Not long ago, Keith āOne Timeā Thurman sat atop the boxing world in one of the sportās hottest weight classes, the welterweight division. After consecutive wins over Robert Guerrero, Luis Collazo, Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia, āOne Timeā held both the WBA and WBC titles. His bout against Porter was widely considered the āFight of the Yearā in 2016. When Thurman faced Manny Pacquiao, they were separated by only a point on the judgesā scorecards, and āOne Timeā suffered his first defeat.
Since that July 2019 match, Thurman had his left hand surgically repaired, and his ring return still looms. Thurman, who is 29-1-0 with 22 knockouts, insists that heās still a force to be reckoned with amongst the divisionās elite and plans to prove it if given the opportunity.
Hoping for two fights in 2021 or one really big one, Thurman is back in the gym with a new look and new approach.
Zenger News caught up with a very animated Thurman to discuss his future plans and the disrespect heās received lately, and the fighter dares the welterweight field to āfinish him!ā
Percy Crawford interviewed Keith Thurman for Zenger News.
Zenger News: You cut your hair off, man. Is that something you had been considering or was it just spontaneous?
Thurman: Ah, wifey been whispering in my ear for a long time. And you know, I just wanted a new life experience. Thereās just so much you go through in life. We get very used to our mundane routines, this and that, work, family, back and forth, yada-yada. I thought to myself, āWhen is the last time you wore it down?ā I always was wake up man-bun and go about my day. And another thing that made it easy to chop it off was when my hair is pulled back, itās not like I have a do up here. Itās slicked back anyways. Itās all in the back; itās like peacock feathers, something is happening in the back. I gotta admit, when I let it go, I love the low maintenance. Iām saving time, energy and itās one less thing to think about. Itās a new life experience. She told me that I can grow it back out now, I aināt playing that game. Iām about to go get re-faded.

Zenger: You had a lot of you wanted to get off your chest when you went on Instagram live. You addressed a lot of things and a lot of people. Was that just about airing some things out that you had building up inside of you?
Thurman: That, too, and Bob [Arum] talking nonsense, and I just had to clear the air and like you said, get some shit off my chest. Iām not even really in the mood to do a whole bunch of interviews and talk all about that subject, but thatās what live was about, man. You get me raw, unfiltered, in the moment. That was Keith āOne Timeā Thurman. That was everything that I felt; itās what I wanted to say, and it just is what it is. I gave some insight to fighters. I was letting people know at the end. I know there is a lot of young fighters trying to come up. And this COVID time is not the time to try and come up, man. Itās rough out here. Itās rough out here for world-class fighters like myself; itās rough out here for the next up-and-comers, the next superstars in anything. College football players, college basketball players, whatever, man. Itās rough out here for athletes. You gotta just have faith. You gotta have faith in your skills and your ability. Keep your eye on the prize.

Like I tell people, I was champ before I was ever champ. And they can take my belts and Iām still the champ. Champion is a mindset, itās the heart and itās a skillset. Either you got it, or you donāt. And if you got it, you just gotta stick with it. Stick with it, believe in yourself and if youāre striving to get there, and youāre not there yet, you gotta just keep pushing forward and never give up. Always evolve. Understand that every day is not going to be your best day in the gym, but you can learn. You can learn from any little mistake. Like I said in the video, you get beat up, and get beat up, and get beat up, until one day, they donāt beat you no more. Pacquiao got the āW,ā but he was the one who had to leave the press conference. He was the one felt busted up at the end of the night. I didnāt feel busted up. I could have sat there and answered 21 questions. We could go eat pizza afterwards. I know what happens when fighters get in the ring with me. My presence will be felt. One way or another, it will be felt.
Zenger: The amount of disrespect you receive is almost strange to me. Why do you feel like the fans have somewhat turned on you?
Thurman: I really do blame the lack of activity, right. Because I unified two world titles when I defeated Danny Garcia when we were both undefeated welterweight world champions. That was just so much momentum coming up to that point. But after that it was just rough. I fought that fight with bone spurs. Once they healed, I was hitting the heavy bag and hurt my hand. I was debating what I was going to do about that. By the time the doctor told me I needed hand surgery I said, āYo doc, I need a check.ā Thatās when I got in the ring to fight Josesito Lopez. And then after that, we started negotiating the Pacquiao fight. I said, āYo doc, weāre going to get this Pacquiao fight, so letās hold off on the hand surgery.ā I went that whole year with cortisone shots. Itās just hard, man. Itās rough.
Fans are fickle. I love fight fans and then I donāt love āem, too. At the end of the day, theyāre very fickle. One day they love you, the next day they hate you. One day theyāre riding your back, then you say something and they not ābout that. āNah Thurman, what you mean? Why you wanna be like that?ā Theyāre just fickle people, but at the end of the day, theyāre people. Everybody is imperfect, right? I forgive fans for all the ignorance that they bring to the sport of boxing. I forgive you. Itās okay because at the end of the day, Iām still your entertainment, baby. You aināt going to get a great fight at 147 until I get in the ring. You going to get some little pity pat, no attack, no heart, no soul. Danny [Garcia] was in that ring, but Danny didnāt look like he had dog in him no more. I still got dog in me, man. Especially, now that Iām coming off of an āL.ā You know I want that, āW.ā
Now I know what LeBron James feels like losing Game 7 by one point. Itās the worst feeling in the world. Iām the fighter that said, I have an 0 and I aināt afraid to let it go. If you can beat me, beat me. I said that and I meant it and I still mean it. Whoās gonna beat, āOne Timeā two times? Itās not about losing, itās about being in a fight that you couldāve won. Thatās the heartbreaking moment in sports. Tiger Woods missing a putt to take home the green jacket. Itās annoying. Itās just a four-foot putt. Itā s something youāve made a thousand times in your career, but today you miss.Ā
Zenger: Iām a Saints fan. I know all about those type of heartbreaks. I would rather lose by 50 points than to lose by a last-second miracle.
Thurman: Man ⦠exactly man. I would rather be dominated. I would rather be knocked out. Itās what competition is all about. Those fine margins. Something about injuries. ⦠I donāt blame my injuries; Iām going to tell you what I blame ā mindset. I blame the mental game. Trust me, when the head game here is strong, and the mindset is strong, itās over, man. Itās over. Iāll handle the business. I showed a little bit of a moment of weakness, I showed a little moment of, nah, you donāt need to push yourself, maybe the draw is on the table. I donāt think you lost today, but I lost that day. Always go for the gold. Always be prepared to push yourself and put yourself out there. I wouldāve rather been dropped in the 12th round than to lose by one point. I shouldāve stuck my chin out there. I was ready for round 13, 14, 15. Those rounds aināt coming. At the end of the day, do it again. Run it back like we playing Madden back in the day. Mortal Kombat, Iām not finished. Finish Him! Finish Him! Finish Him! Thurman is not finished. Who is gonna do it? Who got it? I just love the fight game, man, and I donāt think these people really understand. Theyāre not bred in it like I was.
Zenger: What do you think it will take on your end to get the biggest names in the division in the ring with you?
Thurman: I donāt have a title. I donāt have the crown. Iām not a position holder. So, I guess put myself in a position to mandate it if I was to have one fight that would put me in position to mandate one of these champions to get in the ring, and they would be subject to approval or denial and vacation of the belt. If these fighters think they donāt want to be champion, that their names are big enough and they donāt need these belts anymore and they donāt need Keith Thurman, then they are going to have to prove it. Once I get active again, best believe, Iām climbing right back up that ladder right to the top. I know how to get there. Iāve been there before. I might step down, but Iām only a few steps away, baby. Iām not that far. Iām just a few steps away. They canāt hide forever, man. We going to see what happens. I donāt know why they donāt want great fights. I donāt know why they donāt want to challenge themselves.
Zenger: Given the fact that you are coming off of a loss, given the fact that COVID has slowed things down for boxers and you didnāt fight in 2020, do you feel like you appreciate the sport more?
Thurman: Definitely man. Just coming off a āLā in general. Weāve seen it in the past. One of my favorite fighters to lose and then to win, and then he lost a lot more after that. but at the end of the day, the way he lost and then the way he won, that was tremendous, and Iām talking about Victor Ortiz. Victor Ortiz got beat down by Marcos Maidana in a fight he was winning. And then all of a sudden, he couldnāt block a right hand and he gets slapped, and he gets slapped and he gets slapped. Iām like, āLord, please block Victor, dang.ā That fight was crazy. He dropped Maidana; Maidana dropped him, but Maidana was the one that got up and wanted to fight like a dog. Victor didnāt want that. The dog turned into a you know what. I donāt wanna say it. Once he was on his backfoot with his tail tucked in, Maidana finished him. Finished him so hard, that boy got the mic in his hand and said, āI donāt know if boxing is for me.ā How hard did you get hit, boy? And that was embarrassing. Oscar De La Hoyaās face on stage was like, please shut up. He was an undefeated fighter. This was his first loss of his career. You lost to an Argentinian pitbull who got bricks for hands.
At the end of the day, when he came back, he fought my beloved brother, Andre Berto. And when he fought Andre Berto, I think Berto found himself in a slight, complacent situation. And he figured, look, that boy couldnāt take the right hand, he aināt gonna take my right hand. But guess what, that day when he got dropped, because Victor still got dropped by Berto, but what happened when he got up? That dog didnāt have his tail tucked no more. That dog came to brawl. That dog came to fight and do more than bark. His jaw was locked. He didnāt want to let go. The spirit in man is the most powerful thing. And we see it in fighters all the time. Thatās what we mean, when we say heart. Itās not just the blood pumping; itās not just the adrenaline, but itās the spirit behind all that. And thatās what happened to me. My spirit is awakened. Iām back on it. They canāt stop this. You put me down, Iām gonna get up like a dog. And Iām going to put in more work than that Pac fight.
Zenger: Ideally, when would you like to return to the ring?
Thurman: I would love to get back as soon as possible. Just any date, as soon as possible. Hopefully, put two fights on the books this year. I would love to be in the ring twice this year. I know itās hard out here. I would like to get the ball rolling, but if not, just one great fight. I want a champion, or I want somebody and then a champion. It donāt matter to me. I want great fights. I believe I bring greatness into the ring each and every time I step into it. Being a non-champion, Keith āOne Timeā Thurman has to be one of the greatest welterweight challengers in the division. Like I said, I was a champion before they gave me a belt; Iām a champion afterwards. Iām not finished.
(Edited by Stan Chrapowicki and Alex Patrick)
The post Keith Thurman Is Ready To Fight His Way Back To The Top appeared first on Zenger News.