ON Saturday night, Keith Thurman dug deep to earn a close decision against Shawn Porter to retain his WBA world welterweight title.
The win confirmed his position as one of the division’s leaders, though with the spectres of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao still haunting the 147lb class, the top operators are still struggling for supremacy.
After a bout of backward and sideward steps, Thurman has finally laid down the gauntlet to his peers with a defining win. Now, he has myriad options – though we are not considering Mayweather or Pacquiao at this stage, as they remain retired. Click below to read our top five next opponents for Thurman.
5. Shawn Porter (rematch)
Their clash on Saturday was incredibly close, and if you’re saying to yourself you wouldn’t want to see these two go at it again, you’re lying.
The pair flew at each other for 12 scintillating rounds, with neither man able to keep a constant grip on the momentum. Despite the narrow loss, former IBF champ Porter is still one of the most dangerous men in the division.
4. Amir Khan
Khan’s stock took a hit when Canelo Alvarez ironed him to the canvas during their 155lb-catchweight meeting in May. Though Amir received a lot of credit for taking on Canelo, the brutal knockout will not have served him well.
He has since declared his intention to return to 147lbs, where he remains highly ranked with some of the governing bodies. He’s a world class fighter and, prior to fighting Alvarez, had notched some eye-catching wins at welterweight.
His unrivalled speed makes him a threat to anyone and a fight with Thurman would be evenly matched.
3. Tim Bradley
Although he is coming off a loss (a 12 round points reverse to Pacquiao), Bradley remains the consensus division leader due to his stacked CV.
The American is a class operator, but can also turn in a gutsy display when need be, as proven by his unforgettable war with Ruslan Provodnikov in 2013. If Thurman is serious about ruling the division, he needs to go through fighters like Bradley – much easier said than done.
2. Kell Brook
The IBF champion who de-throned Porter looks set to finally get another big name fight this year as WBO champion Jessie Vargas is being lined up. Late August/early September is the mooted timeline for that, meaning that Brook’s schedule may not align with Thurman’s at this stage.
Thurman and Brook are both unbeaten and in their respective primes – a unification fight between them would be huge.
1. Danny Garcia
Garcia’s name has been on many-a welterweight’s lips for some time now, though the man himself has remained relatively quiet. There are whispers that the unbeaten American is in the running to be the comeback opponent for Mayweather, and that Garcia, who hasn’t fought since outpointing Robert Guerrero in January, is waiting on the former pound for pound king to make a decision.
Regardless, Thurman is gunning for him and it’s a fight all boxing fans would surely want to see. Much like with Brook, it would be two top-level welterweight world champions (Garcia holds the WBC title) putting it all on the line.
