist. At the time, the only big fights Thurman could take at the time were mandatory rematches against Porter and Garcia. And just to get ahead of it, I know Errol Spence was around, but Spence didn’t win his first title until after all that happened.

That fight would have made as much sense then as a bout between Spence and Jaron Ennis makes now. Rushing the fight now would be pointless and a bad business move that neither fight would entertain until it became a bigger fight.

So Thurman was without viable options, and at the same time had the perfect opportunity to address mounting injuries and take a much-needed break from boxing. In the interim, Thurman moonlighted as a commentator for Premier Boxing Champions as whispers started coming out that Thurman wasn’t all that interested in returning to the ring.

He vacated all but the IBF title without any fuss, but things changed when PBC signed Manny Pacquiao, and he was immediately targeted for a summer fight. The lure of a major payday and a chance to unseat a legend was enough to bring Thurman back, but after nearly getting his ass kicked by Josesito Lopez and then losing to a 40-year-old Pacquiao that summer, Thurman vanished once more.

Sounds familiar, right?

There’s little doubt that Terence Crawford will be signing some sort of agreement with either Al Haymon or PBC in the near future, and Thurman is just weeks away from taking down a patsy in Barrios. With Spence tied up and Crawford’s stock as high as it’s ever been, Thurman is having his Goldberg moment to either boost Crawford’s viability as a pay-per-view attraction or beat Crawford and move on to Spence.

Barrios is actually a safer opponent than Lopez was in this scenario. The guy either can’t or doesn’t want to dodge punches, and he was worked over by Gervonta Davis despite a considerable advantage in every physical category. Thurman may not need to be 100% to look 100% with someone like Barrios, who will mop up everything thrown his way.

Now, does Thurman actually have it in him to beat Crawford and kill the Spence fight?

The 2017 version that beat Porter and Garcia certainly would have a great chance. As far as the 2022 version, just about to have his third fight in five years – the only thing he’s going to kill is his bank account.

With the welterweight division as stacked with talent as it is right now, Thurman would be an excellent addition to challenge the elite and elite-hopefuls alike. That being said, don’t expect his return to last beyond whatever summer fight he’ll appear in.

He already has one foot out the door, and he’s plenty fine walking out the rest of the way.

Five Burning Questions: The Heavyweight Division

Tyson Fury will be the man in 2022

Does Anyone Beat Tyson Fury?

The short of it is "no." Truth be told, anyone can win a fight as long as they have two free hands and a reason to be in there, but there is nobody in the heavyweight division beating Tyson Fury unless he defeats himself. Dillian Whyte won't do it, neither will Joseph Parker, and definitely not someone like Luis Ortiz. Even the winner of the Usyk/Joshua rematch matches up poorly against him. Though he faces no shortage of potential challengers, and Top Rank will ensure he gets the best opponents money can buy (though fans will get the shit end of the stick there), Fury will reign unopposed through 2022 and even 2023.

Oleksandr Usyk will face a more desperate and dangerous Anthony Joshua in rematch

 Will Anthony Joshua Redeem Himself In Usyk Rematch?

There was a point when Joshua was poised to be not just the next big thing at heavyweight, but a sure bet to become an all time great. His career trajectory suggested that as well, but he changed for the worse after a brutal brawl with Wladimir Klitschko stripped him of his confidence just as it elevated his profile. Joshua is no longer an explosive, athletic puncher and has the looks of a fighter who believes he's made of glass, which is why Oleksandr Usyk embarrassed him last year and is poised to do so again in their eventual rematch. If Joshua is really built for greatness, he must defeat Usyk convincingly lest he be written off as a hype job in the years to come.

Joe Joyce is running out of time to land a big fight

Are We A Few Years Away From Another Heavyweight Dark Age?

The heavyweight division has been restored to its former glory over the course of the last five years, and the division has plenty of intriguing fights that can be made at the top level. Short term outlook is pretty good, but it has to be said that we aren't too far removed from another lull in the division. Of the division's top fighters, Fury is in his prime but has openly discussed retirement. Joshua is damaged goods. Usyk and Wilder are nearing the wrong side of 30. Even the next notable contenders like Joe Joyce and Frank Sanchez aren't exactly making their case to carry the division. Enjoy this while it lasts.

If Trevor Bryan is America's next best heavyweight, then there's not much to look forward to

How Soon Will A New Contender Arise?

Honestly, not soon enough. Between Fury and Usyk, expect a lot of recycled contenders for the next few years unless they decide to unify. We could see a repeat of the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao build up where Fury and Usyk face familiar opponents as long as they remain financially lucrative, save of course for a novelty opponent like Trevor Bryan who would be getting a shot due to a particular narrative as opposed to his skill.  There are a lot of interesting fights to be made in the division right now, but there is no clear standout of the bunch.

As long as he tones down the crazy and stays away from the champs, Deontay Wilder is primed for a big 2022

Who Is The Division's Wild Card For 2022?

If he doesn't come back insane , it's easily Deontay Wilder. He may shy away from the title scene for now, but he can easily re-establish himself as a threat by mowing down PBCs abundance of fringe contenders like he did before he ran into Fury. Wilder has a dearth of options that can re-energize any lost momentum from the Fury fights and put him right on the cusp of title contention for Usyk, or a still there bout with Joshua. Bouts with Charles Martin, Robert Helenius, Adam Kownacki and of course, Andy Ruiz, are all ready and easy to make. If he does return, doesn't act like a total idiot, and can string some big wins together, Wilder can still be a premier big man.

Luis Ortiz Survives Early Scare. KOs Charles Martin In Sixth.

 

Charles Martin (28-3-1, 25 KO) was four rounds in on the best performance of his career and had plenty to be happy about. The former heavyweight champion had an old, slow, and vulnerable target in front of him, knocking Luis Ortiz (33-2, 28 KO) down twice and well on his way to a stoppage. Ortiz looked shot and was doing nothing to suggest he could turn the tide.

From the fifth round onwards, though, things took a turn for the dramatic.

Ortiz rallied, fighting with a sense of urgency and putting forward a desperate charge that ultimately lead to a crushing stoppage of Martin in the sixth round of their heavyweight contest that aired on PBC pay-per-view. The bout was the main event of a card full of heavyweight hopefuls, yet none stood out as potential threats to the division's elite; not even Ortiz in victory.

Things were not going Ortiz's way in the early proceedings. Martin slipped a lazy jab and connected with a stiff left counter that put Ortiz on the canvas and remained in control up to the point where he floored Ortiz again with another jab in the fourth.

To his credit, Ortiz stuck to the strategy of working behind his jab in hopes that he could draw an opening, and he finally hit pay dirt in the sixth.

A booming left hand from the Cuban southpaw had Martin out on his feet and glaring at the crowd; then a follow-up barrage nearly sent him out of the ring. When Martin did go down, his left glove got tied up in the ropes and caused a temporary pause to the action as the referee tried to free him. While wrestling fans will appreciate the callback to multiple Royal Rumble finishes over the years, Martin was not revitalized when the action resumed.

Ortiz would drop Martin one more time, drawing a stoppage and preserving his chance of another meaningful heavyweight fight down the line. He looked awful though, and he's not going to magically get better before his next fight at his age unless he gets popped a third time for using banned substances.

Rest assured, there is nothing either man showed that suggests that they'd be a threat to Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, or even Anthony Joshua. For a fight that featured four knockdowns, it was incredibly dull and didn't do much to elevate either fighter at this stage of their respective careers.

"Southpaw versus southpaw is a very difficult fight. In the end, intelligence won the fight," said Ortiz.

If he's smart, he'll reach out to Andy Ruiz or Dillian Whyte if the latter can't make a fight with Fury in the coming months, take the money and call it a career.