Comments Thread For: Is Keith Thurman Doing The Right Thing By Making Spence Wait?

[SthPaw]

Just an example of a boxer and his fan base trying to follow the Mayweather blueprint, without realising Mayweather was a once in a generation/era/lifetime type of fighter and can not be emulated by these guys.

They see what it did for him and Manny circling each other for years and the pay off when they finally met down the line. What they don’t understand is May & Pac where already mega stars in their own right and therefore the repeated delays and controversies only added to the fire until the everyday man became just as interested as us. Therefore sparking off this notion that waiting is the key. It isn’t.

A year or two or whatever from now do you honestly think the general public and the man down the street will give a flying F about Thurman and him facing Spence? No.

What exactly is he waiting to marinate? What is there to build up? This isn’t going to be a generational mega fight, it won’t be a once in an era blockbuster...it will be big for us, sure, but will Joe Bloggs care? No. So let’s not act like marination is necessary.

Super delusional to act as though making the fight wait will pay off majorly down the line. It’s a lie. He just doesn’t want to face Spence, and therefore is claiming marination is the reason, because he/we saw what it did for the last mega fight of the era.

Just wool over the eyes.

[wrecksracer]

If Thurman is worried about losing, then it's the right thing to do. He needs to maximize his earnings before taking that loss. This fight won't happen this year or next.

[future hendrixx]

i remember when thurman was blatantly ducked by maidana, khan, malignaggi and floyd. I don't remember anybody calling those guys cowards so FOH with this thurman is scared talk.. floyd picked berto over thurman who was his WBA mandatory. thats more of a duck than this. porter is mandatory to thurman so he gets first dibs. after that (2019) he'll face spence. right on schedule. and beating porter is not even guaranteed so it could easily be porter-spence next year unifying.

[Eff Pandas]

Its the right thing if he wins &/or if he's retiring after or soon after that fight.

I say that because Spence is only going to get better from here on for awhile fighting the caliber & level of experience guys he'll be fighting (more often then not anyway cuz lol abc mandatory fights) so Spence's odds to beat Thurman are only improving as he gets better thus Thurman's odds are getting worse. So Thurman would ultimately look better in 2019 beating Spence then he'd look in 2018 I think its a safe assumption.

But I do think win or lose he's slowing down or hurting his own long term upside, win or lose, by avoiding this fight. Although likely improving his immediate upside by fighting guys he's more likely to beat & potentially making the Spence fight be worth a lil more money by getting more fans & more mainstream fans specifically wanting to see this fight.

That said the problem is Thurman isn't THAT famous yet & beating Spence in 2018 or even just fighting him now could increase his own Q score by a fair amount now & help get him to that road of being the next Floyd, Manny or SRL sooner & making more money long term in the game. Could also setup a rematch or trilogy vs Spence moving forward that could become one of the big rivalry's of this era of boxing. Granted this isn't like GGG vs Canelo where one guy is much older, but sh^t that just means this rivalry could last longer & extend to 4 or 5 fights or go into the 154 division too.

[Sosay]

The "new boxing fans" are accountants. I've never seen so many people talking about fighters maximizing earnings over legacy.
Pathetic!!

[RussB23]

He doesnt want that work. Plain and simple, he will postpone it as long as he possibly can until he can atleast get a nice payday.

Every guy is trying to be floyd now, and its ruining the sport. Fighters straight up have an excuse for ducking now, they just call it a "business move" nowadays. Pathetic.

[Uncle Rodge]

Couldn't give a flying fuck

Thoroughbred wasteman.

[KayDub]

Thurman is just delaying the inevitable no way he beats Spence I expect a late round stoppage I think he knew when Spencer was an amateur somewhere in the back of his mind he knew where this young guy was going to give him plenty of trouble and he will...

Keith and Spence never met as amateurs. Keith has been boxing since he was 7, Spence didn't start until he was 15. My money is on Keith beating Spence.

[satiev1]

is crawford doing the right thing by making spence wait?

Crawford actually called out spence and said he's ready to fight. Spence isn't in a rush though.

[satiev1]

Yes. Spence is the toughest fighter at 147 and you don't get in the ring with him after an injury, you need momentum in boxing and Thurman NEEDS 2 fights and a good run BEFORE he fights Spence to stand any chance of winning.

Thurman knows this, because he is smart. Boxing fans will call him a ducker, but intelligent people know boxing and that to be at 100%, you need momentum, which is certainly not after an injury and inactivity.

Strongly disagree. He dosen't need a garcia and a porter fight and then fight spence. That's way too much wear and tear coming off an injury. He needs 1 tune up and then spence.