Keith Thurman feels he’s been cheated.
No, we’re not talking about the scoring in his split-decision loss to Manny Pacquiao in 2019 or any other fight. The former welterweight champ was referring to injuries that have kept him sidelined when he should’ve have been building his legacy.
Thurman hasn’t fought since Pacquiao took his title, 2½ years ago. That’s in part because of hand surgery following the fight. And he has entered the ring only twice since 2017, the result of elbow surgery that year.
Thus, he has missed out on some defining fights in one of the deeper divisions in the sport.
The good news is that he believes that he can make up for lost time even at 33 years old, starting with a pay-per-view comeback fight against Mario Barrios on Saturday night at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.
“I always wanted to retire young,” Thurman told Boxing Junkie. “But now I’m at a stage where I want a full career. I love the sport. I really don’t want to walk away before it’s all said and done. … I want to give it my most, whatever that means.
“If that means three years, six years, whatever that means I just want to have a full career like all the great champions before me.”
Thurman’s health shouldn’t stand in his way going forward, or so it appears.
The time away may or may not produce ring rust on fight night but it gave him time to heal from the hand surgery and other nagging physical issues. In fact, he said he was near 100% some time ago. He simply hadn’t received an attractive opportunity until now, in part because of the impact COVID-19 has had on the sport.
Does he feel like he did when he burst onto the scene with his flashy, athletic style and a series of impressive victories over some of the biggest names in the sport a decade ago? Probably not. But he said he feels better than he has in years.
Could we see the Thurman of old against Barrios?
“It’s a great feeling,” he said. “We’ve been injury free for a while. COVID has been a major factor in this long layoff. It’s really not the injuries. Injuries don’t take that long to recover from. So at the end of the day we’re finally just getting back in action.
“And once we get the ball rolling, I just want to do what I’ve always done, which is to bring in some of the most exciting fights in the welterweight division.”
Barrios (26-1, 17 KOs) is considered a threat even though he’s coming off an 11th-round knockout loss to Gervonta Davis at 140 pounds last June. He gave the talented Davis problems until the stoppage, underscoring his reputation as a good boxer-puncher.
And even though Barrios will be moving up in weight the oddsmakers give him a decent chance of winning the fight: He’s about 1½-1 underdog, which obviously can be attributed to Thurman’s layoff and general uncertainty about him.
That’s why Thurman thinks it’s crucial that he not only win the fight but look good doing it.
If he can do that, he believes, he’ll be an attractive opponent for any of the current welterweight titleholders. Then he could begin to make up for lost time in earnest.
“I just have to make the best out of this performance,” he said. “I want to remind the world who Keith Thurman is, what I bring to the welterweight division and why I’m not a fighter to ever be overlooked in this division. …
“We’re coming back into action right here, right now. I want to win and then keep the ball rolling. Let’s get these great champions to step up and fight Keith Thurman.”