By Norm Frauenheim
Keith Thurman promises history. A lot of people think he already is.
There’s a challenge in that, one that offers Thurman the motivation that always comes with an opportunity to prove them wrong.
It also gives him a chance to talk, and there’s never been a doubt he’s still better at that than just about anybody on boxing’s bully pulpit.
He was there, center stage, Thursday with a volume of words full of philosophy, preaching and psychology. If it weren’t for Sebastian Fundora’s much-hyped height, you wouldn’t have known Fundora was there at all.
Fundora, all 6-foot-6 of him, walks into a room and everybody looks up, including the 5-7 Thurman, who must have suffered a crick in his neck during the ritual stare down during a live-streamed newser a couple of days before the title fight Saturday at Vegas’ MGM Grand.
Fundora let his 154-pound title, recent string of impressive victories and that height do most of his talking. The 28-year-old with an emerging ring IQ is a smart guy. So, he listened.
Word-for-word, Thurman is unrivalled, if not undisputed. He has a broadcaster’s skillset. For now, however, he’s a fighter who plans to stay active. Thurman, nicknamed One Time, said Thursday he doesn’t intend to retire. One Time promised at least one more in a fight — he says — could open the door to Hall of Fame consideration
“A historic night,’’ he said many times.
In part, Premier Boxing Champions’ pay-per-view bout on Amazon Prime is historic for both PBC and Thurman. Thurman was featured in PBC’s first main event, a decision over Robert Guerrero 11 years ago — March 7, 2015 – also at the MGM Grand.
“It’s called PBC,’’ Thurman said. “It should be PB Me.’’
He’s a poet, too.
But a question lingers: Is he still the puncher with the finishing power defined by his nickname? The answer determines the fight.
Despite the nickname, his career has been a story about not enough times. It’s impossible to judge inactivity. That’s not exactly fair. There was Covid. There were injuries, including three surgeries.
But none of that is attached to his record like an asterisk offering an explanation. It’s just a fact, including only 15 rounds since July 2019.
That’s nearly seven years, a stretch when some fighters retire, come back and retire all over again.
At 37, Thurman is closer to the end than his prime. Perhaps, inactivity helped protect him from the inevitable wear-and-tear sustained in a busy career. But the surgeries suggest otherwise.
Thurman hears the skepticism. He uses it, effectively on stage and in video. The psychologist in him also might be using it against the younger Fundora. Media and fans were there with questions Thursday. In part, however, Thurman might have been talking to an audience of one: Fundora.
Fundora, he said many times, has been knocked out in his only loss to Brian Mendoza in 2023. Fundora’s muscle memory of that KO will be there, Thurman said, when a big shot lands. The body, he promised, will react in a way Fundora’s mind can’t control.
“I don’t know what all is going to go down,’’ Thurman said. “I just know Sebastian Fundora is going down.’’
It’s no coincidence that Mendoza is on Saturday’s card against Cuban prospect Yoenis Tellez in the co-main event. It’s also no coincidence that Thurman was seated next to Mendoza on the stage for the news conference.
“He gave me the cheat code,’’ Thurman said to Fundora, who was seated on the other side of the pulpit. “Night, night.
“I’m going to give you that flashback. Do you remember? Maybe, you forgot. I will make you remember.’’
Maybe, make some history, too.
