By: Sean Crose
Word comes courtesy of Mike Coppinger at ESPN that onetime world titlist, someday boxer, and fulltime enigma Keith Thurman might be returning to the ring in March to face Tim Tszyu for Tzyu’s WBO junior middleweight belt. The battle, ought to the report become true, would be the first Pay Per Event for Premier Boxing Champions because it lower a take care of Amazon Prime because of Showtime getting out of the boxing enterprise. Thurman’s final battle was virtually a yr in the past. His second to final battle was in 2019. Indeed, the favored Floridian has fought a complete of 9 occasions previously decade.
Popularity goes a great distance, nonetheless, and so the 30-1 Thurman is stepping straight right into a title battle after a protracted absence. With that being stated, there’s little doubt Thurman has confirmed himself to be a prime degree fighter all through his profession. Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia and Robert Guerrero have all fallen sufferer to the person referred to as “One Time.” Whether the mix of low exercise and age (he’s now 35) will work in opposition to Thurman stays to be seen. With that being stated, the person might want to defeat Tszyu if he needs to stay a excessive profile attraction within the sport.
Sure sufficient, Tszyu, the son of the lauded Kostya Tszyo, was lengthy anticipated to face Jermell Charlo in what would have been a junior middleweight megafight. Charlo went on to face Canelo Alvarez, nonetheless, leaving the Australian to hope for an additional massive title opponent. Tszyu actually has one in Thurman who, if he’s nonetheless largely the fighter he as soon as was, is extraordinarily expert, and tough to defeat. Indeed, the one man to finest Thurman was the good Manny Pacquiao, and whereas Pacquiao was admittedly previous his prime after they fought, his efficiency that evening in 2019 is thought to be a ultimate nice act in a profession loaded with them. That was virtually 5 years in the past, nonetheless. And Thurman has solely fought as soon as since.
Still, boxing stays a sport the place just about something can occur. No one, as an illustration, anticipated Tyson Fury to go life and dying with a UFC star making his boxing debut, however that’s precisely what occurred late final yr in Saudi Arabia. So sure, Thurman can very presumably defeat Tszyu in March. It received’t be simple, although, and Tszyu ought to rightfully enter the ring that evening the favourite. Boasting a document of 24-0, Tszyu, at 29, is roughly six years youthful than Thurman. He’s additionally been much more energetic. While Thurman has fought 9 occasions previously ten years, Tszyu has fought twenty-four occasions previously seven.
