Keith Thurman is comparing himself to Sugar Ray Leonard and Muhammad Ali in his comeback fight after three years out of the ring to take on Aussie Brock Jarvis in a match in the 154-lb division on March 12th at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Australia.
(Credit: No Limit Boxing)
Viewing his return as a comeback for the ages, the 36-year-old former WBA and WBC welterweight champion Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) sees him using his fight against the 27-year-old Jarvis (22-1, 20 KOs) as a “showcase” to display his talent to set up bigger fights.
Eyeing Gold
Thurman is coming back after three years in what many believe is a hunt for Saudi gold. The old ‘One Time’ wants to get in on the action to get some of the cash that fighters like Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, Teofimo Lopez, and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis are getting.
Keith has got to win this fight against the much younger Jarvis, look good, and then hope that Turki Al-Sheikh will take notice of him. With Thurman’s long history of injury problems taking back to 2014, it’s very questionable whether he’ll make it to the ring to fight Jarvis on March 12th without having one or two ailments that cause the contest to be postponed.
“This is history in the making; this is Sugar Ray Leonard, and this is Muhammad Ali after prison. Time does not take away the ability of champions,” said Keith Thurman to Fox Sports Australia about his comeback fight against Brock Jarvis on March 12th in Sydney.
Leonard and Ali were true talents. It’s silly for Thurman to lump himself in the same category as them because he was never in their league when he was younger and still fighting regularly. When Thurman was at his best, he swerved younger lions like Errol Spence and never showed interest in fighting him despite being called out numerous times. Leonard and Ali never avoided fighters the way Thurman did.
The Aging Lion
Thurman was a good fighter eight years ago before injuries and lack of motivation took hold. He’s been rarely seen since 2017, fighting just three times. Although Thurman blames his lack of activity on injuries, that’s the true reason. Injuries haven’t kept him on the sidelines for eight years. He just hasn’t loved the sport enough to want to stay busy.
Brock Jarvis has the youth, size, and power to beat Thurman and send him back into retirement living. This is a fight that a younger version of Keith would likely easily win, but he’s gotten old and looks his age after three years of inactivity. When a fighter that age and has been inactive as long as Thurman, you can be beaten by fighters you’d never thought would have gotten the better of you.
