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Keith Thurman’s moniker, “One Time,” was once a descriptive phrase for the deleterious knockout power he possessed in both fists. However, after spending more and more of his time sequestered on the sidelines, “One Time” has now been used to describe his yearly ring appearances.
Since handing Danny Garcia the first defeat of his career in 2017 and becoming a unified champion at 147-pounds, Thurman has fought on just three occasions over a five-year span. Although the Clearwater, Florida, native has attributed his inactivity to numerous injuries and surgical procedures, the 33-year-old, following his unanimous decision victory over Mario Barrios earlier this year, claims that he has a clean bill of health.
While officially, Thurman is unable to reveal a concrete date for his return, he did provide his fans with a positive update.
“I’m ready,” said Thurman during a recent interview on Showtime. “I been in the gym, I’m waiting.”
As the former unified titlist continues to work tirelessly on his craft, he, like most of the boxing world, is anxiously waiting on the announcement of the undisputed showdown between Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford.
Over the course of the past few months, both team Spence and Crawford have attempted to hammer out a deal that would see the winner crowned as the division’s undisputed champion. Nevertheless, with neither side gaining much traction, Thurman is beginning to wonder whether or not the two will actually square off at all.
“The belts are tied up right now and this omega fight in the welterweight division, is it happening or is it not happening? And if it’s happening, when’s it happening?”
Spence, 32, recently added to his world title collection following his fairly one-sided beating against Yordenis Ugas on April 16th, in his hometown of Dallas, Texas. Despite Ugas showing incredible grit, heart, and determination as he fought through a shattered right orbital bone, Spence violently ended his WBA title reign in the 10th round.
Shortly after, the normally soft-spoken southpaw turned his attention toward Crawford, and the remaining title absent from his possession. Although Crawford would immediately accept Spence’s challenge, putting together said deal has become an arduous challenge.
As Thurman continues to twiddle his thumbs and wait for their undisputed announcement, he believes that if, for whatever reason, their showdown fails to materialize, he would be the perfect person to step in to face either man.
“If the fight doesn’t happen, there’s not another name in the books that these fighters can fight as a current non-champion, who has the pedigree of Keith “One Time” Thurman. I think one of those champions would have a tremendous matchup against myself. I’m ready to get back into the ring.”