Collazo Impressed With, But Not Intimidated By Thurman

By Jake Donovan

With more than 15 years logged in service, Luis Collazo is smart enough to know the role he is expected to play. The former welterweight titlist—now 34 and believed to be on the wrong side of his prime—comes in as a major underdog heading into his July 11 ESPN-televised showdown with unbeaten rising star Keith Thurman.

The bout takes place at USF Sun Dome in Tampa, not very far from Thurman’s hometown in Clearwater, Florida. In addition to conceding hometown advantage, Collazo is also asked to put it all on the line against a fighter being hailed as the future of the welterweight division.

None of that is of any concern to the Nuyorican southpaw, who is right there with the experts in claiming that Thurman is the truth.

“I believe Keith Thurman is doing a heck of a job (as a pro). He’s undefeated and I don’t take anything away from him,” Collazo (36-6, 19KOs) readily admits.

The compliment is high praise coming from Collazo considering his own level of competition. He’s often come up short in his biggest fights, including lopsided losses to Shane Mosley (Feb. ’07) and last year versus Amir Khan. However, he’s also given credible accounts of himself in disputed losses to Ricky Hatton and Andre Berto, both of whom were unbeaten at the time they faced Collazo.

His career is hardly reduced to near misses, however.

Collazo’s welterweight title reign began with a road win, marching into Jose Rivera’s hometown of Worcester, Mass. to claim a 12-round win and the title in their April ’05 Showtime-televised clash. Years later and leading to the showdown with Khan, Collazo disproved the theory that he was just another well-known opponent in dismantling former welterweight champ Victor Ortiz last January in Brooklyn.

An upset is far less likely in next week’s clash with Thurman, which serves the first installment of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on ESPN. As has always been the case, Collazo is less concerned with the odds as his time and attention is squarely focused on what he brings to the table. 

“In this sport, anything can happen,” Collazo is quick to remind skeptics. “Whoever sticks to their game plan the best will come out victorious.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox