This Wednesday, in Australia, former welterweight champ Keith Thurman returns to action, this for the first time in three years. “One Time” will fight Brock Jarvis in Sydney, and the 36 year old has been talking up a storm in the lead-up to the fight. Thurman, who has had a quite chronic history of suffering injuries, this being a major factor in his career, says he will get the initial comeback win and then go into bigger fights, such as one with Tim Tszyu, who Thurman was scheduled to fight a few months back, before, you guessed it, an injury curtailed the fight, this at the 11th hour.
Now, at his age and after so many idle months, how much has Thurman got left to offer? Jarvis, 22-1 to Thurman’s 30-1, and nine years the younger man at age 27, has won two fights since suffering his sole loss, this a quick stoppage loss at the hands of Liam Paro. Thurman doesn’t for one minute believe Jarvis in in his class. And maybe this is so, but again, how much has Thurman got left at this stage of his life and career?
Wednesday’s fight could prove to be a fun fight, the scheduled 10 rounder to be televised by Fox Sports 5 in Australia. Kayo Sports will also be showing the fight live. Thurman was last seen in a ring in February of 2022, when he decisioned Mario Barrios in what was, to be fair, a pretty decent showing from “One Time.” As of right now, Thurman is a pretty big betting favourite at a listed -350, to +265 for Jarvis. But will Father Time make an appearance and aid Jarvis and trouble Thurman? We just don’t know what Thurman will look like, whether his body will hold up if the fight gets tough and goes into the later rounds.
Thurman, back when he was defeating the likes of Julio Diaz, Luis Collazo, Shawn Porter, and Danny Garcia, would have been looked at as a massive, no doubt about it favourite over Jarvis. But age, long layoffs, and a fighter being injury-prone can prove to be quite a tough trio of things to overcome.
Thurman is the pick to win here, most likely by decision. But how far can Thurman’s latest comeback go in the long run?
Main Card Start Times (Approximate):
- Sydney (AEDT): 7:00 PM
- USA (ET): 3:00 AM (March 12)
- USA (PT): 12:00 AM (March 12)
- UK (GMT): 8:00 AM (March 12)
Australian fans can enjoy the fight live on Foxtel’s Main Event or stream via Kayo Sports. The broadcast kicks off at 5 PM AEDT on Fox Sports 5 (Ch. 505), then shifts to pay-per-view coverage on Kayo or Foxtel at $69.95. You can stream on most Android and iOS devices.
Unfortunately, viewers outside Australia, including the U.K: & U.S., won’t have access to this event.
Fight Card
- Keith Thurman vs. Brock Jarvis; super welterweight
- Michael Zerafa vs. Besir Ay; middleweight
- Tonga Tongotongo vs. Kirra Ruston; light heavyweight
- Mateo Tapia vs. Sergei Vorobev; middleweight
- Sonny Knight vs. Jordan Martin; super welterweight
- Charlie Kazzi vs. Nort Beauchamp; lightweight
- Jason Fawcett vs. Kohei Hatanaka; welterweight
- Jacob Clenshaw vs. Kavana Voatu’ua; welterweight
- Linn Sandstrom vs. Yoselin Fernandez; super flyweight
- Angel Rushton vs. Nadia Flalhi; super featherweight
