By Cliff Rold

WBA welterweight titlist Keith Thurman (27-0, 22 KO) is saying exactly what he should be saying.

Thurman, hot on the heels of his exciting title defense against Shawn Porter, is saying he wants to face WBC welterweight titlist Danny Garcia (32-0, 18 KO).

He was reported to have said it at the Thurman-Porter post-fight press conference. Tuesday night, interviewed on Fox Sports 1, he said it again.

Under any circumstances, a clash between undefeated welterweight titlists sounds pretty good. Thurman-Garcia would meet that bar and both have enough marquee identity to make it an event. In this case, it’s more than just a good fight.

It’s the ultimate maximizing of the PBC investment.

Last week in this space, the lack of focus in the PBC was lamented. Garcia and Thurman were the big debut names for the product when it launched on network television. This could have, should have, been a rivalry built from the onset of the brand. In calling for Garcia, Thurman begins in earnest the road to a showdown that has logically been there all along.

The numbers don’t lie.

The two most watched fighters on US television outside of the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao megafight in 2015 were Thurman and Garcia.

One can argue about popularity, ticket sales, or gross revenue generated. No one would argue either is a top dollar pay-per-view draw. One cannot argue about live viewing numbers.

Thurman-Robert Guerrero on NBC in 2015 peaked at around 4 million viewers. One month later, Garcia versus Lamont Peterson peaked at more than 3 million viewers. Again, outside Mayweather-Pacquiao, those were the two most watched live fights of 2015.

In 2016, Thurman and Garcia again lead the charge. Both men’s lone outings this year (Garcia-Guerrero on Fox, Thurman-Porter on CBS) are the two most watched live fights of the year with more than 2 million tuning in for each.

No PBC fight since the maiden voyages of Thurman and Garcia in 2015 has come close to the numbers they initially produced. At two million-plus live viewers for their fights this year, no one else has come close in any outlet. HBO’s highest rated fight of 2015, Gennady Golovkin-Dominic Wade, generated well over a million live viewers.

That’s roughly a million less eyes than what network has meant for Thurman and Guerrero. And make no mistake. It’s not just about brand. The PBC rematch between Andre Berto and Victor Ortiz drew more live eyes than Golovkin-Wade as well, but it didn’t get anywhere near the two million viewer mark.

Being fair, these are not good numbers judged against other prime time network fare. Boxing isn’t suddenly on fire. The PBC has seen a net decline in viewers since the initial curiosity.

But Thurman and Garcia keep coming up as reliable on network platforms in terms of outperforming their peers. It’s time to see what they can generate together.

It’s time for Thurman-Garcia, preferably on network. PBC has invested millions in the sport. No other fight is better situated for them to make the most of what they’ve put into the game.

And the time isn’t after each guy has another fight or two.

The time is now.

There was a genuine buzz after Thurman-Porter. The live crowd loved it. Fans enjoyed it. A well-promoted fight, long in the making, met and for many exceeded expectations. It was sometimes, wild, a little bit sloppy, and consistently violent. It was fun as hell.

It was the sort of fight that made you want to see both guys again. For Thurman, who remains undefeated, it is a moment of momentum that shouldn’t be squandered. The same can be said for the PBC. There isn’t a face to the product yet, but Thurman has been one of their most prominent players.

So has Garcia.

It’s a plus that their styles should mesh. Garcia has been in good fights and so has Thurman. Both men have good hooks and are looking for a path to the sort of riches risking each other can get them closer to.

This fall has its share of looming excitement with Tyson Fury-Wladimir Klitschko II set to be rescheduled and Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward pegged for pay-per-view. PBC has one fight in their hip pocket that can generate the attention, excitement, and viewership to make it by far the most watched fight of 2016 in the US.

That fight is Thurman-Garcia. The betting odds would be interesting.

That fight should be next.  

Cliff’s Notes…

Count me in the number that think Orlando Salido-Fernando Vargas is still the leader for Fight of the Year, and not by a little. That doesn’t mean Thurman-Porter wasn’t one hell of a fight. One thought doesn’t render other untrue. Some of the social media beefing on the two fights has devolved into stupidity…Game of Thrones delivered. Cersei better not get comfortable…Canelo Alvarez-Liam Smith isn’t a bad fight. It’s a disappointing fight and, on pay-per-view, it’s a bet that most fans are just whiny suckers who will still ante up on fight night…That and a chance for Alvarez to maybe pay some legal bills? The lawsuit thing is legit…Carl Froch either really hates, or really loves, being retired. Either way, his comments on anything are always entertaining.   

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com