KEITH THURMAN was last seen losing to the legendary Manny Pacquiao in 2019. On Saturday (February 5) he returns to fight Mario Barrios at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Itโs a perfectly reasonable comeback match, though surprisingly Fox have decided to screen it as a pay-per-view.
Barrios boxed to a good level at super-lightweight but is coming off a loss after Gervonta Davis moved up to the division and stopped him in 11 rounds.
Thurman will be looking to show he can add another element of excitement to the top end of the welterweight division, a weight class thatโs in danger of stagnating as the fight that needs to be made โ Terence Crawford versus Errol Spence โ isnโt getting made.
โComing off the Pacquiao fight, it just didnโt excite me to come back without fans. I love my fans. I love the sport of boxing. I could have done it for the activity, and perhaps, in retrospect, it would have been good to be in the ring. But while the activity would have been good, the excitement wasnโt appealing. I was financially stable, didnโt need the money, and desired to make meaningful performances and meaningful fights in the welterweight division. 2022 has presented more opportunities to me and my career; at 33, Iโm young, willing, and able, and itโs time to get back,โ Thurman explained.
Thurman will surely be rusty and his explosive best might still be some way off. He should have too much for Barrios but could be taken the distance here.
“Iโm in this sport to fight the best. Thereโs never been a name that Iโve turned down. I want to keep testing my abilities and prove to everyone that I belong. Thatโs why I picked such a difficult fight for my welterweight debut,” Barrios said. โItโs a dream come true for me to be in this position. Iโve stayed patient, stayed focused and stayed disciplined. Now I have the opportunity to make a name for myself at welterweight.
“Every time I step into the ring I bring that intensity and determination. Youโre going to have to hit me with something crazy to get me out of there. Iโm always going to keep on coming. Iโm in there to do whatever I can to come out victorious.”
Leo Santa Cruz will also box on the undercard, against Keenan Carbajal and Luis Nery meets the 27-0 Carlos Castro.