By Luis Sandoval
Keith “One Time” Thurman is patiently waiting for his name to continue getting bigger in order to get the big fights in the Welterweight division. He plans to put on a show Saturday night as he takes on veteran Julio Diaz in the main event in Carson, CA at the Stub Hub Center.
While the welterweight division is the glamour division of the sport and houses some of the biggest names, there’s also plenty happening 7 pounds north. Thurman isn’t exactly a small 147 pound fighter and judging by his physique, it’s easy to imagine him fighting as a Junior Middleweight.
Thurman feels perfectly fine where he’s at but he doesn’t rule out going to 154 for the right opportunity and names one fighter in particular that could make him move up.
“I’ve never weighed 154. I’ve fought above 150 but I’ve never fought at 154. Just want to put that on record for you. But I’ll do it if it makes dollars and it makes sense. There’s not too much competition out there that would really make me want to move up but Canelo. There’s always Canelo. I’ve liked that boy ever since he stepped foot on American soil,” said the undefeated interim champion.
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is without a question the money cow of the Junior Middleweight division. His popularity continues to grow and even a defeat to Floyd Mayweather didn’t deter his fans as his last fight with Alfredo Angulo did over 350,000 pay per view buys.
A matchup between Canelo and Thurman would definitely be great but Thurman really wants to make his stamp at 147 and would want to still come back even if he did have a stint at 154.
“We’ll see. I have a lot of love and passion for the Welterweight division. The Welterweight division has a lot of history and Keith “One Time” Thurman wants to be a part of that history. But like I said, if it makes dollars it makes sense. We’ll move. I’ll play hopscotch and hop over here then hop over there. It ain’t no problem for me,” declared Thurman.
While 154 may be in Thurman’s future, his current assignment is at 147 and Thurman will look to score a knockout victory in his first headlining fight.
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