Keith Thurman’s hand is healing and he’s looking forward to a successful 2020 – and beyond.
Thurman had bone-fusion surgery to treat arthritis in the joints of his left hand in September and was recently cleared to get back into ring, although it will be while before he hits anything with the repaired paw. He expects to fight again in the spring.
“I just got an updated x-ray and the doctor said all seems good,” Thurman said on The PBC Podcast. “I’m going to start increasing strength work and pretty soon I’ll be back in the ring. I’m looking forward to have a great 2020.”
The decision to have the surgery was a gradual process for Thurman, who had missed time earlier because of other injuries.
He was advised to have surgery before his majority-decision victory over Josesito Lopez in January of last year but decided to rely on cortisone rather than the knife because he didn’t want to miss more time.
He also fought with a tender hand in his split-decision loss to Manny Pacquiao in July. A few days later, he aggravated the hand playing Top Golf. It was then that he realized that he had to have surgery.
“I don’t know what I was thinking,” he said, referring to his misadventure while hitting golf balls. “I realized if you can’t play Top Golf, you ain’t fighting nobody else. You need to go ahead and get surgery, relax and accept everything that’s happened to you this year.
“… I had two doctors confirm to me that [surgery] would prolong my career. It’s bone fusion. When the bone heals, it normally heals stronger. So I’m hoping to go back to the original Keith Thurman, ‘One Time’ Thurman.”
When will he be able to hit something with his left?
“I’m waiting for the green light,” he said. “I could be touching the bags as soon as March. All I have to do is strengthen it from here on out. The fusion looks pretty complete.”
Thurman also said two things will be different going forward. One, after enduring the hand problems, he’s not going to rush anything. And, two, he is going to do a better job of controlling his weight between fights.
“I got five more years in this sport,” he said. “I want to be the original problem that I once was in the welterweight division. … I’m making weight. But how did I go about making weight? I had 11-week training camps. For the Josesito Lopez fight, I lost 35 pounds before January. I blew up to 182 pounds and then had to lose 35 pounds in 11 weeks for the Manny Pacquiao fight.
“One thing I learned going into 2020 is for Keith Thurman to be the best he can be. I can’t be 35 pounds overweight. … I gotta take the Bernard Hopkins approach and be ready at all times.”
Thurman also discussed potential opponents. He’d love a rematch with Pacquiao. Same goes for Danny Garcia. And he would be thrilled to take on the No. 1 147-pounder, Errol Spence Jr.
That said, he seems to be more focused on being 100 percent ready when an opportunity presents itself.
“I’m looking forward to having a terrific comeback year,” he said. “I know I belong at the top as champion of the world. So I have to go grab somebody’s belt.”