Thurman is in a lose-lose situation, can he ever be a fan favorite again?

If he beats Pacquaio in a decent/good fight he'll get respect from the fans again but he must fight Spence if he beats Pac Man since he is pushing above 30 soon.

All Thurman needs to do is put in some performances that got people excited about him in the 1st place. If he is stillcapable ofcourse. Long injury lay offs and below average performances from Thurman has sunk his profile but it will only take a couple of steller performances to bring him back. But these latest performances have been poor. Is it extreme ring rust or have the injuries taken a bigger toll on him than people like to admit? Hopefully his form will return as hes a very good fighter. What poor performance did he have besides the Lopez fight? His previous two before that were wins over Porter and Garcia.

If he wins he'll have beaten Shawn Porter, Danny Garcia, and Manny Pacquiao. Layoff or not, that's three of the best in the division.

I would not dislike him for beating Pacquiao. That would just be doing his job and doing what he is supposed to do. He just should not gloat too much in victory. That's the only way he could mess up a win over Pacquiao.

I remember there was a time when Thurman was a fan favorite. Before the injuries, layoff, and sub-par performance against Josesito Lopez. It seems like the tables have turned on Kieth. He seems to get more hate than love nowadays and I don't see that changing regardless of the result in his next fight. Win? People will discredit him and say he beat an old Pacquiao. The hate will intensify for beating a very likeable legend. Lose? Well, you just lost to an old man and people will say you got exposed or that you were never that good. Is there any way Thurman can get back in the good graces of the general Boxing public? Or should Kieth embrace the villain role and everything that comes with it?I was afan but he lost me as a fan when he ducked Spence and then did so much bragging when he was out of action saying he was by far the best and would be back to prove it. He only beat Porter and Garcia by a very small amount and was not much better than they were even at his best. Then he picks a real cherry pick to defend his title against in Lopez. Then it almost backfires on him when Lopez gives him hell. I am rooting for Pacquiao and picking Pacquiao to win. I don't like Thurman being so disrespectful to Pacquiao by trashing him and insulting him. It's uncalled for and classless. Thurman could become popular again by beating Spence if he could but I think Spence would easily knock him out. So, yeah, I used to like Thurman but now I don't because of what he is saying. He used to be polite and respectful to other boxers. Now he is arrogant and rude.

He'll have a wonderful desk job commentating after he retires

All Thurman needs to do is put in some performances that got people excited about him in the 1st place. If he is stillcapable ofcourse. Long injury lay offs and below average performances from Thurman has sunk his profile but it will only take a couple of steller performances to bring him back. But these latest performances have been poor. Is it extreme ring rust or have the injuries taken a bigger toll on him than people like to admit? Hopefully his form will return as hes a very good fighter.

Well imo Thurman once was the boggeyman of the welterweight division. Now that there are other killers in the division he's been M I A ever since. Injuries ok, but some people use injuries as an excuse to wait out the threat (Spence, Crawford) to get knocked off. And i liked Thurman.

lose lose? he's getting paid. Didnt you see his new car on the PBC show? even got himself a mail order bride from Nepal he's making money moves and out of the hood

Only if he fights toe-to-toe against Pac. But instead he's going to be moving all night like Andrade, turning this into a boring night with the whole crowd booing, shouting profanities, and crying for Pacman to knock him out.

Thurman just isn't that likable to a casual. Guys that are ****y are given the "heh he's actually pretty cool he's just trying to sell a fight". Thurman seems like he's pompous and pretty pretentious once you hear him speak. Not to mention none of the other pbc fighters tend to like him either.

One time will become run time and show up in track shoes to run away from an old dinosaur that has some bite left.

I mean if he beats Pacquiao, he is right back at the top of the division with Spence/Crawford. I mean technically he is as we speak, but he hasn't faced a legit top level WW in over two years since the DSG win. But if he beats Pacquiao? That would be three really good wins for him, and something neither Spence nor Crawford could say. So to me, he just has to win period.

Most fights are like that nowadays, anyways. It's not like Thurman was forced into this fight. He wanted it. You just saw one the other night with Charlo vs Adams, as just one example. Exactly the same as you described. It's a lose lose situation. It's mind-boggling why they can't fight the ones they're supposed to be fighting. Adams didn't win a single round as predicted.

It's more profitable to be the villain anyway. If he beats Pac, he needs to really lean into the heel role

Not true he knocks out Pac-Man his considered in top 2 him and Spence . Crawford I respect hut the guy hasn’t fought one true 147 pounder !