KEITH Thurman delivered a punch perfect performance on Wednesday in Sydney, icing Australia’s Brock Jarvis in round three. Sitting at ringside was a possible future foe in Tim Tszyu. The pair were scheduled to fight last year before Thurman withdrew injured.
If Tszyu gets past his next outing, an April 6 clash with Joey Spencer, it is likely the Thurman fight will be revisited. Sitting next to Tszyu on commentary duties was a former Thurman opponent: ‘Showtime’ Shawn Porter. After watching Thurman in action, Porter was asked how that possible matchup could play out. His answer was surprising.
“I was on record for saying Keith was going to beat Tim,” said Porter, addressing Tszyu directly.
“I thought Tim lacked the experience. Now you’ve got a really good eye view of what a Keith Thurman can do, but then you’ve gone through a couple of things recently, and those little hiccups have improved you.
“I don’t need to talk to you to know those hiccups have improved you. Now, where I thought Keith was going to beat you, I now think that this is a 50-50 fight.”
This is perhaps an odd line of thinking, going from predicting a Thurman win to a 50-50 affair given the comments came just moments after Thurman had looked in tip-top shape, blasting away Brock Jarvis.
Throw in the fact that Tszyu’s two fights since the Thurman withdrawal have been heavy losses; first to Fundora, who left him in a bloody mess and then, seven months later, a bludgeoning at the fists of Bakhram Murtazaliev.
In that fight, headlining a PBC show in Florida, Tszyu repeatedly dabbed away at his forehead as the mental scars remained as much as the physical ones.
Back on Wednesday evening, working as a guest pundit for Australia’s Main Event, Porter was given a sceptical side eye by Tszyu who was sitting next to him, which likely helped spur on the American’s predictive change of heart.
Shawn did at least offer some kind of rationale for his claim, saying that Tszyu’s in-ring experiences, on top of the previous momentum, will have helped the Aussie star.
“I think that what [Thurman] did is really help sell some tickets for the future. I think that there’s another level that you have to go to when you’re in the ring with the elite, and it’s perfect timing for both these guys.
“He’s [Tszyu] handled some, or has dealt with some adversities recently. Keith has dealt with the adversity of being out of the ring for three years. The fight’s a 50-50 fight, and it’s a perfect timing for both these guys,” added Porter.
