Keith Thurman: If I Drop Porter, We Will Go To Take Him Out

by Carlos Boogs

WBA welterweight champion Keith "One Time" Thurman (26-0, 22KOs) is looking to make a statement on March 12th, when he faces former IBF champion Shawn Porter (26-1-1, 16KOs) at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Thurman has promised not to repeat the same mistake that he made in December of 2013, when he faced Leonard Bundu at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Thurman dropped Bundu in the first round, but then he never got aggressive and took his foot off the gas. The fight ended up going the full twelve round distance.

Afterwards, Thurman admitted that he made a big mistake by not jumping on Bundu when the knockdown was scored. He made the assumption, based on the easy knockdown in the first, that he would be able to take Bundu out later on. Bundu never went down again and was never in serious trouble.

If he drops Porter at any moment in the fight, Thurman is planning to go for a knockout.

"With respect to Team Porter, we will take him out [if he gets up from the knockdown]. If we have that advantage over him, we will try to close the show. We will take advantage of each devastating blow that we land in that twelve round fight," Thurman said. 

Thurman recently stated that he wants to take over and clean out the entire welterweight division. After Porter, he hopes to get WBC champion Danny Garcia in the fall.

"I'm planning on taking over. This fight right here [with Porter] is going to solidify, one step at a time - clean out the welterweight division and prove that I'm the best welterweight in boxing today," Thurman said.

"The road begins on March 12th. Put me at the top if you want to - thank you for all your love and respect. Put me in the middle, put me at the bottom - it doesn't matter. We are just getting started. There are still other welterweights to take care of. Some believe that you're not the best until you fight everybody. Well, Keith 'One Time' Thurman wants to fight everybody."