Boxing News 2015: Keith Thurman Looks to Extend Undefeated Streak Against Robert Guerrero in Next Fight, Takes Shots at Floyd Mayweather
Keith Thurman is scheduled to put his undefeated mark on the line this coming Saturday against Robert Guerrero.
Thurman, just 26 years old, is one of the rising young stars in professional boxing. In December, he defeated Leonard Bundu by unanimous decision to retain the Interim WBA Welterweight title and extended his record to 24-0-1. Bundu was previously 31-0 before losing to Thurman.
Thurman is currently the No. 2 ranked American Welterweight boxer today while Guerrero is ranked fifth. While Thurman doesn't have the most notable victories on his résumé yet, he one day hopes to get a shot at facing Mayweather.
In December 2014, Thurman called out Mayweather, saying he "looks forward to destroying" him in the ring. Thurman also went on to say, "It's not like Floyd's going to knock me out. When's the last time Floyd's knocked anybody out in the past several years?"
Mayweather responded, “I think he’s average. He’s a guy that can punch a little bit, but he hasn’t fought anybody. Go and beat Guerrero and then you can say you beat somebody. Keith Thurman is going to get nobody’s stamp of approval until he beats a Guerrero or somebody with a name. He hasn’t done anything.”
Naturally, Thurman responded.
"I don’t think Floyd fights anybody but average fighters so let’s talk about that. Call me average if you want to. My punching power and knockout ratio are not average. My ring intelligence isn’t average. We’ll prove it on March 7," Thurman said.
Thurman has the nickname "One Time" because of his strength and hard-hitting abilities. With 21 knockouts in his 25 professional fights, Thurman has a knockout rate of 84 percent. On the other hand, Mayweather has 26 knockouts in his 47 fights, 55 percent. Thurman still has a way to go to prove that he's on Mayweather's level, but he is certainly on his way. His upcoming match against Guerrero, who is a southpaw, should be interesting.
Speaking of southpaws, Thurman also went on to give his opinion on Manny Pacquiao: "At least Manny Pacquiao has power to bring to the table. He can hurt you.”
Interestingly, Thurman's match against Guerrero will be shown on live basic television instead of per-per-view. The fight will air on NBC. It may seem weird to not have the fight on pay-per-view, but this could be a great chance for Thurman to attract more viewers to his fight and get more attention.
If Thurman goes on to defeat Guerrero, there's a chance he may face the loser of the May 2 Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. If Pacquiao loses, he may have to go through Thurman to get a rematch with Mayweather. The same exact possible scenario could face Mayweather.
With both Mayweather and Pacquiao both at the end of their careers and Thurman entering his prime, Thurman could be the best Welterweight boxer once they retire. Facing either Mayweather or Pacquiao would be a terrific match to watch, but Thurman's going to have to wait for now.
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