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.
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