Should Mayweather’s Next Fight Be Against Keith “One Time” Thurman?
The short list for Floyd Mayweather’s September opponent got even shorter when Amir Khan took essentially himself out of the running due to religious objections, citing Ramadan. Following Mayweather’s close call against Marcos Maidana, many fans are already talking rematch. Certainly, Maidana believes that he won the fight, and that he’s the one who needs to give Mayweather the rematch, not the other way around.
Beyond that though, arguably the hottest name on the list is Keith Thurman, whose 3rd Round demolition of Julio Diaz last month was his latest big knockout victory. So just how formidable is Thurman?
“One Time’s” Got Talent
Keith “One Time” Thurman has real ability, and at this point I rate him more highly that the problematic Adrien Broner. He is a boxer-puncher whose power is undoubted, but whose boxing ability is coming more to the fore as he steps up the ladder. His performancse against Jan Zaveck, Diego Chaves, and Jesus Soto Karass showed real skill, and in the case of Karass, sound ring generalship as well.
Karass was a tough enough customer to stand toe to toe with Marcos Maidana for several rounds, and rang Thurman’s bell early. One Time showed the sense to immediately shift gears into jabbing, moving, and mixing up his punches rather than simply warring to out-man Karass. Adaptability is a key asset for a world class fighter, and Thurman has been showing it as of late.
But Against Floyd?
Thurman is already a world class fighter and is still improving, but I don’t think he will ever pose a threat to Floyd Mayweather so long as Pretty Boy is anywhere near his prime. The main reason is that while Thurman shows the potential in terms of ring smarts, skill, and power to pose a threat to Mayweather, he has nothing like the hand speed I think is essential to landing against the sport’s defensive grand master.
A guy doesn’t need to match Mayweather’s speed, but he does need to be in the same league. If Mayweather is the Yankees, an opponent needs to be at least major league in the speed department just to apply his other attributes. Thurman is a middling triple A club in the hand speed department, and since hand speed is one of those things that can only be improved so much, he will never get to where he needs to be.
Bottom line: Thurman may prove a game opponent and have his moments, but he can’t really compete with Mayweather until Pretty Boy slows down.
Will He Be Next?
Both Thurman and the now surging “Showtime” Shawn Porter attended the Mayweather vs. Maidana fight, and were interviewed by the Showtime crew. Each man stated his desire to get Floyd in the ring in the near future. Additionally, each man said he would be willing to fight the other in order to land the Mayweather bout.
That means that fans might expect Mayweather in against Maidana for a second time, or a different opponent, this fall. Perhaps Thurman vs. Porter is the co-feature, and the winner gets Mayweather next year. Whether or not Thurman or Porter has a legitimate chance at pulling off the upset, whichever one beats the other would certainly deserve a chance.
