Thurman aims to fill Mayweather void
With Floyd Mayweather Jr. out of the picture, at least for now, Keith Thurman is ready to take the mantle as the king of the welterweights, and it won’t be long before he gets a chance to prove it.
One of the best fights that can be made in boxing is on the cusp of being realized — Thurman vs. Shawn Porter, or “One Time” vs. “Showtime” — and is likely set for late February, probably at Mayweather’s old haunt, the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. And Thurman says he has the goods to make people forget about Mayweather and raise the curtain on a new era in the sport.
“My goal is to replace Mayweather,” Thurman told USA TODAY Sports. “I definitely believe I’m one of the lead welterweights in line to replace Floyd when it comes to who’s going to receive the big spotlight and the most talk in the welterweight division.
“Mayweather has been the man for so many years, and now he’s gone. I’m really looking forward to it. This is a real opportunity for me to showcase my skills and my talent. And let’s be honest, they’re not going to be comparing anyone to Mayweather if he’s not here. They’re only going to be compar- ing my skills and talents to the rest of the top 10 in the welterweight division. Me and my team believe we have all it takes to take over after Mayweather in the welterweight division.”
Porter doesn’t buy that, telling USA TODAY Sports on Sept. 12 at Mayweather’s final fight, “I think this division belongs to me.”
But Thurman has the charisma, ring IQ and skills to be, if not the face of boxing, certainly a leader in the sport. He has something else boxing fans crave that Mayweather lacked — raw punching power. He’s not only undefeated, but 22 of his 26 wins have been by knockout, an 81% KO rate. He fights as offensively as Mayweather did defensively.
NBC announced Saturday that Thurman, 27, was named the Premier Boxing Champions fighter of the year for 2015, as voted on by PBC’s TV partners. He had two victories: an easy unanimous decision against Robert Guerrero in March, the inaugural fight of the PBC’s foray into free television; and a seventh-round stoppage of Luis Collazo in July in Thurman’s home state of Florida.
He expected a Porter fight before the end of the year, but it didn’t come together.
“At this stage, to be honest and a little frank with the fans that have been very patient, we want the best performance we can have,” Thurman said. “So if that means pushing the fight back a month or two, when you’re fighting for the kind of figures we’re fighting for, you can do that.
“I’m not trying to be lazy. I’m a world champion. I want to fight everyone in the world. I want to give the fans some entertaining fights. Just the two fights I’ve had this year with the award and everything, it’s obvious that I’m one of the most exciting welterweights in the division today, if not the most exciting. So I’m truly looking forward to bringing you guys more excitement in the ring, and hopefully against Shawn Porter the first thing in 2016.”
For now, Thurman says, he will relax, spend the holidays with his family and consume lots of sugar, which he admits is his weakness.
“I do plan on getting some good desserts in on Christmas. I’m hoping my mother bakes some of her famous cookies,” Thurman said. “Outside of that, I’m just being grateful for the beautiful year I was able to have. Enjoy this little bit of time before the next fight announcement, because I know it’s coming soon. ... We’re already in our pre-camp and just waiting for the full announcement.
“So I’m just trying to enjoy these few final hours of 2015 and getting ready, mentally preparing for next year. The no-Mayweather year. The next chapter in the world of boxing and me being at the forefront of it.”