By Edward Chaykovsky
WBA welterweight champion Keith 'One Time' Thurman (27-0, 22KOs) has not given up on his dream of getting Floyd Mayweather Jr. (49-0, 26KOs) in the ring.
Mayweather retired last September after dominating former welterweight champion Andre Berto over twelve rounds at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Thurman was last in the ring back in June, when he won a twelve round brawl over former IBF beltholder Shawn Porter in a Fight of The Year candidate from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. There are rumors of unification with WBC champion Danny Garcia in early 2017.
After Mayweather retired, his rival Manny Pacquiao retired in April. But now Pacquiao is back, and fights on November 5th with WBO champion Jessie Vargas.
Mayweather, who is 39-years-old and turns 40 very soon, has dropped some hints regarding a potential return but there has been nothing concrete in that area.
Most of Mayweather's comeback chatter was related to a fantasy with UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor, and that never really got off the ground.
Thurman feels he accomplished more than enough to earn a Mayweather fight.
"We still have these two legendary shadows who keep [talking about] stepping back into the ring [Mayweather and Pacquiao]. Take them away and you’re blessed with the new generation of fighters who need to go after each other. But I remember when I first talked about fighting Floyd Mayweather and the reasons I expressed being deserving of the match. I have a better argument today," Thurman told Premier Boxing Champions.
"If you look at Floyd Mayweather’s résumé, you’ll see names like Victor Ortiz, Robert Guerrero, Andre Berto. I don’t see why Keith Thurman is not a legitimate opponent for him. I’ve looked at the fantasy of stepping into the ring with Floyd Mayweather. On paper, he’s never fought anyone like me, but he doesn’t have a lot of rodeos left."