Thurman looks to make title dream a reality
KEITH Thurman was 7 years old when Ben Getty began shaping him into a boxing prodigy out of Clearwater, Fla. By the time Thurman was 14, Getty had seen enough potential in his student to predict he would be someone special.
“He told me I had everything it takes to be a champion,” Thurman said recently. “Not just any champion, but a great champion. That’s what I’m here doing is proving Ben Getty right.”
Getty, a janitor who ran an after-school boxing program, died unexpectedly in 2009 at age 63. But he remains a motivating force Thurman will carry into the ring with him Saturday night at Barclays Center, where he faces Danny Garcia of Philadelphia in a unification of welterweight championships. It’s just the third unification fight between unbeaten welterweights in boxing history and will be televised on CBS starting at 9 p.m.
“I’m living the dream I’ve always wanted to live,” said Thurman, the WBA 147pound champion. “I truly thank Ben Getty all the time for believing in me and dedicating 13 years of his life in me before he passed away.”
Thurman, 28, can use all the motivation he can conjure to battle Garcia, the 28-year-old WBC belt holder, in one of the most anticipated matchups in recent years. Both can box, both have power in both hands, and both can take a punch.
Garcia, might be a slower starter, but Thurman, who is now trained by Dan Birmingham, isn’t going to take any unnecessary risks early. Three of his past four fights have gone the distance.
“It’s going to come down to who lands the right punches at the right time, strength, conditioning and just everything the fight game is about,” Thurman (27-0, 22 KOs) said.
Thurman’s most recent bout, a unanimous decision win over Shawn Porter in June at Barclays Center, also was shown on CBS. An estimated 4.2 million watched the bout. Thurman is hoping to attract even more viewers this time.
“I’m hoping to break 6 million,” Thurman said. “That would be tremendous. I really want to show the world that boxing is still appreciated among the American sports fan. I want to be seen by the American public.”
The pick here is Thurman by decision in a close, terrific bout. He began his career at 151 pounds and has been a natural welterweight for the majority of his career. This will be Garcia’s fourth fight at 147 after he held multiple titles as a 140-pound junior welterweight. That should equate to Thurman throwing the heavier punches, which could deliver the more telling damage in later rounds.
Then again, that’s when Garcia (33-0, 19 KOs) is normally at his best. The Philly native admitted he takes the first three rounds to warm up.
“We’ve just got to be smart,” Garcia said. “We don’t want to go in there fighting crazy. We’ve got 12 rounds to work with. The first three rounds we just want to set the tempo and make sure we’re fighting our fight. Even if the first couple of rounds might be a little close or don’t go my way, I still know what’s going on in the fight and I know what I need to do to bounce back.”
This could be just the start of several round-robin tests in what is a deep welterweight division. IBF champ Kell Brook of England will defend his title against former U.S. Olympian Errol Spence, while Amir Khan of England and WBO champion Manny Pacquiao also are in the mix. But first it’s Thurman versus Garcia at Barclays Center.
“He’s prepared physically and mentally and I’m prepared physically and mentally,” Thurman said. “The better man will prevail.”
Tickets are available, but Barclays Center is predicting its largest crowd ever for boxing and could produce a record gate for a non-Nets sporting event.